
The use of apostrophes in the English language can be a tricky topic. One of the functions of an apostrophe is to denote possession. The rules for this are simple: for a singular noun, add an apostrophe and an s, e.g. the child's toy. For plural nouns, if the word does not end in s, add an apostrophe and an s, e.g. the children's toy. If the plural noun ends in s, simply add an apostrophe, e.g. the dogs' toy. This can, however, become more complicated when dealing with multiple nouns, as in the case of girls bedroom.
In the phrase girls bedroom, the word girls is plural and does not end in s, so according to the rules outlined above, the apostrophe would come before the s, making it girls' bedroom. This denotes that the bedroom is possessed or owned by multiple girls.
However, the word girls can also be used as an adjective to describe the type of bedroom, in which case there would be no apostrophe, e.g. the girls bedroom is painted pink. This form is often seen in public bathrooms, where a women's room or ladies' room is for women/ladies, and a men's room is for men.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Whether an apostrophe is included | Depends on the context |
Where the apostrophe is placed | After the 's' if plural, before the 's' if singular |
What You'll Learn
When to use an apostrophe for possession
The use of an apostrophe in the phrase "girls bedroom" depends on the intended meaning. If the bedroom belongs to or is possessed by multiple girls, then the correct phrase would be "girls' bedroom". If the bedroom is intended for girls in general, then the correct phrase would be "girls bedroom" without an apostrophe.
Apostrophes are used to show possession or ownership. To show possession with a singular noun, simply add an apostrophe followed by the letter "s". For example, "the girl's dog" or "Mr. Smith's daughter". It is important to note that apostrophes should not be added to plural nouns that do not show ownership, such as in the sentence "Apples are $0.25 each". Additionally, be careful not to add an apostrophe to the pronoun "it" when showing possession; the correct form is "its", not "it's".
When it comes to plural nouns, the rules for adding an apostrophe can vary. If the plural noun ends with an "s", you generally only need to add an apostrophe, such as in "the girls' bathroom" or "my parents' house". If the plural noun does not end with an "s", then add an apostrophe followed by an "s", like in "the children's homework" or "the people's voice".
There are a few other situations to consider when using apostrophes for possession:
- If ownership is applied to more than one noun, only the last noun needs to be made possessive. For example, "John and Jane's wedding".
- If two nouns show separate ownership, use an apostrophe on both nouns. For example, "Shakespeare's and Chaucer's writings".
- When using a hyphenated noun, only make the final word of the hyphenated noun possessive. For example, "my mother-in-law's recipe" or "the ten-year-old's birthday".
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When to use an apostrophe for a contraction
An apostrophe is used in writing contractions, which are shortened forms of words from which one or more letters have been omitted. In standard English, this generally happens with a small number of conventional items, mostly involving verbs.
For example, "can't" is a contraction of "can not", and the apostrophe takes the place of the letter "n" that has been omitted. Similarly, "aren't" is a contraction of "are not", with the apostrophe taking the place of the letters "a" and "i". Note that the irregular contraction "won't" takes its apostrophe between the "n" and the "t", just like all other contractions involving "not".
It is not wrong to use such contractions in formal writing, but they should be used sparingly, as they tend to make your writing appear less than fully formal.
Some words which were contractions long ago are still conventionally written with apostrophes, even though the longer forms have more or less dropped out of use. For example, "it's" is short for "it is" or "it has", and "I'll" is short for "I will".
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When to use an apostrophe for a plural
The apostrophe is one of the smallest characters on the keyboard, but it can cause a lot of confusion. Here's a guide to when to use an apostrophe for a plural.
The Basics
The apostrophe has two main functions: to take the place of omitted letters, such as in contractions; and to indicate possession. It's the latter function that we're concerned with here.
Singular Nouns
To make a singular noun possessive, add an apostrophe and an "s" to the end of the word. For example, "the book belonging to Pat is Pat’s book".
Plural Nouns Not Ending in "s"
To make a plural noun that doesn't end in "s" possessive, add an apostrophe and an "s" to the end of the word. For example, "the toy belonging to the children is the children’s toy".
Plural Nouns Ending in "s"
To make a plural noun ending in "s" possessive, just add an apostrophe to the end of the word. For example, "the toy belonging to the dogs is the dogs’ toy".
The Grey Areas
Despite these seemingly simple rules, there are some grey areas that can cause confusion.
Omitted Apostrophes
Sometimes apostrophes are mistakenly omitted. For example, the part of a department store selling clothing for children should be called the "children's department", not the "childrens department".
Singular vs Plural
Sometimes the singular is used when the plural is correct. For example, a bathroom for all boys and all girls should be labelled "boys' and girls' bathroom", not "boy’s bathroom" or "girl’s bathroom".
Plural Forms
The plural of some names, such as "Jones", can also cause confusion. The plural of "Jones" is "Joneses", so the plural possessive would be "Joneses’".
