The apostrophe (' or ’) is a punctuation mark, and sometimes a diacritical mark, in languages that use the Latin alphabet
Latin alphabet
The Latin or Roman alphabet, is the writing system originally used by the ancient Romans to write the Latin language.
How do you write an apostrophe?
To type e apostrophe in Word using the alt code:
- Launch your Word document.
- Place the insertion pointer where you want to type the apostrophe e.
- Press and hold the Alt key.
- Type the Alt code (0233 or 0201)using the numeric keypad.
- Release the Alt key.
When to use quotation marks or apostrophe?
Quotation marks are used to report speech. An apostrophe is used for making contractions and possession. It’s not likely you’ll mix them up, but keep in mind, apostrophes appear alone and quotation marks appear in twos! Apostrophes. You see the apostrophe being used in many places.
When to use an apostrophe?
It is a common knowledge that an apostrophe is used to show possession. While the full stop, among other functions, marks the end of a clause or sentence, the apostrophe indicates ownership. When properly placed, it enhances clarity but makes the expression awkward or ambiguous when carelessly handled. Consider the following:
How to use apostrophe correctly?
What is an apostrophe?
- Indicate possession
- Stand in for omitted letters or numbers
- Form the plural of lowercase letters
What are the 5 examples of apostrophe?
A few apostrophe examples below:I am – I'm: “I'm planning to write a book someday.”You are – You're: “You're going to have a lot of fun with your new puppy.”She is – She's: “She's always on time.”It is – It's: “I can't believe it's snowing again.”Do not – Don't: “I don't like anchovies.”More items...
Where is apostrophe mark used?
In English, the apostrophe is used for two basic purposes: The marking of the omission of one or more letters, e.g. the contraction of "do not" to "don't". The marking of possessive case of nouns (as in "the eagle's feathers", "in one month's time", "at your parents' [home]").
How do you do the apostrophe symbol?
The apostrophe key is usually located between colon/semicolon and Enter key. You can also use the combination Alt+39 with the number written using the numeric keyboard.
What are the 2 types of apostrophes?
There are two different kinds of apostrophes: smart and straight.
What are the 3 Uses of apostrophe?
The apostrophe has three uses: 1) to form possessive nouns; 2) to show the omission of letters; and 3) to indicate plurals of letters, numbers, and symbols. Do not use apostrophes to form possessive pronouns (i.e. his/her computer) or noun plurals that are not possessives.
Why do we use apostrophes?
The apostrophe is used to indicate possessive case, contractions, and omitted letters. The apostrophe is not strictly a punctuation mark, but more a part of a word to indicate possessive case, contractions, or omitted letters.
Is it Chris's or Chris '?
Which is correct, Chris's chair or Chris' chair? James's car or James' car? Actually, both ways are correct. If a proper name ends with an s, you can add just the apostrophe or an apostrophe and an s.
How do I put apostrophe in word?
Word leaves the proper apostrophe and you can continue typing as desired. Another easy method to produce an apostrophe pointing in the proper direction is to hold down the Ctrl key as you type the apostrophe twice. Only one apostrophe will show on the screen, and it will be pointing in the proper direction.
What is the difference between straight and curly apostrophe?
Curly quotes are often referred to as smart quotes. That's because they curve toward the text you're quoting. This is done automatically in most word processors. Straight quotes are what they sound like — straight, vertical marks without any indication of which word or phrase it's surrounding.
How do you use straight quotation marks?
Straight quotes are the two generic vertical quotation marks located near the return key: the straight single quote ( ' ) and the straight double quote ( " ). Curly quotes are the quotation marks used in good typography.
Which of the following is an example of apostrophe?
Apostrophe can be either a punctuation mark or a literary device. As a punctuation mark, it signifies elision and is used when letters or words are contracted and sounds are omitted or merged. For instance, “I am” can be presented as “I'm” or “you all” can be sometimes heard as “y'all.”
What is an apostrophe in Wikipedia?
