English is regarded as one of the more difficult
languages with a single alphabet, largely due to its occasionally quirky
spellings and often perplexing pronunciations. Even native English speakers
make mistakes, especially in written English. When we understand the rules – or
grammar – governing the language, we can limit our mistakes. This is important
when you are producing written English for a variety of purposes, from business
needs like professional emails and marketing copy to academic essays and job
applications.
One particularly difficult aspect of English grammar is
apostrophe usage. As an English graduate, I had classmates who still hadn’t
mastered the apostrophe by the end of their studies. Apostrophes are not easy,
but this article is here to help. Below I’ve picked out six of the most common
English grammar errors involving apostrophes, with explanations for their
correct usage and a few tips for how to remember the rules.
1) Apostrophe S
Jumping in at the deep end, arguably one of the hardest
of all grammar rules to grasp is the dreaded apostrophe S. Breathe in. We can
do this. The key distinction here is between plurals and ownership. All will
become clear.
Tip: Plurals do not need an apostrophe
You may have heard of the so-called “greengrocer’s S” in
reference to a way the rule was traditionally misapplied, as sellers of fruit
and vegetables rendered their items in the plural using an apostrophe. For
example:
Plum’s 6 for £1
Strawberry’s £2 per punnet
In each case, the apostrophe is not needed. In the latter
case, the correct plural is Strawberries.
Tip: Ownership requires an apostrophe
This is possibly the trickiest bit. When somebody or
something has possession of or “owns” another thing (whether a solid object or
an abstract concept, such as an idea), an apostrophe is required. For example:
John’s bicycle is green.
Have you heard Fiona’s story
about her sister’s cat?
The bicycle belongs to John, the story belongs to Fiona
and the cat is owned by her sister, so in each case you need to use an
apostrophe.
2) Your vs You’re
You’re going to like this one. Or, to put it
another way, you are going to tell all your friends about how
much fun grammar can be. OK, perhaps not. But in those first two sentences I’ve
shown the difference between the two homophones, that is, two words that sound
the same but are spelled differently.
Tip: “You’re” is short for “you are”; “Your” relates
to something belonging to you
I think you’re ready for a slightly more complex
version of the same issue. Hold on to your hats!
3) There vs Their vs They’re
The unholy trinity of grammar mistakes in English is the
confusion between the three versions of the homophone there/their/they’re. If
you’re following the gist so far, there’s a good chance you will already have
guessed that “they’re” is short for “they are” and the apostrophe here denotes
an omission (a letter being left out).
There vs Their is a little less straightforward, although
“Their” is very much like “Your” in the previous example in that it relates to
something belonging to them. “There” generally means “in that place”, often
contrasting with “here” (in this place).
Tip: They’re (they are) there (in that place) with
their (belonging to them) friends.
English also uses “There” in another sense, combined with
the verb “to be” to connote something existing or happening. For example: There
is (often shortened to “there’s”) a fly in my soup. There are (for plurals)
flowers in the garden.
4) Could Of vs Could’ve
Undoubtedly, like many of the grammar mistakes on this
list, the confusion here arises from how the words sound in spoken English. The
solution here is simple – could of is incorrect. Could’ve (or should’ve, or
would’ve, or other conditionals) is short for “could have”. Here, the
apostrophe denotes omission (letters are missing) and contraction (two words
being shortened to one).
Tip: “Could’ve” is short for “could have”; “Could of”
is always wrong
5) Its vs It’s
Just to throw a spanner into the works, here’s an example
of apostrophe usage where the general rule must be bent a little. Ordinarily,
any instance of omission or possession would require an apostrophe. However,
when using “it”, English only requires an apostrophe for the contraction of “it
is”. Confused? Here are some examples:
It’s (it is) cold outside
today.
The bird got its (belonging to
it) wing trapped.
Disclaimer: no birds were harmed in the creation of this
blog.
Tip: “It’s” is short for “it is”; “its” means
belonging to it, a rare exception to the possession rule
6) Whose vs Who’s
You’ll (omission and contraction again – I’m sure you’re
getting the hang of it now) be glad to know you’ve reached the last example of
those pesky apostrophes. We’re back to homophones again. I bet you can guess
now what the rule is for “who’s”. Go on, have a stab. That’s it – omission and
contraction. “Who is” becomes “who’s”. Easy, right?
So what about “whose”? Where does that e on the end come
from? It’s simply one of the wonderful quirks of English spellings. As you may
have worked out, “whose” means “belonging to who” (some would argue it should
be “whom” but for ease of explanation in this context I’m sticking with “who”),
but like “it’s/its” above, English doesn’t allow the same rendering of the word
when the meanings differ. Here are some examples:
Who’s that at the door?
(Contraction of “Who is”)
Do you know whose painting this
is? (Belonging to who)
I don’t know who’s coming to
the party. (Contraction of “Who is”)
Whose wine is this? (Belonging to
who)
Tip: “Who’s” is short for “Who is”; “Whose” means
“belonging to who”
I hope these explanations and tips are helpful. May all
your apostrophes be placed perfectly and remember to watch out for those rogue
apostrophes that shouldn’t be there.
Happy writing!