THE APOSTROPHE

THE APOSTROPHE is a punctuation mark used to show possession ( ownership ) and omission ( contractions ).

They are used thus to show possession. The illustrated example is of singular nouns.

Dog + apostrophe + s = dog's master ( single dog)

To show possession of plural nouns -

Noun + s + apostrophe = plural noun + apostrophe
= Dogs' master ( more than one dog)

An 's' after the apostrophe here is unnecessary !!

The apostrophe is used in contractions to replace missing letters. Therefore, 

Shall not = shan't
I have = I've
I will = I'll
have not = haven't .... and more

The first example is of a singular noun, the second plural !

Though the apostrophe seems so insignificant in size, it plays a significant role in the English language. It breathes more meaning into words. Use your apostrophes with caution! 

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