Apostrophe. ’. '. Typesetter's apostrophe. Typewriter apostrophe. The apostrophe ( ' or ’) is a punctuation mark, and sometimes a diacritical mark, in languages that use the Latin alphabet and some other alphabets.
When to use apostrophes in English?
From the 16th century, following French practice, the apostrophe was used when a vowel letter was omitted either because of incidental elision ("I'm" for "I am") or because the letter no longer represented a sound ("lov'd" for "loved"). English spelling retained many inflections that were not pronounced as syllables, notably verb endings ("-est", "-eth", "-es", "-ed") and the noun ending "-es", which marked either plurals or possessives, also known as genitives; see Possessive apostrophe, below). An apostrophe followed by "s" was often used to mark a plural, especially when the noun was a loan word (and especially a word ending in "a", as in "the two comma's").
What is an apostrophe in a noun?
Apostrophes used in a non-standard manner to form noun plurals are known as greengrocers' apostrophes or grocers' apostrophes, often written as greengrocer's apostrophes or grocer's apostrophes. They are sometimes humorously called greengrocers apostrophe's, rogue apostrophes, or idiot's apostrophes (a literal translation of the German word Deppenapostroph, which criticises the misapplication of apostrophes in Denglisch ). The practice, once common and acceptable (see Historical development ), comes from the identical sound of the plural and possessive forms of most English nouns. It is often criticised as a form of hypercorrection coming from a widespread ignorance of the proper use of the apostrophe or of punctuation in general. Lynne Truss, author of Eats, Shoots & Leaves, points out that before the 19th century it was standard orthography to use the apostrophe to form a plural of a foreign-sounding word that ended in a vowel (e. g., banana's, folio's, logo's, quarto's, pasta's, ouzo's) to clarify pronunciation. Truss says this usage is no longer considered proper in formal writing.
What happens if you have a name that ends in "s"?
If you have a name that ends in "s," or if you will observe home-made signs selling tomatoes or chili-and-beans, you will quickly note what can be done with a possessive apostrophe in reckless hands.
What is the apostrophe in Afrikaans?
In Afrikaans, as in Dutch, the apostrophe is used to show that letters have been omitted from words. The most common use is in the indefinite article 'n, which is a contraction of een meaning 'one' (the number).
What does an apostrophe mean in a sentence?
An apostrophe is used in time and money references in constructions such as one hour's respite, two weeks' holiday, a dollar's worth, five pounds' worth, one mile's drive from here. This is like an ordinary possessive use. For example, one hour's respite means a respite of one hour (exactly as the cat's whiskers means the whiskers of the cat ). Exceptions are accounted for in the same way: three months pregnant (in modern usage, one says neither pregnant of three months, nor one month (')s pregnant ).
Why do we use an apostrophe in Albanian?
In Albanian the apostrophe is used to show that a vowel has been omitted from words, especially in different forms of verbs and in some forms of personal pronoun.
What does an apostrophe mean?
Apostrophes can also be used to indicate that the first two digits of a year have been omitted. You’ve probably seen this in cases like “the class of ’ 93,” “the ’ 08 election” and “the Roaring ’ 20s.”
When do you add an apostrophe to a noun?
When a singular noun doesn’t end in S , you just need to add an apostrophe and an S to make it possessive. Examples include “the boy ’ s bike,” “the dog ’ s leash,” and “Bob ’ s house.”. If a singular noun does end in S, you should add an apostrophe and an S to make the word possessive.
Do you need an apostrophe at the end of a noun?
If a noun is plural and ends in S, you only need to add an apostrophe at the end to make it possessive. Examples include “the students ’ tests,” “the girls ’ backpacks,” and “the Morris ’ car.”. In the case of irregular plural nouns that don’t end in S, add an apostrophe and an S to the word to make it possessive.
What does an apostrophe mean in a word?
