UNIT 3: APOSTROPHES Guided Notes / ENG IIB /

Define the following:

Shell______

She’ll ______

Shed______

She’d______

So, what exactly is an apostrophe?

It is a punctuation mark that looks like this:

No. It’s not a comma. It’s the punctuation used in the “it’s” in this sentence.

Apostrophes are necessary for expressing meaning clearly in written English. For instance, the difference in meaning between shell and she’ll or shed and she’d. is indicated in writing by the apostrophe (and, of course, the context).

If you sometimes forget to use apostrophes, or if you use them incorrectly, the rules in this unit will prove helpful.

PART ONE - POSSESSIVES

Possessive Case

What does possessive mean?______

The possessive of a noun or pronoun shows ownership or relationship. The nouns and pronouns in boldfaced type in the following sentences are in the possessive case.

OWNERSHIPShe is a teacher in Maria’s school.

Can I count on your vote?

RELATIONSHIPAnne’s friend uses a wheelchair.

You need a good night’s sleep

RULE 1: To form the ______case of a ______noun, add an

APOSTROPHE and an _____.

EXAMPLESKia’s problems.A night’s work

The mayor’s jobthis evening’s paper

Mrs. Hedrick’s deska dollar’s worth

Exception: A ______ending in _____ may add only an apostrophe if the

name consists of ______syllables or if the addition of the

_____ would make the name awkward to pronounce.

What is a proper noun?______

EXAMPLESUlysses’ planMrs. Rawlings’ car

EXERCISE 1 - Using Apostrophes to Form the Possessive Case of Singular Nouns.

Form the possessive case of each of the following singular words. After each possessive word, write an appropriate noun.

EXAMPLE1. Theresa

  1. Theresa’s pencil
  1. Baby ______
  1. Uncle ______
  1. Year ______
  1. Cent ______
  1. Car ______
  1. Terry ______
  1. Ellen ______
  1. Mouse ______
  1. Mr. James ______
  1. Ms. Joyce ______

RULE 2: To form the ______case of a ______noun ending in

_____, add ______the APOSTROPHE.

EXAMPLESboth aunts’ husbandscousins’ visit

What does plural mean?______

Although most plural nouns end in s, some are irregular. To form the possessive case of a plural noun that does not end in s, add an apostrophe and an s.

EXERCISE 2 – Forming the Possessive Case of Plural Nouns

Write the possessive case of each of the following plural nouns:

  1. Women______
  1. Cats ______
  1. Teachers ______
  1. Enemies ______
  1. Princesses ______
  1. Dollars ______
  1. Elves ______
  1. Oxen ______
  1. Mice ______
  1. Parents ______

Do NOT use an apostrophe to form the plural of a noun.

Remember that the apostrophe shows ownership or relationship; because of this it is nearly always followed by a noun.

INCORRECTTwo players’ left their gym suits in the locker room.

CORRECTTwo players left their gym suits in the locker room. (plural, not

possessive)

CORRECTTwo players’ gym suits were left in the locker room. (The apostrophe

shows that the gym suits belong to the two players.

EXERCISE 3 – Correcting Phrases by Forming the Possessive Case of Nouns.

Revise the following phrases by using the possessive case.

EXAMPLE1. parties for seniors

  1. the seniors’ parties
  1. Prizes for winners ______
  1. Manners for teenagers ______
  1. Yokes of oxens ______
  1. Duties of nurses ______
  1. Names of players ______
  1. Suits for women ______
  1. Organization for principals ______
  2. Medals for veterans ______
  3. Routines for dancers ______
  4. Roles for actresses ______

EXERCISE 4. Recognizing Correct Forms of Nouns.

Number your paper 1-10. After the proper number, write the correct form of the noun parentheses.

EXAMPLE1. Two (candidates, candidates’) spoke at the (voters, voters’) forum.

  1. Candidates, voters’
  1. Two (friends, friends’) and I asked the (mayor’s, mayors) committee to set aside Lake Palmer as a wildlife sanctuary. ______
  1. On a recent hike along the lake, we saw several (birds, birds’) nests. ______
  1. A flock of (ducks, ducks’) paddled in the shallow water. ______
  1. A (ducks, duck’s) bill sieves out tiny water (plants, plants’) and (animals, aminals’).

