Proper English: Use of the Apostrophe

The apostrophe ( ‘ ) is perhaps the most abused punctuation mark in the English language. There are two situations where an apostrophe can properly appear.

The first use of the apostrophe is within contractions. Some might say that contractions don’t belong in proper written English, but these days, there seems to be any number of proper places for slang or casual language to be used and understood without offense. Therefore, common contractions like don’t (do not), haven’t (have not), it’s (it is, it has), he’d (he had, he would), etc. appear often. The apostrophe replaces one or more letters, usually from the second word, such that the spelling approximates the common pronunciation of the phrase which has been condensed into a single word. Note that the space between the words of the original phrase is discarded within the contraction.

Some contractions are merely shortened versions of one original word, rather than a phrase, but these are generally considered a more extreme version of slang, and they are not as well accepted in proper written English. Examples include ‘n or ‘n’ (and), ‘cause or ‘cos (because) , wha’? or whu’? (what?). I personally avoid such contractions in all but the most private, casual writing.

The other standard use of the apostrophe is to indicate the possessive case of a noun, along with the letter s. The possessive form of a singular or plural noun appends ’s to the noun, except when the nouns already ends with s, in which case the possessive form appends merely an apostrophe. Examples: head of a cat -> a cat’s head, wife of Bobby Kennedy -> Bobby Kennedy’s wife, color of the dishes -> the dishes’ color, house where the Smiths live -> the Smiths’ house. Note that personal pronouns are special cases and do not follow these rules; these will be covered in a later post.

It is not correct to use ’s to indicate plural, although you will see this form used with numbers (in the 1900’s should be in the 1900s, and learn your ABC’s should be learn your ABCs.) so often that we sticklers of proper English might have to relent some day. Still, you have the choice of which way you’ll write it, and more people will find the non-apostrophized form agreeable than the apostrophized one.

Proper English: It’s vs. its

The words its and it’s are often confused and misused. But the rules are quite simple.

One word, its, is the possessive form of the word it. This word is an adjective (some might want to call it a possessive pronoun, but it acts like an adjective). Use this form when indicating ownership to a previously specified subject. Some examples: “The movie had its moments, but mostly I was bored.” “The mangy dog licked its mud-covered privates noisily.” “While outwardly expressing shock at the profanity in her student’s essay, Ms. Hannerty was secretly quite proud of its ingenuity.”

The other word, it’s, is usually a contraction of the phrase it is, and is thus a combination of a noun (subject) and verb. Some examples: “It’s a small world, after all.” “Damn it, Jim, it’s just a machine!” “I can’t tell if the timer is working properly, but it’s quite apparent that this bomb is unstable. Jump!”

It’s can also be a contraction of it has, where the word has is part of a verb in the present perfect tense. Example: “It has been a bloodbath” could also be phrased “It’s been a bloodbath.”

We’ll get into other pronouns, as well as the use of apostrophes, another time.

Proper English: Why Does it Matter?

Good spelling and grammar are just two of many factors that contribute to good writing. Of course, their presence often goes unnoticed and seemingly unrewarded, except perhaps by some English teachers and editors.

On the other hand, many readers definitely notice incorrect spelling and poor grammar. For them, such written errors may indicate an author’s laziness, fuzzy thinking, indifference to social norms, or even haste to publish without proper editing. These readers may choose to leave your website, blog, newspaper, or magazine due to irritation or confusion before you have made your point to them, and that means lower customer retention, advertising fees, or simply audience size.

Certainly, much written communications these days tends to be informal. Sentence fragments, cute word spellings, and slang all can be effective within the appropriate context. But why spell a word incorrectly when it gives you no advantage to do so? The only answer — other than laziness, fuzzy thinking, indifference, or haste — is simple ignorance of the proper forms of English.

The English language, in particular, is full of strange rules and inconsistencies, and it is notoriously difficult for native speakers of certain other languages to learn. So this author will occasionally write about various simple common mistakes of English grammar and spelling, just in case you want to help clean up your writing. Please suggest appropriate topics for future posts.