Apostrophes -- Full overview -- please read.

[Ithaya]

Okay, I'm doing this because I've seen so many misused apostrophes in this guild. I'm not getting at you, getting things wrong is fine, I just thought I'd put up some rules to help you.

First, omission:

Examples: Can't, shouldn't, wouldn't.

Explanation: if one or more letters are missed out in a compound word, an apostrophe is usually needed.

Exceptions:

Won't -- will not -- the 'will' changes to 'wo' (most likely because 'willn't' sounds funny), but the rule's ('rule is' -- notice how the apostrophe replaces the omitted I?) still the same for the n't.

Shan't -- shall not -- the apostrophe is not used for the ommited Ls. Of course, you've probably noticed I use sha'n't anyway ('cause I like it), but that fell out of common usage a long time ago.

'Cause -- because -- not really that much of an exception, but keep in mind it's informal.


Next, posession:

Examples: Ronald's book, Sophie's mind, love's hate.

Explanation: to show something belongs to someone, you must put an apostrophe after the word and an s after that.

Exceptions:
If the names ends in s, e.g. James, you may or may not put an s after the apostrophe -- James' pen, James's pen.

Personally, if the s is pronounced, I write it, as in James's book. If it's not, I don't, as in lips' red (the red of the lips).

Plurals -- if the object described belongs to more than one thing or person, then there is to be no s after the apostrophe (if the plural word ends in s). For example, the girls' dorm, the cats' toys, lips' red. Although, if you follow the rule I do (don't write an s if it's not pronounced), you don't have to worry about this, it seems.
Exceptions to this pluralisation rule would be plural nouns which don't end in s, like women's clothes and men's suits.

I've also been told it's incorrect to put an s after the apostrophe on the name 'Jesus'. (My mistake in the original, unedited post.)

Its -- the __ belonging to it -- this does not need an apostrophe.


Common mistakes:

It's/its -- it is/ the __ belonging to it -- It's, meaning it is, needs an apostrophe (omission), its, showing posession, does not. Simple as that.

Plurals of initialisms/letters/ dates -- for example, CDs, Ys, Fs, DVDs, 1990s, 1800s. These do not need an apostrophe. This is the main one people on this guild get mixed up.




I think that's everything. If I've missed anything, or if there's anything you're confused about, just tell me and I'll fix it to the best of my ability.
 

[Sola Catella]

Actually, we sometimes do use apostraphes to pluralize dates or acronyms here in the US. It's not exactly common, but it is acceptable in American English.

If you are making a plural noun a possessive and it ends in 's,' you MUST put the apostraphe after the 's' and not double it. Singular nouns ending in 's' are open to debate, but plural ones are not.

Also, what you refer to as 'omission' is what I was always taught was a slur.  

[Ithaya]

Sola Catella

Actually, we sometimes do use apostrophes to pluralize dates or acronyms here in the US. It's not exactly common, but it is acceptable in American English.

If you are making a plural noun a possessive and it ends in 's,' you MUST put the apostrophe after the 's' and not double it. Singular nouns ending in 's' are open to debate, but plural ones are not.

Also, what you refer to as 'omission' is what I was always taught was a slur.

Even if it is acceptable, surely it is more correct without an apostrophe.

Plural nouns...okay, I'll remember to put that in, thanks.

Nope, omission; you're omitting the 'o' in don't, etc.. I suppose things like ''cause' could be considered slurs, but the act of taking out the letters is still omission.

Apostraphe apostrophe.  

[Ame Yuki Kaze]

The apostrophe has to be the most abused punctuation mark. I see it used where it shouldn't be (CD'S), not used where it should be (We went to Brads house.) and altogether maligned.

As for the apoostrophe and a name that ends in S, I was taught to just just tack it on after. "He got into Jess' car".  

[Emmanuela]

*hangs head in shame* I should have known the CDs not CD's part! Maybe I should show this to my English teacher, as she told me that one only uses an apostrophe for omissions.  

[The MoUsY spell-checker]

Ikonik Angel

Personally, if the s is pronounced, I write it, as in Jesus's disciples. If it's not, I don't, as in lips' red (the red of the lips).