______

  1. At this time of year, the (mallard’s, mallards) plumage is especially colorful. ______
  2. We tried not to disturb some (grebes, grebes’) that were swimming with their young on their (backs, backs’). ______
  3. Pilar pointed out how the young (birds, birds’) held onto their (parents, parents’) feathers with their (bills, bills’). ______
  4. Two meetings have been scheduled to hear opposing (views, views’) on the proposal.

______

  1. (Citizens, Citizens’) rights as well as environmental concerns must be considered.

______

  1. The (childrens, childrens’) point of view will be presented by my sister (Karen’s, Karens) friend.

______

SUMMARY
The following examples illustrate Rules 1 and 2.
SINGULAR / SINGULAR POSSESSIVE / PLURAL / PLURAL POSSESSIVE
Cousin / Cousin’s letter / Cousins / Cousins’ letters
Student / Student’s paper / Students / Students’papers
Week / Week’s salary / Weeks / Two weeks’ salary
Dime / Dime’s worth / Dimes / Two dimes’ worth
Hostess / Hostess’s idea / Hostesses / Hostesses’ ideas
Pony / Pony’s harness / Ponies / Ponies’ harnesses
Lynx / Lynx’s roar / Lynxes / Lynxes’ roars
Wife / Wife’s career / Wives / Wives’ careers
Man / Man’s shirt / Men / Men’s shirts
Child / Child’s toy / Children / Children’s toys
Hero / Hero’s medal / Heroes / Heroes’ medals

RULE 3:______do NOT require an apostrophe.

Possessive Personal Pronouns are:

My, mineour, ours

Your, yourstheir, theirs

His, her, hers, its

The possessive form of who is whose, not who’s (meaning “who is”). Similarly, do not write it’s (meaning “it is”) for its, or they’re (meaning “they are”) for their.

My, your, her, its, our, and their are used before a noun. Mine, yours, hers, ours, and theirs, on the other hand, are never used before a noun; they are used as subjects, complements, or objects in sentences. His may be used either way.

EXAMPLESThat is your watch. That watch is yours. Her idea was wonderful. Hers was the

best idea.

Samantha has your sweater. Samantha has a sweater of yours.

Renell has our plant; Ariel has theirs.

There is his record. There is a record of his.

EXERCISE 5 – Recognizing Correct Forms of Possessive Personal Pronouns.

Circle the correct form of the pronoun in parentheses.

  1. You will be pleased to hear, Sumi, that two poems of (yours, yours’) have been selected for the literary magazine.
  2. When I first read this book, I was surprised by the quality of (its, it’s) artwork.
  3. (Hers, Hers’) is the bicycle with the reflectors on (its, it’s) fendrs.
  4. Eudora Welty, (who’s, whose) short stories involve eccentric characters, is my favorite writer.
  5. “The trophy is (ours, ours’)!” shouted the captain as the Flying S crossed the finish line.
  6. (Theirs, Theirs’) is the only house with blue shutters, so you should have no difficulty finding it.
  7. Penny and Arline worked as gardeners this summer and saved (their, they’re) money for a ski trip.
  8. The students (who’s, whose) names are called are to report backstage.
  9. (Their, They’re) schedule calls for a math test on Tuesday.
  10. (Who’s, Whose) signature is this?

RULE 4______in the ______case require an apostrophe and an S.

THE INDEFINITE PRONOUNS

ALL / ANYTHING / EVERYONE / MOST
ANOTHER / BOTH / EVERYTHING / MUCH
ANY / EACH / FEW / NEITHER
ANYBODY / EITHER / MANY / NOBODY
ANYONE / EVERYBODY / MORE / NONE
NO ONE / OTHER / SOME / SOMEONE
ONE / SEVERAL / SOMEBODY

EXAMPLESnobody’s wishanother’s point of view

Someone’s licenseneither’s school

EXERCISE 6. Recognizing Correct Forms of Possessive Pronouns.

Circle the correct form of the pronoun in parentheses.

  1. The reward is (yours, your’s).
  2. (Ours, Our’s) works better than (theirs, their’s).
  3. (Who’s, Whose) game is that?
  4. (Theirs, Their’s) is not to reason why; (theirs, their’s) is but to do and die.
  5. My family is pleased with (its, it’s) vacations.
  6. It wasn’t (anyone’s, anyones’) fault that we missed the bus.
  7. (Eithers, Either’s) project may win first prize at the Science Fair.
  8. (Ones, One’s, Ones’) tech should be checked regularly.
  9. (Everybodys, Everybody’s, Everybodys’) trees must be irrigated.
  10. The dog of (their’s, theirs) should be on a leash.

