The report clarified Perkins’ job evaluation. It usually means the name is a contraction of something longer. For most nouns you just need to add an apostrophe and an s to show that something belongs to a person or thing. Some guides allow you to add only an apostrophe in cases where the extra s would be awkward to pronounce aloud. If you want to know more about using apostrophes with names, this page will guide you. With personal names that end in -s but are not spoken with an extra s: just add an apostrophe after the -s. For James, the plural possessive sounds as if it has two S sounds when we pronounce it, so we would use an apostrophe and an S. Here are some more examples: James’s father is in the hospital. The apostrophe is placed where a letter or letters have been removed. Rule 2b. Never use “its’,” and only use “it’s” if you’re going to use a contraction for “it is.” As for numbers that aren’t years, you shouldn’t add an apostrophe plus “s” to the end. Read on to discover all the apostrophe rules you'll ever need to know! To make your name plural (indicating “we are the Smiths”), add an ‘s’ or in some cases, an ‘es’. Main Apostrophe Takeaways: Apostrophes have three main uses: to show ownership, omissions, and plural letters, numbers, and symbols ; An apostrophe stands in for the missing letter(s) in a contraction like don’t or can’t. If in doubt, however, adding ’s is the safest choice. Note that when you are citing a source, the apostrophe is attached to the author’s name, not to the in-text citation. There are various approaches to plurals for abbreviations, single letters, and numerals. one woman's hat. ; If something is plural and showing possession, put an apostrophe after the “s.”You can also add another ‘s’ after the apostrophe, but it isn’t usually required. You're not trying to make your last name possessive, which is what adding an apostrophe does (the Smith's). Examples: Correct: Doesn’t, it’s, ’tis, can’t, you’d, should’ve, rock ‘n’ roll, etc. Similarly, you could include an apostrophe or apostrophe S … Place the apostrophe before the s to show singular possession. Ms. Chang's house NOTE: Although names ending in s or an s sound are not required to have the second s added in possessive form, it is preferred. one actress's hat. Examples: one boy's hat. As you can see, for a singular proper name ending in the letter S, you can choose to either write an apostrophe or apostrophe S. Your choice would depend upon the style guide you’re using. In special cases, such as when forming a plural of a word that is not normally a noun, some writers add an apostrophe for clarity. Use the apostrophe to show possession. I won’t go into depth on grammatical rules and details (there are many I don’t follow and I’m certainly not an English teacher), but, just remember that typically, you should not be using an apostrophe in your last name. one woman's hat. Apostrophe rules can be broken into four main categories. If you want possessive of pluralized family name, you need to pluralize the first and simply make name possessive using the apostrophe… Correct: Apostrophes are confusing. one child's hat. Incorrect: We've had many happy Christmas's. Rule # 6. Check Punctuation: Pluralized Family Name. An apostrophe is usually used in these types of instances to indicate that the word has been contracted. Incorrect: does’nt. This paper builds on Adams (2017)’s research. Use an apostrophe with contractions. Incorrect: Apostrophe's are confusing. Correct: We've had many happy Christmases. Do not use an apostrophe + s to make a regular noun plural. Instead, you're making your last name plural to indicate that the card is from all of your family members (the Smiths). For instance, English commonly abbreviates the word "not" following some verbs, such as: Did not = didn't Can not = can't Will not = won't and so on. 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