What is an apostrophe?

Apostrophes, those tiny marks that look like commas or single quotes floating above the letters, can cause quite a bit of confusion for both new and experienced writers. One of the primary uses of an apostrophe is to indicate the omission of one or more letters from a word. For example, 'don't' is short for 'do not' and the apostrophe takes the place of the 'o' and the space between the two words.

Another common use of apostrophes is to indicate the possessive form of a noun. For singular nouns, the apostrophe usually appears before the 's', as in 'John's hat', indicating that the hat belongs to John. For plural nouns that end in 's', the apostrophe appears after the 's', like in 'the Joneses' cat', indicating that the cat belongs to the family whose last name is Jones. For irregular plural nouns that don't end in 's', like 'children', an apostrophe before the 's' is used, as in 'the children's playground'.

Improper use of apostrophes can cause confusion and alter the meaning of a sentence. For example, 'its' and 'it's' may look similar, but they have different meanings. 'Its' is possessive, indicating that something belongs to 'it', while 'it's' is a contraction of 'it is' or 'it has'. Misplaced apostrophes can also create confusion, like in the sentence 'I went to the Smith's house', which would be more accurately written as 'I went to the Smiths' house'.

So, take the time to pay attention to where your apostrophes belong to ensure that your writing is clear and easy to understand. Remember, apostrophes are your friends, not your enemies!