Apostrophes serve three purposes in English:

1. They show that nouns and indefinite pronouns possess something: Jacob's ladder; nobody's business; Socrates' logic; anyone's guess.
   
   
   • Plural nouns ending in s use the apostrophe alone:
     
     The victims' stories were the same. Three witches' charms; Choirboys' robes; angels' chorus.
     
     
   • Singular nouns ending in s often use the apostrophe followed by s, especially if the word contains only one or two syllables and the second s would be pronounced:
     
     Lois's birthday, the sole witness's testimony, tennis's growing popularity, the iris's roots.
     
     
   • Longer words will use the apostrophe alone:
     
     Mephistophiles' chamber, Euripides' plays.
   
   Note: Possessive forms of nouns always use apostrophes, whether they add an s after the apostrophe or not.
   
   
2. They mark the place where letters or numbers were changed or omitted in forming contractions:
   
   

   Won't		=		Will not
   Didn't		=		Did not
   Should've		=		Should have
   Class of '99		=		1999

   
   Note: Contractions are only appropriate in informal writing.
   
   
3. They help the reader's eye process plurals of letters, numbers, and symbols.
   
   Sign the card with X's and O's.
   I forgot to dot my i's and cross my t's.
   
   Without the apostrophe after the i, the reader's eye reads is.
   
   
   In that font, 7's look like 1's.
   
   An exception to this rule occurs in naming historical decades:
   
   The Beatles set fashion trends in the 1960s.
   (No apostrophe is required.)
   
   Note: Some editors or printers may not require apostrophes with letters, numbers, and symbols.

1. To form the present tense of verbs.
   
   Joe sings tenor and plays mandolin in a bluegrass band.
   (No apostrophes required in sings and plays.)
   
   He who hesitates is lost.
   
   
2. To form the plural of nouns.
   
   Doctors and researchers agree that smoking is harmful.
   (No apostrophes required in doctors and researchers.)
   
   We used worms and crickets for bait.

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Johanna Carter
English Faculty
13300 W. Sixth Avenue
Campus Box 20
Lakewood, CO 80228

Phone:
303-914-6293