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9 Cards in this Set

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The Apostrophe
Indicates CONTRACTION or shows POSSESSION (Ownership)
CONTRACTIONS
We often joint 2 words for informality and in the process, one or more letters are omitted.

The apostrophe shows where these letters have been removed.

We've been here = WE HAVE been here.
I didn't know = I DID NOT know.

Contractions SHOULD NOT BE USED IN FORMAL WRITING.
Apostrophe Rules
Apostrophes in English serve two basic functions;

they SHOW POSSESSION and they INDICATE THAT LETTERS HAVE BEEN REMOVED from the original words in the process of forming a contraction.
Contractions are not necessary for forming plural nouns or possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, their, our, its). In the following story, you will see examples of apostrophes being used for both purposes.

Pay close attention to where they are and what they’re doing as you read.
Robert and Lisa Jones have two beautiful children. Amy is nine and Ross is seven. The Joneses’ house has two floors. The children’s rooms are upstairs, and the parents’ bedroom is downstairs. Lisa’s room is always clean while Ross’s room is always messy. The Joneses’ lives are very busy this week. Ross’s sports teams all have games, Amy’s ballet class has a recital, and Robert’s car is in the shop, so the Joneses are trying to get everything done with only Lisa’s car. So far today, they’ve been to school, practice, rehearsal, the grocery store and the veterinarian’s office, and they aren’t finished yet. They’ll be busy until late tonight, and tomorrow, they’ll do it all again.
APOSTROPHE RULE 1 FOR POSSESSIVES:

A lot of people get confused about when they need to use an apostrophe and when they don’t. Here are a few apostrophe rules to help you decide.
Use an apostrophe + S (‘s) to show that one person/thing owns or is a member of something.
Amy’s ballet class, Lisa’s car, Robert’s car, Ross’s room, Ross’s sports teams
Yes, even if the name ends in “s,” it is still correct to add an “‘s” to create the possessive form. It is also acceptable to add only an apostrophe to the end of singular nouns that end in “s” to make them possessive. In this case, that means “Ross’” would have the same meaning as “Ross’s.” It makes no difference whether the item owned is singular or plural. We use “Ross’s” to say that the room (singular) is his and that the sports teams (plural) are his.
APOSTROPHE RULE 2 FOR POSSESSIVES:
Use an apostrophe after the “s” at the end of a plural noun to show possession.
The parents’ bedroom, the Joneses’ lives
It is not necessary to add another “s” to the end of a plural noun.
APOSTROPHE RULE 3 FOR POSSESSIVES:
If a plural noun doesn’t end in “s,” add an “‘s” to create the possessive form.
The children’s rooms
*Remember, a possessive noun needs an apostrophe and an “s” at the end. If there’s already an “s” there, you can just add the apostrophe. If there’s no “s,” you have to add both - first the apostrophe, and then the “s.”
Apostrophe rule for CONTRACTIONS:
When you combine two words to make a contraction, you will always take out some letters. In their place, use an apostrophe.
they + have = they’ve; are + not = aren’t; they + will = they’ll
Apostrophes Show Possession or Indicate an Omission
An apostrophe is used to indicate possession or ownership. An apostrophe and an -s should be added to singular possessive nouns, plural possessive nouns that do not end in -s, and singular possessive nouns that end in -s. Only an apostrophe should be used when showing possession or ownership for a plural possessive noun that ends in -s.

Singular possessive noun: Susan's book Singular possessive noun ending in -s: Chris's car Plural possessive nouns: the children's school Plural possessive noun that ends in -s: my parents' house
An apostrophe can also be used to show that a letter has been omitted from a word to form a contraction. For example, "it's" is a contraction for it is. "Its" is a possessive pronoun.