Apostrophes are commonly misused by writers. The most common mistake writers make with apostrophes is to put them into plural nouns which are not possessive. Apostrophes should be used in contractions (don't) and possessive nouns (Bob's), but not in simple plurals or possessive pronouns.

Apostrophes in contractions

Use an apostrophe for a contraction, in which two words are combined and shortened into one word.

• Jackson Lake isn't my favorite place to go water skiing anymore.
• I promised I'd finish the report by tomorrow, but I'm afraid it's going to be late. (it's = it is!)
• They hadn't met the new manager yet.

Apostrophes in possessives

Use an apostrophe to make a noun possessive, to show that it owns or has something, but be careful not to use an apostrophe in a possessive pronoun.

• I really like Juanita's new haircut.
• Omar's is my favorite North African restaurant.
• Where is the police officer's badge?
• The red car is theirs, and the green one is ours. (no apostrophe)
• The dog lost its chew toy. (no apostrophe)

When you want to make a plural noun possessive, follow these guidelines: If you make the noun plural by adding s, put the apostrophe after the s. If the noun is plural without an s, add an apostrophe-s.

• They bought their daughters' clothes at the mall. (They have more than one daughter.)
• The professor wrote comments on the students' papers.
• This vote reflects the people's decision.
• You can find men's, women's and children's shoes at this store.

Common mistakes with apostrophes

A common mistake of writers it to put apostrophes into simple plurals. Another mistake is to use a plural when the noun should be a singular possessive.

Here are some examples of mistakes.

• Put the potato's over by the stove.
• Which countries flag is that?

These are the correct versions.

• Put the potatoes over by the stove.
• Which country's flag is that?

"S" Endings Page