The Apostrophe ( ' ) - Editing Tips

Basic Punctuation for Fiction Writers - Apostrophe ( ' )

Usage:

1. Contractions: he's (he+is), it's (it+is), can't (cannot), won't (will+not), shouldn't (should+not)

2. Omitted numbers: (1990) '90s music, class of '89 (1989), summer of '99 (1999)

3. Omitted letters especially in slang: kill'em with kindness (kill+them), same ol'thing (old+thing), keep it comin' (coming)

4. To pluralize letters and words: The do’s and don’t’s of storytelling are confusing. I only have A's on my report card. 

5. To show possession: 

- when the noun is singular: noun + ‘s - the bride's ring (bride+s), George's pen, Laura's book. 

Attention! If there are two nouns ONLY the last element of a noun unit takes the possessive case. 

Example: mom and dad's mortgage account

- when the noun is plural add only an apostrophe (no “s”): noun + '

Examples:

The kittens' bed. (multiple kittens)

The monks' shoes. (multiple monks, multiple shoes)

The Morgans' house/yard (The house/yard of all the Morgan family members)

6. Idiomatic expressions/Genitive case

Examples: For goodness’ sake, two weeks’ notice, a week’s worth, five days’ leave, hard day’s work

Apostrophe don'ts

- If you are simply making a word plural, do not add an apostrophe. Add either an "s" or "es" 

Examples: table-tables, chair-chairs, mouse- mouces mice, the 2000s

- Do not use an apostrophe with the pronouns theirs, ours, hers, his, yours. 

- If a noun is plural but not a possessive, then do not include an apostrophe 

Examples: I got three tens in my wallet. (referring to 3 pieces of a ten-dollar bill) 

Hey guys, 

I'm gathering all these to self-edit my stories and I hope you'll find them useful as well. 

Let me know in the comments if anything is missing. 

Thank you so much for your time and have a nice day.

Take care. 

PS. Here are the links to my writing-related books for self-study purposes. These are the material I gathered when I started to get more and more into the craft of storytelling. 

Glossary of Writing Terms

Story Discovery

Simple Grammar and Punctuation

Commonly Confused Words