Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate or referral links. It is a way for this site to earn advertising fees by advertising or linking to certain products and/or services.

When it comes to grammar, apostrophes can be a confusing topic to tackle! Apostrophes 101 will give you the basics of apostrophes so you can use them with confidence.

Welcome back to another edition of Writing With Style! Last month we explored the difference between plural and possessive nouns. Today’s topic, the basics of apostrophes, goes hand-in-hand with that topic and keeps your “upper comma” in the right place.

Yes, one of my students referred to an apostrophe as an “upper comma” one day and I almost died with laughter. After I worked through my fit, I realized this topic was one a lot of people might like a refresher on, so we’re tackling it head-on today!

Basics of Apostrophes

Contractions

The most basic usage of apostrophes comes in the form of contractions. Contractions occur when combining two words into one. When creating a contraction, a letter or two has to be thrown out and replaced with an apostrophe.

Examples: don’t, won’t, y’all (not ya’ll😉), we’ve, should’ve

Related: Writing With Style: Three Grammar Quick Fixes

(Singular) Possessive Nouns

We covered singular possessive nouns last month, but as a reminder, here’s the lowdown! When taking a singular noun and making it possessive, place your apostrophe inside the ‘s’ to show possession! This rule applies for singular words that do not end in ‘s’, as well as words that do. Keeping your apostrophe inside the ‘s’ maintains the singular status of your noun and shows your noun’s ownership of an item.

Example: the bus’s seat, Mr. Jones’s cat, the desk’s chair, the bottle’s cap, the lunch’s main course

(Plural) Possessive Nouns

Most people get confused in the case of plural possessive nouns. For plural nouns that end in ‘s’, the apostrophe is placed on the outside of the word.

Example: the buses’ hub, the Joneses’ home, the desks’ chairs

Sometimes, plural nouns do not end in ‘s’. Thanks, English language! We briefly touched on these last month as well, but this time, more detail is worthwhile. When you have a plural noun that does not end in ‘s’, but needs to made plural, add apostrophe ‘s’ to the end of the word the same you would with a singular possessive noun.

Related: Writing With Style: A vs. An

Example: the women’s restroom, the furniture’s polish, the people’s court

If you’ve ever found yourself wondering when and how to properly use apostrophes, I hope you found this helpful!

Question: Can you think of other plural nouns not ending in ‘s’ and their proper possessive form?