According to the book Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss, for "Jesus" it's always "Jesus'" (an apostrophe inside a quotation mark looks weird sweatdrop ) with no extra S.

Ikonik Angel

Common mistakes:

It's/its -- it is/ the __ belonging to it -- It's, meaning it is, needs an apostrophe (omission), its, showing possession, does not. Simple as that.

Plurals of initialisms/letters/ dates -- for example, CDs, Ys, Fs, DVDs, 1990s, 1800s. These do not need an apostrophe. This is the main one people on this guild get mixed up.

From the same book, this is an older style (that was in use until around the 1980s), and like Sola Catella already mentioned, some people still use this style in the US.

At my school (in Sydney, Australia), we recently had a notice that had the plural of CD as "CD's", and in my roll call I happened to be talking to the teacher about picking out mistakes. Even he thought it was supposed "CD's", and I showed him the book Eats, Shoots and Leaves, and then he commented that he was "stuck in the 80s". xd At least that wasn't an English teacher (he's the head of maths department). I'll stop here before I end up posting a long story about what I've been talking about with that teacher.  

[Embodiment Of The Living]

Hm...I often get confused with the Its'...

Can someone help me with that?

Like the following sentence: Its wings fluttered open.

Should it be with an apostrophe? ( Pardon the spelling, please. )  

[The MoUsY spell-checker]

Child_Of_Sephiroth

Hm...I often get confused with the Its'...

Can someone help me with that?

Like the following sentence: Its wings fluttered open.

Should it be with an apostrophe? ( Pardon the spelling, please. )

You're right. It should be "Its wings fluttered open" with no apostrophe.  

[Ithaya]

The MoUsY spell-checker

Ikonik Angel

Personally, if the s is pronounced, I write it, as in Jesus's disciples. If it's not, I don't, as in lips' red (the red of the lips).

According to the book Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss, for "Jesus" it's always "Jesus'" (an apostrophe inside a quotation mark looks weird sweatdrop ) with no extra S.

Ikonik Angel

Common mistakes:

It's/its -- it is/ the __ belonging to it -- It's, meaning it is, needs an apostrophe (omission), its, showing possession, does not. Simple as that.

Plurals of initialisms/letters/ dates -- for example, CDs, Ys, Fs, DVDs, 1990s, 1800s. These do not need an apostrophe. This is the main one people on this guild get mixed up.

From the same book, this is an older style (that was in use until around the 1980s), and like Sola Catella already mentioned, some people still use this style in the US.

At my school (in Sydney, Australia), we recently had a notice that had the plural of CD as "CD's", and in my roll call I happened to be talking to the teacher about picking out mistakes. Even he thought it was supposed "CD's", and I showed him the book Eats, Shoots and Leaves, and then he commented that he was "stuck in the 80s". xd At least that wasn't an English teacher (he's the head of maths department). I'll stop here before I end up posting a long story about what I've been talking about with that teacher.

Yeah, I love that book. I can't remember it all that well though. It's only Jesus that never has an s after it, right? 'Cause I know it's acceptable for some names. I'll put that in.

And yeah, someone's already mentioned it's sometimes acceptable to write things like 'CD's', but it's just not right...  

[Ithaya]

Yami no Hitokiri

The apostrophe has to be the most abused punctuation mark. I see it used where it shouldn't be (CD'S), not used where it should be (We went to Brads house.) and altogether maligned.

As for the apoostrophe and a name that ends in S, I was taught to just just tack it on after. "He got into Jess' car".

Yeah, that's what I was taught. But that was years ago. Since then, I've read Eats, Shoots & Leaves, became (become?) pedantic and read up on how to use punctuation correctly (yes, sad, I know. x_x; But I figured I should know what I'm doing if I'm gonna edit and/or write). So it seems either's acceptable, though most people don't put the s. I do, to distinguish between whether it's pronounced or not.
On an only vaguely related note, you can't always tell from what the word is, 'cause there's a Shakespearian poem, Sonnet 130, which says 'my mistress' eyes', in which mistress only has two sylables (to make the line iambic pentameter).  

[Elanchana]

I read in Writers Inc. that plurals of letters do have apostrophes.