Chapter Six: How To Use The "Apostrophe - S

CHAPTER SIX: HOW TO USE THE "APOSTROPHE - S."

6.1 THE BASIC FORMS.

The "apostrophe-s" is used to indicate the possession of something by a person or by some other living creature.

John's car - the man's name - the horse's head

With a regular plural, the apostrophe comes after the "s."

the explorers' ship - the soldiers' guns

With an irregular plural, the apostrophe precedes the "s."

the children's toys - the men's room

6.2 THE USE OF THE ARTICLE

It is important to note that in all these cases, the article goes with the possessor; the thing possessed never has an article. (The chapter on articles tells you about the cases where English omits the definite article.)

Roger's bicycle is a brand new red one.

Women's ideas can be very amusing.

6.3 PROPER NAMES

You must pay attention to the rules about what happens with proper names ending in "s." With a common, modern name ending in "s," we generally follow the normal rules.

(Singular) James's uncle is an English teacher.

(Plural) The Smiths' new house is really beautiful.

With ancient Greek and Latin names, which often end in "s" in English, we tend just to add the apostrophe, and not put another "s."

Socrates' philosophy - Brutus' speech - Jesus' life

6.4 OTHER USES.

We quite often use the "apostrophe - s" in expressions of time, distance and cost.

Have you seen today's paper anywhere?

They went for a week's holiday in France.

It's a mile's journey to the station.

She bought a dollar's worth of chewing gum.

Note that when this happens with a plural expression, the article goes with the second element, which contradicts what we saw in 6.2.

They had a two weeks' stay in London.

He had to pay a fifty dollars' fine.

(In fact this type of idea is often expressed by a compound adjective rather than a possessive form, which in the last two examples would give us "...a two-week stay" and "...a fifty-dollar fine;" see 12.5.5.)

6.5 AT / TO SOMEONE'S (HOUSE.)

Don't forget that when you talk about "being at someone's house," or "going to someone's shop (etc.,)" it is quite common to leave out the final noun.

(Singular) They're at Penelope's today.

I'm going to the dentist's tomorrow.

(Plural) We'll be staying at the Barretts'.

(It's important for you to remember this one, because of what it corresponds to in French.)

6.6 OTHER POINTS TO REMEMBER.

6.6.1 The "apostrophe - s" always comes at the end of the designation of the possessor, even if this is longer than just one word.

My mother-in-law's pearls

The sergeant-major's smile

The income-tax man's kindness

My dear Aunt Mathilda's new dress

So, if you say "John and David's parents," then John and David are brothers. If they each have their own parents, then you must say "John's and David's parents."

6.6.2 Note the following cases, where the "apostrophe-s" is used to classify something, rather than to denote simple possession.

A driver's licence is getting more and more difficult and expensive to obtain.

A musician's life is not all play and no work, you know!

6.6.3 "Of" is used instead of the possessive case when the noun is followed by a phrase which describes it.

We could hear the voices of the children playing outside.

I walked in the footprints of the man in front of me.

6.6.4 With inanimate possessors, the following structure is frequently used, with the first noun becoming a sort of adjective; (see also 12.4.)

the town walls - the church roof - the city limits

6.6.5 Note the way the noun is left out in the following examples.

Whose glass is this? - It's Grandma's.

Whose pipe is this? - It must be the old man's.

6.6.6 There is a form which is called the "Double Genitive," and we use it when we want to insist on the person who possesses, rather than the thing possessed.

a friend of Paul's (= one of Paul's friends)

a habit of my doctor's (= one of my doctor's habits)

a colleague of her fianc?'s (=one of her fianc?'s colleagues)

some friends of my sister's (= some of my sister's friends)

some photos of Henry's (= some of Henry's photos)

Note how the possessive pronoun is used in the following cases.

an aunt of mine (= one of my aunts)

an enemy of yours (=one of your enemies)

This "Double Genitive" is quite often preceded by a demonstrative pronoun too, especially when the speaker has a rather negative attitude towards the thing he is speaking about.

I don't really like those new friends of Valerie's.

That idea of yours caused us all sorts of problems!

Those new shoes of Mary's are really hideous!