The apostrophe has two, and only two, uses: To show possession. To indicate the omission of letters or numbers. To further illustrate this point, let us examine some of the rules that dictate when apostrophes should be used and where they should be placed in a word. Have a look!
When to put apostrophe after second name?
If two people possess the same item, put the apostrophe + s after the second name only. Examples: Sara and Mabel’s home is constructed of redwood. However, if one of the joint owners is written as a pronoun, use the possessive form for both. Examples: Incorrect: Maribel and my home.
What is the rule for compound nouns?
Rule # 3. With a singular compound noun has to show possession, it does with an apostrophe + s at the end of the word. Examples: my mother-in-law’s hat. If the compound noun (e.g., brother-in-law) is to be made plural, form the plural first (brothers-in-law), and then use the apostrophe + s. Examples:
How to show possession with a singular noun?
They vary a little bit, depending on what type of noun you are making into a possessive. Use the apostrophe to show possession. To show possession with a singular noun, add an apostrophe plus the letter s. Examples: a woman’s hat.
What is the most abused punctuation mark?
The apostrophe may be considered the most abused punctuation mark in the English language. The rules for the apostrophe are much more definite, but they are frequently misapplied. So misunderstanding is being seen often in this case.
Do personal pronouns have apostrophes?
Personal pronouns, unlike regular nouns, do not use apostrophes to form possessives. Most writers don’t have trouble with the possessive pronouns my, mine, his, her, and our. It’s your, yours, hers, its, ours, their, and theirs, that tend to cause the confusion. The relative possessive pronoun whose is also frequently the victim of apostrophe abuse. Note that none of these forms uses an apostrophe. In fact, for some of these pronouns, adding an apostrophe forms a contraction instead of a possessive.
Do you put an apostrophe on a noun ending in s?
There is no right answer; the best advice is to choose a formula and stay consistent. Some writers and experts add only an apostrophe to all nouns ending in s.
What does an apostrophe mean in a sentence?
: a mark ' used to indicate the omission of letters or figures, the possessive case (as in "John's book"), or the plural of letters or figures (as in "the 1960's") In the contraction "can't," the apostrophe replaces two of the letters in the word "cannot.".
What is an apostrophe in a noun?
noun (2) Definition of apostrophe (Entry 2 of 2) : the addressing of a usually absent person or a usually personified thing rhetorically Carlyle's "O Liberty, what things are done in thy name!". is an example of apostrophe.
Where does the word "apostrophe" come from?
History and Etymology for apostrophe. borrowed from French & Late Latin; French, borrowed from Late Latin apostrophus, apostrophos "mark placed above a consonant to indicate that a following vowel has been deleted," borrowed from Greek apóstrophos (feminine noun, presumably shortened from the collocation apóstrophos prosōidía, ...
Why do we use apostrophes?
The other reason is to show possession, and you can find more information on that topic on my website: GrammarGoddess.com.
What happens if you leave an apostrophe out?
In some cases, if you leave the apostrophe out, spellcheck will flag the resulting word because it’s not correctly spelled (such as “youre,” but in some cases leaving out the apostrophe means you’ve written a perfectly spelled word and spellcheck won’t flag it (were), even though it’s not what you meant.
Why is it called the grocer's apostrophe?
Sometimes, it’s called the grocer’s apostrophe because of how frequently it is spotted in grocery store advertisements ( 3 orange’s for a dollar! ). Don’t do it! With very few exceptions, apostrophes do not make nouns plural.
Is an apostrophe a punctuation mark?
Apostrophes with Surrounding Punctuation. An apostrophe is part of the word it belongs to, so it should not be separate d from the word by periods, commas, question marks, or any other punctuation mark.
Is "grocer" an apostrophe?
Apostrophes and Plurals. Using an unnecessary apostrophe to form the plural of a noun is a very common mistake. Sometimes, it’s called the grocer’s apostrophe because of how frequently it is spotted in grocery store advertisements ( 3 orange’s for a dollar! ). Don’t do it!
