Y05W16GR Apostrophes 1 (contractions vs possession)
Apostrophes 1 (contractions vs possession)
The apostrophe is one of the most misused punctuation marks in English. It has two jobs — showing where letters have been removed in a contraction, and showing that something belongs to someone. Knowing which job an apostrophe is doing prevents some of the most common errors in everyday writing.
- How apostrophes work in contractions (joining two words)
- How apostrophes show possession (belonging)
- How to decide which type of apostrophe is needed
- Apostrophe — a punctuation mark (') used for two purposes: contractions and possession.
- Contraction — two words joined into one, with an apostrophe replacing the missing letters. For example, do not becomes don't.
- Possession — when something belongs to a person or thing, an apostrophe plus s is added to the owner. For example, the student's bag means the bag belongs to the student.
- Common confusion — its and it's are the trickiest pair. It's is always a contraction of it is. Its (no apostrophe) shows possession.
How it works
1Apostrophes in contractions
A contraction shortens two words into one by removing letters and replacing them with an apostrophe. Contractions appear often in everyday speech and informal writing.
- Position — the apostrophe always sits exactly where the missing letters were removed. For example, can not becomes can't, not ca'nt.
- Common contractions include everyday pairs such as I am → I'm, they are → they're, and would not → wouldn't.
- Test — expanding the contraction back into two words confirms it is correct. For example, expanding it's gives it is, which confirms the apostrophe is needed.
2Apostrophes for possession
A possessive apostrophe shows ownership. The apostrophe is placed after the owner's name or noun, followed by s.
- Singular owner — add apostrophe + s after the owner. For example, Maya's lunchbox means the lunchbox belongs to Maya.
- Proper noun owner — the same rule applies even when the owner is a person's name. For example, Jake's footy boots or the school's oval.
- No apostrophe for plurals — a plain plural (more than one) does not need an apostrophe. For example, The students packed their bags uses no apostrophe because no possession is shown.
3The decision rule
When unsure whether to use an apostrophe and where to place it, applying a two-step check removes the guesswork.
- Step one — ask: Can I expand this into two words? For example, it's expands to it is — if it makes sense, it is a contraction.
- Step two — ask: Does something belong to someone? For example, the coach's whistle shows the whistle belongs to the coach — use apostrophe + s after the owner.
- Neither applies — if neither check is true, no apostrophe is needed. For example, The students ran laps needs no apostrophe at all.
See it in action
Missing apostrophe in a contraction
Its going to rain during sport today.
It's going to rain during sport today.
It's expands to it is, so the apostrophe is needed to replace the missing letter i.
Missing possessive apostrophe
The teachers desk was covered in papers.
The teacher's desk was covered in papers.
The desk belongs to the teacher, so an apostrophe + s is placed directly after teacher.
Apostrophe added incorrectly to a plural
All the student's lined up at the canteen.
All the students lined up at the canteen.
Students is a plain plural — nothing belongs to anyone — so no apostrophe is needed.
- An apostrophe has two jobs: contractions and possession — not plurals.
- In a contraction, the apostrophe replaces missing letters where two words are joined.
- In possession, apostrophe + s goes directly after the owner's name or noun.
- Its vs it's — it's always means it is; its shows possession with no apostrophe.
- Use the two-step check: expand the word OR ask if something belongs to someone.
- apostrophe(n.) a punctuation mark (') used to mark missing letters in a contraction or to show possession — in can't, the apostrophe replaces the missing no.
- contraction(n.) a shortened form of two words joined together — they're is a contraction of they are.
- possession(n.) the relationship of ownership between a noun and something belonging to it — the coach's whistle uses possession to show the whistle belongs to the coach.
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