How to use Apostrophes

his, hers, its ours, yours, theirs

But it is used with 'one': One must do one's best.

7. Many shops and business concerns these days omit the apostrophe from their titles:

Barclays Bank      Coopers Wines.

8. Note that the apostrophe is not required where a word has been formed by omitting its first part:

bus     NOT     'bus

phone     NOT     'phone

9. No apostrophe is required in the plural form of numbers and dates:

in the 1920s      the roaring twenties

10. The possessive of classical names ending in es is often formed by the apostrophe alone:

Demosthenes' speeches

Sophocles' plays

Xerxes' campaigns

11. French names ending in an unpronounced s or x follow the normal rule, taking an apostrophe and an s:

Rabelais's comedy      Malraux's novels

In formal prose we would write She has told him, but when speaking we would say She's told him. The apostrophe is used to indicate the missing letters.

1. I am (I'm) - He is (he's) - You are (You're).

2. Note the difference between it's (it is) and its (belonging to it).

3. Notice too that the term its' does not exist.

4. It's may also be a contraction of 'it has' - 'It's been a pleasure meeting you'.

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1. When items are described by an acronym or an abbreviation, there is no need to add an apostrophe to denote the plural:

MP (military police)     sixteen MPs

PC (personal computer)     a network of PCs

MB (megabyte)     100 MB

2. But the apostrophe should be used in any expression which includes an element of possession:

MPs' salaries     a PC's capacity

3. The apostrophe is not normally used after a noun which has an adjectival rather than a possessive sense

ladies toilet     Rates Office     students union

4. You should avoid the use of contractions in essays and formal writing.