Punctuation: Use of Apostrophe
Apostrophe (‘)
An apostrophe (‘) is used to show that certain letters have been omitted from a word. The punctuation symbol can also be used to show the possessive form of a noun, in addition to indicating the plural form of lowercase letters.
The apostrophe rules:
(1) Use an apostrophe in contractions
- He is = He’s
- I am = I’m
- Do not = Don’t
- They have = They’ve
- It is = It’s
- I would = I’d
- Let us = Let’s
- She has = She’s
- Who is = Who’s
(2) Use an apostrophe to indicate possession
The apostrophe examples:
- He joined Charles’s army in 1642.
- Sally’s hair was blond and curly.
- We have put together an anthology of children’s poetry.
- The boy’s sister traveled by bus to meet us.