Apostrophes in Plurals
Apostrophes are sometimes mistakenly inserted into plurals that are not possessive. For example, a greeting card from the Smith family is the "Smiths’ card", but when the card is signed as being from “The Smiths”, that is not possessive and needs no apostrophe.
Possession vs Description
Whether or not to use an apostrophe can also depend on whether you want to indicate possession or simply describe something. For example, "girls' school" indicates possession, whereas "girls school" describes what type of school it is.
While the rules for using an apostrophe for a plural might seem simple at first glance, there are some nuances and grey areas to be aware of. The key things to remember are the different treatments for singular nouns, plural nouns ending in "s", and plural nouns not ending in "s". Beyond that, it's important to consider the context and intention of the sentence to determine whether an apostrophe is needed.
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When to omit an apostrophe for a plural
The apostrophe is seldom used to form a plural noun. However, there are a few instances where an apostrophe should be omitted for a plural.
Plurals Not Ending in "s"
To make a plural noun not ending in "s" possessive, add an apostrophe and an "s" to the end of the word. For example, "the toy belonging to the children is the children’s toy".
Plurals Ending in "s"
To make a plural noun ending in "s" possessive, add an apostrophe to the end of the word. For example, "the toy belonging to the dogs is the dogs’ toy".
Abbreviations, Letters, or Words Used as Nouns
The rare exception to the rule above is when certain abbreviations, letters, or words are used as nouns. For example, "he received four A’s and two B’s". Unless the apostrophe is needed to avoid misreading or confusion, omit it. For example, "do we have more yes’s than no’s?". The trend is to instead write "yeses and noes".
Plural Forms
The plural of "Jones", for example, is "Joneses". So, the plural possessive would be "Joneses’".
Non-Possessive Plurals
Apostrophes should not be inserted into plurals that are not possessive. For example, a greeting card from the Smith family is the "Smiths’ card". However, when the card is signed as being from "The Smiths", that is not possessive and needs no apostrophe.
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When to use an apostrophe for a plural possessive
The apostrophe is one of the smallest characters on the keyboard, but it can cause a lot of confusion. One of its functions is to denote possession. Here are the rules for using an apostrophe for a plural possessive:
For Plural Nouns Not Ending in "s"
To make a plural noun that does not end in "s" possessive, add an apostrophe and an "s" to the end of the word. For example, "the toy belonging to the children" becomes "the children's toy". Similarly, a public bathroom for men and boys is often called a "men's room".
For Plural Nouns Ending in "s"
To make a plural noun ending in "s" possessive, simply add an apostrophe to the end of the word. For example, "the toy belonging to the dogs" becomes "the dogs' toy". A public bathroom for women and girls is often called a "ladies' room".
For Irregular Plurals
The plural of some nouns is formed irregularly. For example, the plural of "child" is "children", and the plural of "goose" is "geese". In these cases, follow the rules for plural nouns not ending in "s". So, "the offspring of the geese" becomes "the geese's offspring".
For Names Ending in "s"
For names ending in "s", use only an apostrophe if the possessive form is not pronounced with an extra "s". For example, "Socrates' philosophy" is correct because we don't say "Ulysses's companions". On the other hand, some sources say that "Jesus's wounds" is correct because that is how it is pronounced.
For Plurals of Names
When forming the plural of a name, be sure to add the apostrophe to the end of the word after the "s". For example, the plural of "Jones" is "Joneses", so the plural possessive is "Joneses'".
For Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns such as "yours", "hers", "its", and "ours" do not take an apostrophe. For example, "The decision is yours."
For Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns such as "anyone", "everybody", "no one", and "somebody" refer to non-specific persons and use the singular possessive form. For example, "Somebody's dog was in our classroom yesterday."
For Compound Possession
When something is jointly possessed by two people, use an apostrophe "s" on the second noun. For example, "My mom and dad's house is huge!" However, if they each possess a separate thing, use an apostrophe "s" on both nouns. For example, "My mom's and dad's houses are both huge, but his is bigger."
For Plurals of Abbreviations
When forming the plural of an abbreviation, place the apostrophe before the "s". For example, "mind your p's and q's".
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Frequently asked questions
No. The apostrophe is used to indicate possession. For example, "the girls' bedroom" would refer to a bedroom belonging to specific girls.
Use an apostrophe to indicate possession. For example, "the girl's bedroom" would refer to a bedroom belonging to one girl.
In that case, you would use an apostrophe after the "s" at the end of the plural word. For example, "the girls' bedroom" would refer to a bedroom shared by multiple girls.
If the plural word doesn't end with an "s," you would add an apostrophe and an "s" to indicate possession. For example, "the children's bedroom" would refer to a bedroom belonging to multiple children.
Yes, there are some exceptions and special cases when using apostrophes. For example, the plural of "Jones" is "Joneses," so the plural possessive would be "Joneses'."