Do you add an apostrophe to a possessive?
The rules about forming possessives probably cause the most apostrophe confusion. They vary a little bit, depending on what type of noun you are making into a possessive. Here are the rules of thumb: For most singular nouns, add apostrophe+s: For most plural nouns, add only an apostrophe :
Do apostrophes make nouns plural?
With very few exceptions, apostrophes do not make nouns plural. The one notable exception to this rule is the plural form of lowercase letters, which are formed with an apostrophe to prevent misreading: Don’t forget to dot all your is. Don’t forget to dot all your i’s.
What are apostrophes in writing?
Apostrophes (') are used less frequently in American English writing. They are used with an s to indicate possession by one person or thing ( 's) or two or more persons or things ( s' ): 1 Victor’s staff has been putting in too much overtime. 2 Teachers’ pay has been rising faster than salaries in other sectors of the economy.
What does a quotation mark mean?
Quotation marks (") are often used to indicate something said or written by another person , particularly if it is included inside your own original writing. If the quotation is embedded inside one of your own sentences, use commas, as shown in the following. After getting off the ladder, Neil Armstrong intended to say, ...
Overview
The apostrophe (' or ’) is a punctuation mark, and sometimes a diacritical mark, in languages that use the Latin alphabet and some other alphabets. In English, the apostrophe is used for two basic purposes:
• The marking of the omission of one or more letters, e.g. the contraction of "do not" to "don't".
• The marking of possessive case of nouns (as in "the eagle's feathers", "in one month's time", "at your p…
Usage in English
The apostrophe was first used by Pietro Bembo in his edition of De Aetna (1496). It was introduced into English in the 16th century in imitation of French practice.
Introduced by Geoffroy Tory (1529), the apostrophe was used in place of a vowel letter to indicate elision (as in l'heure in place of la heure). It was also frequently used in place of a final "e" (which was still pronounced at the time) when it wa…
Non-English use
In many languages, especially European languages, the apostrophe is used to indicate the elision of one or more sounds, as in English.
• In Albanian the apostrophe is used to show that a vowel has been omitted from words, especially in different forms of verbs and in some forms of personal pronoun. For example, t'i: them (from të + i: them), m'i mori (from më + i mori). It is used too in some of the forms of possessive pronoun…
Typographic form
The shape of the apostrophe originated in manuscript writing, as a point with a downwards tail curving clockwise. This form was inherited by the typographic apostrophe, ’, also known as the typeset apostrophe (or, informally, the curly apostrophe). Later sans-serif typefaces had stylised apostrophes with a more geometric or simplified form, but usually retaining the same directional bias a…
Informal use in measurement and mathematics
Formally, the symbol used to represent a foot of length, depth, or height, is ′ (prime) and that for the inch is ″ (double prime). (Thus, for example, the notation 5' 7″ signifies 5 feet and 7 inches). Similarly, the prime symbol is the formal representation of a minute of arc (1/60 of a degree in geometry and geomatics), and double prime represents a second of arc (for example, 17°54'32" represents 17 degrees 54 minutes and 32 seconds). Similarly in mathematics, the prime is gener…
Unicode
In its Unicode Standard (version 13.0), the Unicode Consortium describes three characters that represent apostrophe:
• U+0027 ' APOSTROPHE: The typewriter or ASCII apostrophe. The standard remarks:
For historical reasons, U+0027 is a particularly overloaded character. In ASCII, it is used to represent a punctuation mark (such as right single quotation mark, left single quotation mark, ap…
Computing
In modern computing practice, Unicode is the standard and default method for character encoding. However, Unicode itself and many legacy applications have echoes of earlier practices. Furthermore, the limited character set provided by computer keyboards has also required practical and pragmatic adjustments. These issues are detailed below.
The typewriter apostrophe, ', was inherited by computer keyboards, and is the only apostrophe ch…
See also
• Apologetic apostrophe
• Caron
• Contraction (grammar)
• Elision
• Genitive case