Writing Center
Youngstown State University
English verbs often take an -s ending in the present singular form (does, hires, buys), as do many English nouns in the plural form (dogs, girls, radios). In neither of these cases should the apostrophe be used. Use of the apostrophe should be limited to possessive cases and shortened words (contractions).
The apostrophe can show possession (sometimes called the genitive case). In other words, a phrase such as "the book of the student" can be converted to "the student's book." Rules for apostrophe placement in order to show possession are fairly simple:
1. Use the apostrophe plus -s to form the possessive of nouns that do not end in -s.
2. Use the apostrophe alone to form the possessive of plural nouns ending in -s.
3. Use either the apostrophe plus -s or just the apostrophe to form the possessive of singular nouns which end in -s.
4. Hyphenated words take the apostrophe after the last section of the word.
The apostrophe is also used in contractions to show the omission of a letter (or letters). The apostrophe takes the place of the omitted letter(s):
E-mail your comments and suggestions to the YSU Grant Team (cardcat@bgnet.bgsu.edu).
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