learn the rules of > Apostrophes, brackets, and parentheses

1. APOSTROPHES ( ’ )
BRACKETS { }
PARENTHESES ( )
Mechanics Grades 7 & 8

2. Apostrophes ( ’ )
 The apostrophe ( ’ ) is used to show
possession or ownership. It is also used in
shortened forms of words called
contractions. In a contraction, the
apostrophe marks the place where letters
have been omitted.
 E.g. This is the president’s office.
 { The office of the president }  Possession
 E.g. Molly isn’t going to visit us this week.
 { isn’t  is not }  Contraction

3. Using Apostrophes with Possessive
Nouns
 RULE 1:
 Add an apostrophe ( ’ ) and ( s ) to show the
possessive case of most singular nouns and
plural nouns that do not end in ( s ) or ( es ).
 E.g. Willy’s brother won the spelling bee
contest.
 E.g. The women’s waiting rooms are on the left.

4.  RULE 2:
 Add an apostrophe ( ’ ) to show the possessive
case of plural nouns ending in ( s ) or ( es ). DO
NOT ADD AN ( S ).
 E.g. My daughters’ play will be on Monday.
 E.g. The witnesses’ testimonies were very
helpful.

5.  RULE 3:
 Add an apostrophe ( ’ ) and ( s ) or just an
apostrophe if the word is a plural ending in ( s )
to the last word of a compound noun to form
the possessive.
 E.g. My father-in-law’s house.
 E.g. The Girl Scouts’ ceremony.

6. Using Apostrophes with
Pronouns
 RULE 1:
 Add an apostrophe ( ’ ) and ( s ) to indefinite
pronouns to show possession.
 E.g. I respect everyone’s opinion.
 E.g. You should taste everybody’s food.
 Do not use an apostrophe with personal
pronouns.

7.  RULE 1:
 Use an apostrophe ( ’ ) in a contraction to show
where one or more letters have been omitted.
 Avoid using contractions in formal speech and
writing.
Using Apostrophes with
Contractions

8.  RULE 1:
 Use an apostrophe ( ’ ) and ( s ) to create the
plural form of a letter, numeral, or a word used
as a name for itself.
 E.g. There are three 6’s in his phone number.
 E.g. People cannot confuse a’s and an’s.
Using Apostrophes to Create
Plurals

9. Using Parentheses ( )
 RULE 1:
 Use parentheses ( ) to set off explanations or
other information that is loosely related to the
rest of the sentence.
 E.g. William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616) was one
of the most famous playwrights and dramatists.

10.  RULE 2:
 A parenthetical sentence within another
sentence should not begin with a capital letter
unless the parenthetical sentence begins with a
word that should be capitalized.
 E.g. We jumped in the pool (the water was
freezing) and climbed out immediately.

11.  RULE 3:
 A parenthetical sentence within another
sentence may end with a question mark or
exclamation mark if applicable, but it should not
end with a period.
 E.g. The class trip (are you going?) is planned
for the same day as our game. { √ }
 E.g. The class trip (we all want to go.) is planned

12.  RULE 4:
 A parenthetical sentence that stands on its own
should begin with a capital letter and end with
an end mark before the closing parentheses.
 E.g. The class trip is planned for the same day
as our game. ( Do you think they will change the
date? )

13. Using Brackets { }
 RULE 1:
 Brackets { } have one major use: to enclose a
word or words is a quotation that were not
spoken by the person or source that is quoted.
 E.g. The mayor said, “The newly built bridge
was the effort of two local companies { SACO
and SISCO}.”

14.  RULE 2:
 Use brackets { } to enclose an explanation that
is located within parenthetical text.
 E.g. John Adams (the second president of USA
{1797 – 1801} ) was defeated for reelection by
Thomas Jefferson.