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Apostrophe. How to use the apostrophe
How to use the apostrophe – or not bother?
More than anything else, I get asked by putative copywriters – how do I use the apostrophe? Does it even matter?
In just ten minutes I will show you:
Why do we have the apostrophe?
It’s nothing to do with grammar. It has everything to do with punctuation.
Punctuation is just a set of marks/squiggles invented by printers to make reading easier.
It all began around the time of Shakespeare, and most early ‘punctuation marks’ – comma, colon, semi colon, full stop (period for Americans) – were just a way play writers could indicated to actors when to take a breath, a longer breath, or a real pause. It made it easier to read a script.
What has that got to do with writing in the 21st Century?
Two reasons.
Too many apostrophiesNot understanding the apostrophe, people feel obliged to scatter them around their copy almost every time they come to the letter ‘S’. There are significantly more misused apostrophies than correctly used ones.
So, if you want a lazy way out, I would suggest not using them at all. You will still look ignorant, but less so than the apostrophe abusers!
Apostrophe rule 1 - Stop selling banana's!
The apostrophe is never used to indicate more than one item (plural)
So
Misusing the apostrophy to make a plural is the biggest single mistake. So, get this simple lesson right and you should avoid 60% of apostrophe errors! Easy.
Apostrophies are used to signify just one of two things:
Apostrophe rule 2 - missing letters
Abbreviation – dropping a few letters from a word, or joining two words together (and losing some letters in the process). It is often used when writing in ‘conversational’ English, rather than formal English.
For example:
Strategy number two, then, is to use the apostrophe only for abbreviations. Again, dead easy.
Apostrophe rule 3 - Ownership
Ownership – This one is a lot more tricky.
In Old English, if King Ethelbert owned a book, he might write on it: Ethelbert, his book.
Over time that would become a much simpler Ethelbert’s book. The apostrophe simply shows it belongs to him.
It has become customary (to make it easier to read/interpret the written word) to show if there is more than one owner. That’s achieved by putting the apostrophe either before or after the ‘S’
Common howlers (including its and it's)
Life isn't easy. I said that the apostrophe is often used to denote ownership (the boy’s book). Some words already denote ownership – his, her, their etc
There are two very similar looking words - its and it’s
For example, we may say of a nation Its culture is very interesting (the culture is owned by the nation, so no need for an apostrophe there).
Second example: we may say Do not go in there, it’s dangerous (an abbreviation of it is dangerous).
More confusion
You're is an abbreviation (eg You are late) Your is ownership (eg Your book is open) Who's is an abbreviation (eg Who is there?) Whose is ownership (eg Whose book is this?)
Sorry if that was boring. Perhaps time to adopt strategy one!
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