Review Practice. Writing the Singular, Plural, and Possessive Forms of Nouns

Use the Columns below. Write the appropriate form for each of the numbered words in

the appropriate column followed by a suitable noun to follow each word in the possessive case.

If you do not know how to spell the word in plural form use a dictionary.

1 / KMH- RCSHS
Taken from Warriner’s English Composition and Grammar, Third Course, Chapter 25 and Supplementary Resources
UNIT 3: APOSTROPHES Guided Notes / ENG IIB /
# / SINGULAR / SINGULAR POSSESSIVE / PLURAL / PLURAL POSSESSIVE
1 / PARENT
2 / TYPIST
3 / BICYCLE
4 / REFEREE
5 / BABY
6 / WOMAN
7 / PENNY
8 / HARDWARE STORE
9 / MUSICIAN
10 / LIONESS

PART TWO CONTRACTIONS

Rule 5Use ______

______

contraction.

A contraction is a shortened form of a word or figure (______for ______,

______for ______) or of a group of words

(______for______, ______for ______,

______for ______). Contractions are used chiefly in conversation

and in informal writing. The apostrophes in contractions indicate where letters have been left

out.

EXAMPLES I am not going.I’m not going.

You are early.You’re early.

Betty is studying.Betty’s studying.

She has left already.She’s left already.

I had made a mistake.I’d made a mistake.

Ordinarily, the word not is shortened to n’t and added to a verb without any change in the

spelling of the verb.

Is not / Isn’t / Were not / Weren’t
Are not / Aren’t / Has not / Hasn’t
Does not / Doesn’t / Have not / Haven’t
Do not / Don’t / Had not / Hadn’t
Did not / Didn’t / Would not / Wouldn’t
Was not / Wasn’t / Should not / Shouldn’t
EXCEPTIONS / EXCEPTIONS / EXCEPTIONS / EXCEPTIONS
Will not / Won’t / Cannot / Can’t

REMEMBER: Do not confuse contractions with possessive pronouns. Study the following lists:

CONTRACTIONSPOSSESSIVE PRONOUNS

Who’s at bat? (Who is)Whose bat is that?

It’s roaring. (it is)Listen to its roar.

You’re too busy. (you are)Your friend is busy.

There’s a kite. (There is)That kite is theirs.

They’re tall trees. (they are)Their trees are tall.

______

Exercise 8. Correcting Sentences by Using apostrophes for Contractions. If any of the following sentences has a contraction without an apostrophe, write the word and add a correctly placed apostrophe on the line that follows. If a sentence is correct as it stands, write a C.

  1. “You’ve changed,” she said. ______
  2. World War II ended in 45. ______
  3. Whos coming to the party? ______
  4. “The stores about to close,” said the clerk. ______
  5. Several stores were closed because of the storm. ______
  6. Well try to make it. ______
  7. Well, try to make it. ______
  8. She gets up at 6 o clock. ______
  9. Im very glad to meet you. ______
  10. Dont you play chess?______

Exercise 9. Recognizing the Correct Use of Apostrophes. Choose the correct word in

parentheses and circle it.

  1. I think ( your, you’re ) the best.
  1. ( Who’s, Whose ) going my way?
  1. ( It’s, Its ) your turn.
  1. Who is and who has may be shortened to ( who’s, whose ).
  1. ( There, Their, They’re ) washing the windows.
  1. ( It’s, Its ) is a contraction.
  1. ( It’s, Its ) is a possessive pronoun.
  1. ( Who’s, Whose ) that masked man?
  1. ( Who’s, Whose ) sneakers are these?
  1. ( Theirs, There’s ) no end in sight.

PLURALS

Rule 6 Use ______

______

______

referred to as words.

EXAMPLESGrandmas always tells me to mind my p’s and q’s.

You received three 80’s and two 90’s.

Do not use &’s for and’s.

Exercise 10. Forming the Plurals of Items by using Apostrophes. Correctly form the plural of each of the following italicized items.

  1. q look like g ______
  1. The late 1960 ______
  1. Put X at the end ______
  1. + and - ______
  1. All A and B ______
  1. Pronoun your t ______
  1. No but, please ______
  1. Their oh and ah ______
  1. Row of Z ______
  1. Dot your i ______
1 / KMH- RCSHS
Taken from Warriner’s English Composition and Grammar, Third Course, Chapter 25 and Supplementary Resources