Skip to main content

When do we use an apostrophe followed by the letter "S," and when do we use just the letter "S" after a word?

Great question! This rule of grammar is one that stumps many people, so I am glad you've asked. The difference between apostrophe+S ('s) and just the letter S is a matter of the meaning you are trying to convey. The apostrophe+S form is possessive, meaning that it describes ownership of something. The S only form is a pluralization, meaning there is more than one of something.


Let's take a look at an example. I'll use similar sentences to describe the possessive form, the plural form, and the possessive plural form!


"The cat's meow."


In the above statement, I have used the possessive form of apostrophe+S. A great way to figure out whether or not to use the possessive apostrophe+S is to think about whether there is a relationship of ownership going on. In this case, the meow doesn't really "belong" to the cat in the sense that the cat owns an object, but the cat is responsible for the meow. Typically, the word which may be altered by the addition of an apostrophe+S is followed by whatever it owns. As another example, "John's sandwich," or, "The whale's fins."


In some cases, people will use the apostrophe+S form as a contraction. More often, we do this as a natural pattern of speech. For example, the phrase, "The sky's the limit." This does not imply that the limit belongs to the sky, it is simply how the sounds of "sky" and "is" run together. When writing, it is more correct to not use this contraction, unless you're writing dialogue and that is how a speaker would say something.


Now, we'll look at the plural form! 


"The cats meow."


I have purposefully used the same phrase as above to demonstrate the difference between the possessive and plural forms. In this case, we are looking at the plural form. Notice how there is no apostrophe in the word, "cats." When we add just an S to the end of a word, it makes a plural. In this example, there is more than one cat, and they are meowing. 


It is possible to combine the possessive and plural forms, and this can be even more tricky! Look at the following example:


"The cats' meow."


Notice how the apostrophe follows the letter S. In this case, there is more than one cat, and we are talking about the collective meow which belongs to the cats. You would use this form when talking about more than one person or thing, which are in ownership of something else. For more examples, please click this link. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

etymology - Origin of the greeting "Sweet dreams".

Does anybody know the etymology of the phrase "sweet dreams"? I tried googling but did not find anything satisfying. Is this a relatively new phrase of the modern world or has this been in use for some time? I think it's the latter one. Answer The OED has the interjection as "a farewell to someone going to bed" from the 20th century: 1908 Sears Roebuck Catal. 198/1 Tenor Solos..Good Bye, Sweet Dreams, Good Bye. But it goes back until at least the 19th and possibly 18th centuries. John Wolcot, writing under the pseudonym of Peter Pindar, used it in his poem "Orson and Ellen; A Legendary Tale" published in 1801: Also from 1801 in The infernal Quixote (Page 287) by Charles Lucas: In the March 1776 of The Universal Magazine was published "The Serenade. A Pastoral Tale. From the German of Gesner" , where the shepherd Daphnis watches over his beloved as she sleeps and sings: The same tale appears in 1776's as Idyl XI, " Daphnis ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is there a word/phrase for "unperformant"?

As a software engineer, I need to sometimes describe a piece of code as something that lacks performance or was not written with performance in mind. Example: This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. Based on my Google searches, this isn't a real word. What is the correct way to describe this? EDIT My usage of "performance" here is in regard to speed and efficiency. For example, the better the performance of code the faster the application runs. My question and example target the negative definition, which is in reference to preventing inefficient coding practices. Answer This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. In my opinion, reads more easily as: This coding style leads to unmaintainable and poorly performing code. The key to well-written documentation and reports lies in ease of understanding. Adding poorly understood words such as performant decreases that ease. In addressing the use of such a poorly ...
Post a Comment
Read more

What are the similarities between the relationships of the characters in The Outsiders and Romeo and Juliet?

At first glance, it might appear as if the characters in  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton and  Romeo and Juliet  by William Shakespeare do not have much in common; however, when one isolates the core of the conflicts, it becomes clear that the relationships in both stories are rooted in rivalry and secrecy.  In both  The Outsiders  and  Romeo and Juliet , an overarching theme is rivalry. While   socioeconomic status separates the greasers from the Socs in The Outsiders , last names separates the Montagues from the Capulets, who appear to be relatively equal in terms of socioeconomic status. Due to these rivalries, there are instances of deadly interactions in both stories. In  The Outsiders , Johnny kills Bob (whether his actions were justified or not is debatable). In  Romeo and Juliet , Romeo kills Tybalt and Paris, and Tybalt kills Mercutio. These deaths have profound effects on the main characters. In Ponyboy's case, the Johnny's death and other events in the novel inspire h...
Post a Comment
Read more