Apostrophe Now (Part One)
By Angela Arlia
Read on to unlock the mysteries of this critical piece of punctuation.
People use apostrophes in the most random ways imaginable. I’ve seen them accompanying words when they have no right to be. The sad thing is that they aren’t that complicated to use so I’m here to clarify some of the confusion.
When do we use apostrophes?
- To show possession
Example: I love Johnny Depp’s smile.
Meaning: The smile belongs to the wonderfully talented Johnny Depp.
- To show something has been deleted
Example 1: I’ve eaten far too many cupcakes today
Meaning: I (ha)ve eaten far too many cupcakes today. (We dropped letters from a word and have shown that omission by adding the apostrophe. These forms of words that have missing letters and an apostrophe are called contractions.)Example 2: I’ll see you tomorrow
Meaning: I (wi)ll see you tomorrow. (Once again, letters are dropped and the apostrophe demonstrates the missing letters, forming a contraction.)Example 3: I graduated in the class of ’92.
Meaning: I graduated in the class of (19)92.
Let’s go back to use number two a moment. Contractions are very informal and also very useful. We use them in speaking and sometimes in informal writing but we should avoid them in formal writing (business writing, legal briefs etc).
Some of the most-used contractions:
Aren’t = are not
Can’t = can not (or cannot)
Couldn’t = could not
Didn’t = did not
Don’t = do not
Hadn’t = had not
Isn’t = is not
It’s = it is
Shouldn’t = should not
They’re = they are
They’ve = they have
Weren’t = were not
The second part of this grammar rule is perhaps the easier one. It’s the possession portion that perplexes people. If you find yourself still perplexed by the mysteries of the apostrophe, fear not! We will talk more about the usage of apostrophes to show possession in the next issue of 31.
