Apostrophes Name ______________________
Five Steps in Using the Apostrophe Correctly
1. Look for possessive construction. Usually two nouns appear together. The first
noun shows ownership of, or a special relationship to, the second noun.
2. Reverse the nouns using a prepositional phrase. Examine the ownership word.
Does it end in an “s” sound?
car of the girl (ownership word, girl, does not end in an “s” sound)
3. It the ownership word does NOT end in an “s” sound, add an apostrophe and
“s.”
4. If the ownership word DOES end in an “s” sound, usually add only an
apostrophe.
rent of six months (ownership word ends in an “s”) = six months’ rent
5. If an extra syllable can be easily pronounced in the possessive form, add an
apostrophe and “s” to singular nouns. Relatively few words fall in this category.
Try your skill in making words possessive in the following. Write the correct form in the
space provided. Write C if the sentence is correct.
1. We must answer this customers e-mail immediately. _______________
2. Is Tylers report ready to be submitted? _______________
8. The goal of the IRS is to simplify all taxpayers returns. _______________
9. Passengers concerns about cell phone use on planes is valid. _______________
10. Every passengers luggage must be X-rayed, and some bags
will be opened. ________________
Key
1. customer’s (e-mail of this customer)
2. Tyler’s (report of Tyler)
3. months’ (time of six months). Notice that ownership word ends in “s.”