At Solopress we always have our beady eyes on the look out for mistakes and typos before going to print and one of the most common is the apostrophe. It’s such a tiny mark on the paper, sometimes no bigger than a few millimeters but it does cause some of the biggest headaches for copywriters. And just to add to the confusion, some major high street names (such as Tesco) are dropping the apostrophe from signs and their corporate branding, citing that the punctuation mark is old fashioned and soon to be entirely redundant. Fighting back is the AAAA (Association for the Annihilation of the Aberrant Apostrophe) whose remit is ‘the misuse of the apostrophe’. Language and grammar certainly does change over time but surely the apostrophe can’t be consigned to the rubbish bin forever as this seemingly innocent mark can entirely change the meaning of a sentence. The English Novelist Kingsley Amis was asked to come up with a sentence which illustrates the need for the apostrophe. He wrote “Those things over there are my husband’s” and “Those things over there are my husbands” – same words but very different syntax.
There are two reasons why an apostrophe should be used. Firstly, to indicate the possessive i.e. to signify something belongs to a person, object or organisation. In this instance you should add an apostrophe and an s.
They found Peter’s ball in the park.
The door’s hinges squeaked.
The charity’s party was a success.
If the objects are owned by a group, then sometimes the group already ends in an s i.e. dogs, cats, trees etc. In these cases you just add an apostrophe on its own.
The cats’ basket needed cleaning. (Several cats sharing one basket.)
The dogs’ collars were wet. (The collars belonging to all of the dogs.)
The trees’ leaves were beautiful. (Many trees with leaves.)
Two exceptions: if the plural doesn’t end with a s then you still need to add the apostrophe and the s e.g. the women’s bags, the football team’s kit. And if the person, object or organisation is singular but already ends in an s you can choose whether to add just an apostrophe or an apostrophe and an s – St James’s Palace or St James’ Palace – both are correct.
The other way apostrophes are commonly used is when two words are made in to one:
Was not – wasn’t.
You are – you’re.
I have – I’ve.
Another main point of error when using the apostrophe is the word ‘its’. Without getting in to too much of a complicated grammatical explanation if ‘its’ could be replaced in your sentence with ‘it is’ you do need an apostrophe.
It’s great to see you.
It’s a long walk home.
For Edward, it’s a difficult task.
Whereas no apostrophe is needed here:
The bird ate its seeds.
The fox stopped in its tracks.
The dog wagged its tail.
A final word – don’t add apostrophes unnecessarily. Plurals don’t need them i.e. The Browns bought a car, the 1980s, the holidays, CVs etc.
When proof reading, it is often worth doing one check entirely for grammar and punctuation without thinking about the design or flow of the text. Lots of people may not notice an errant apostrophe but we have heard stories about consumers who have posted a piece of direct mail back to a company with all mistakes marked up with a red marker pen!
