If you’re like me (somewhat of a stickler for the written word), then you cringe when you see incorrect grammar.
Sometimes I’m not sure if some of the rules are changing (people are writing differently) or the writer just doesn’t know the rules.
Rules for the apostrophe are definite, but often used incorrectly. Here are five for you to remember to implement when writing your organization’s communications:
Add and “s” if a singular or plural word doesn’t end in “s.”
- the children’s playroom
- the women’s event
- the man’s office
Show the possessive form of proper nouns.
- the Jones’ car (one person)
- the Joneses’ cars (two or more people named Jones)
Don’t use an apostrophe with possessive pronouns such as hers, ours, its, yours, etc.
- it was definitely hers
- it was not his property
- it stood on its own
A name or proper noun ends in a silent s, z, or x, add apostrophe-s.
- that was Paul Theroux’s cat
Do not use an apostrophe to show the plural of a name, an acronym abbreviation, or numbers.
- Consumer Affairs Division
- two IKEAs were in the state of New York
- she was her late 70s
Do that, not this:
- dessert’s – as in we have plenty of desserts on our menu
- appearance’s – as in he will make several appearances after the game
- pie’s – as in fresh pies for sale
- hot dog’s – as in we have hot dogs for sale
I can understand why many have problems with the apostrophe. They see the written word and think that it’s correct…when it’s not.
It may be hard to remember back to fifth grade grammar, but try. Maybe that’s the reason many are not smarter than a fifth grader.