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Are you wondering how to use apostrophe in a sentence? Here is the right article that can help you learn all about apostrophe and its usage.

Apostrophe Usage

Let's Go! This is one of the common things we all say and this is the simplest example that can explain an apostrophe. Apostrophes, the commas that seem to hang rather aimlessly at the head of some words, are important punctuation devices in the English language. Whether you speak or write, you often come across a number of apostrophes, of course, serving different purpose each time. These hanging commas have different functions, depending on how they are used. Generally, they are used to indicate possessions, for instance when you say child's toy, you imply that the toy belongs to the child. Apart from this, apostrophes can help you specify joint ownership as well. For example, if you say that "it is Charles and Alice's house", it means that the house is in joint ownership of Charles and Alice. Whereas, if you want to speak separately about two persons, you may use it as "Jolly's and Anna's complaints will be considered on Wednesday". Hence, more than just recollecting your grammar lessons, it is very important to be aware of using apostrophes in an appropriate manner because, wrong usage of this punctuation can alter the meaning of the sentence altogether. Various uses of apostrophe are explained below with the help of relevant examples.

How To Use Apostrophe

Apostrophe With Singular Possessions Example

Apostrophe can be used to show singular possessions. To denote this, just hang an apostrophe after the noun followed by an "s". You can use this method even if the word ends in "s". Following are some examples:
Apostrophe With Plural Possessions Examples
Apostrophes can be used to indicate plural possessions as well. Most of the plural words end in "s". To indicate plural possession, keep the apostrophe at the end of the word and do not follow it up with another "-s". Look at the examples for a better understanding.
Apostrophes To Denote Joint Ownership
Apostrophe should be used carefully when you indicate joint ownership. While indicating this, you should hang an apostrophe, followed by "-s", to the last noun listed. The examples listed below will explain it to you.
Apostrophes To Denote Separate Ownership
To indicate separate ownership, use apostrophe, followed by "-s" separately, with each of the nouns. Look at the examples for more details.
Apostrophe With Indefinite Pronouns
Apostrophes can be used with indefinite pronouns like someone, anybody, etc. To indicate possession, add apostrophe and "-s" after the indefinite pronoun. The examples given below will explain it to you.
Apostrophe With Abbreviations
Apostrophe can also be used with abbreviations. The usage is more or less the same as with normal nouns. Have a look at the examples given below.
Apostrophe With Contractions
Sometimes apostrophe is used to indicate one or more missing letters. It happens mainly in informal writing. For example, we use "he's" instead of "he is" and "isn't" instead of "is not". Here, the apostrophe with "-s" denotes the missing word. Refer the examples below to understand it better.
Its & It's
The usage of apostrophe with the pronoun "it" is always a matter of confusion. However, 'its' and 'it's' carry different indications. "Its" is a possessive pronoun i.e., "its" is the possessive form of "it" denoting "it is" while, "It's" is a contraction of the phrase "it is" (or "it has"). The examples listed below will help you to eliminate confusions, if any.
So, this is how you use apostrophes. These being one of the most extensively used punctuation device, it is not wise to stay away from learning about apostrophes while taking your grammar classes. You might be already aware that using apostrophe in an inappropriate place can alter the meaning as such. Hope the above mentioned examples helped you to understand the concept well.