This document discusses the use of apostrophes to indicate possession and missing letters in contractions. It explains that apostrophes are used with singular nouns to show possession by adding 's and with plural nouns ending in s by adding just an apostrophe. The document also provides examples of how indicating possession is important to show relationships and provides tips for forming possessive nouns, including with compound terms and possessive pronouns.

1. Apostrophes and
Possession

2. Apostrophe: Uses
1. Indicate missing letters
 Contractions: don’t
 Dialect: I saw ’em talkin’.
2. Indicate possession
 Tom's shirt (the shirt that
belongs toTom)

3. The
Possessive
Only used with nouns.
Primarily used with:
 People
 Animals
 Countries

4. Shows a relationship of
belonging between one
person/thing and another.

5. Tip: Telling if a Noun is Possessive
• If you can rewrite the phrase using
“of,” the noun is possessive.
• E.g.: the journey’s end  the end
of the journey

6. Why is indicating possession
important?
• Those things over there
are my husband’s.
• Those things over there
are my husbands’.
• Those things over there
are my husbands.
Those things over there
belong to my husband.
Those things over there
belong to several
husbands of mine.
I'm married to those
men over there.

7. Winterfell has a godswood
=
Winterfell’s godswood
Ownership
John Snow has a direwolf
=
John Snow’s direwolf

8. Residence
Sansa sleeps in this room = Sansa’s room
Sam studies in this library= Sam’s library

9. Relationships
Tyrion’s squire is named Podrick.
Margary’s cousins are too numerous to count.

10. Fixed Expressions
a day's work
a month's pay
today's newspaper
in a year's time
a stone's throw away

11. Making Nouns
Possessive

12. Singular Nouns
 Add an apostrophe followed by an “s”
The food belonging to one cat
=
the cat's food

13. Singular Nouns Ending in “s”
• Add an apostrophe followed by an “s”
• OR add an apostrophe
The pipe belonging to the rhinoceros
=
the rhinoceros’s pipe.
The pipe belonging to the rhinoceros
=
the rhinoceros’ pipe.

14. Plural Nouns
 Add an apostrophe
followed by an “s”:
The school the children
attend
=
The children's school.

15. Plural Nouns Ending in “s”
 Add an apostrophe.
The food belonging to many cats = the
cats' food.

16. Compound Possession
 What is the difference between “Mary and Paul's
beliefs” and “Mary's and Paul's beliefs”?
 In the first example, Mary and Paul share the same
beliefs in common; in the second example, they
each have their own set of beliefs.

17. Apostrophes and
Possessive Pronouns
 Possessive
pronouns never
take an
apostrophe.
 My
 Yours
 Hers
 Ours
 Its

18. Use its to indicate possession,
NOT
it’s (it is).