Question
When do I place the apostrophe after the “s,” and when does it go before the “s”? I feel like I once knew the rules, but now I’m in the habit of relying on autocorrect,and my professor marked errors in my paper :-/
Answer
First off, let’s review the two uses of apostrophes:
- To replace letters in conjunctions: can’t, won’t, couldn’t. (Note that contractions should not be used in most academic writing).
- For possessives, which show a relationship of ownership: John’s car, the children’s lunches, the employees’ timecards, family members’ ages.
RULES
- For possessives of singular nouns and plural nouns that do not end in “s,” the apostrophe goes before the “s”: John’s car, the children’s lunches.
- For possessives of plural nouns ending in “s,” the apostrophe goes after the “s”: employees’ timecards, family members’ ages.
EXCEPTIONS
- The one possessive that does not need an apostrophe is “its”: The salesperson showed us the phone and its features. (“It’s” is the contraction of “it is.”)
- There are sometimes exceptions for proper nouns ending in “s”: Names ending with an unpronounced “s” and Greek names ending in “-es” may get just an apostrophe even though they are singular (Camus’ plays, Socrates’ disciples). However, these exceptions may be implemented differently by different style guides or publications.
Need a quick-reference resources for apostrophe rules? This infographic is the best!