Another Apostrophe Assignment

Apostrophes are a much misused punctuation mark.  As an educator it is like nails on a chalkboard when I see an apostrophe used in a plural.  So I thought we could have a short and hopefully helpful reminder on the difference.



Plural nouns mean more than one.  Here are some elementary examples.



There are four cats.

The Smiths are coming to our house.

We saw two movies last night.

Church services are on Sundays and Wednesdays.



In each of these examples we are referring to more than one of the underlined words.  There are four, not one cat.  The Smith family includes more than one person.  Two movies is obviously plural.  And the church services are being held every Sunday and Wednesday...not just once.  None of these examples need apostrophes.



An apostrophe is used when a noun shows possession (ownership).



The cat's bowl was empty.

Can we go to Julie Smith's house?

The movie's graphics were amazing.

Last Sunday's service really touched me.



In these examples, we use the same root words as the first examples, but in each case something belongs to the noun, so an apostrophe is necessary.



The bowl belongs to the cat.  Julie Smith owns the house.  The graphics belong to the movie, and the service occurred on Sunday.  We are not referring to more than one in any of these examples.



Just as we want to choose the best words to convey our thoughts when writing, we should pay attention to correct use of punctuation.  It does make a difference when others are reading our work.



Happy writing,



Karina Harris

www.karinaharrisauthor.com










Lonely Hearts ~ a sweet Christian Romance
The Price of Trust ~ Christian Romantic Suspense
http://www.booksbyamanda.com