The apostrophe

Apostrophes are used in the following instances.

1. To indicate the possessive case:

the manager's goals

the foremen's lounge

the employees' credit

union Charles's T-square

For joint possession, add the apostrophe and the “s” to only the last noun or proper noun:

Watson and Crick's discovery

For separate possession, add an apostrophe and an “s” to each of the nouns or pronouns:

Newton's and Calileo's ideas

Make sure you do not add an apostrophe or an s to possessive pronouns: his, hers, its, ours, yours, theirs.

2. To form contractions:

I've, can't, shouldn't, it's

The apostrophe usually indicates an omitted letter or letters. For example, can't is can(no)t, it's is it(i)s.

Some organizations discourage the use of contractions; others have no preference. Find out the policy your organization follows.

3. To indicate special plurals:

three 9's

two different JCL's

the why's and how's of the problem

As in the case of contractions, it is a good idea to learn the stylistic preferences of your organization. Usage varies considerably.

COMMON ERROR: use of the contraction it's in place of the possessive pronoun its.

INCORRECT

The company does not feel that the problem is it's responsibility.

CORRECT

The company does not feel that the problem is its responsibility.

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