Apostrophe

Apostrophe '


1. Use an apostrophe in possessive forms:

• the ball of the boy » the boy's ball
  
• Tara's sister
  
• my friend's mother
  
• New York's nightmare scenario
  
• the moon's phases
  

2. Use an apostrophe in contracted forms (the apostrophe shows that letters have been left out):

• cannot » can't
  
• they have » they've
  
• I would (or I had) » I'd
  
• it is (or it has) » it's
  
• who is » who's
  

Certain words are sometimes written with an apostrophe (to show that they are really a shortened form of the original, longer word):

• influenza » 'flu (or flu)
  
• telephone » 'phone (or phone)
  

Some people use an apostrophe when the first two figures of a year are left out:

• 1948 » '48
  

3. You can use an apostrophe to show the plural of letters and numbers:

• You should dot your i's and cross your t's.
  
• Do you like music from the 1950's?
  

You can use an apostrophe to show a plural form for words that are not normally plural:

• Your plan is good, even if there are lots of but's in it.