Apostrophes

An apostrophe (’) is a small punctuation mark that makes a big difference in meaning. We use it to make short forms (don’t, it’s), to show that something belongs to someone, and in some time expressions.

1. Apostrophes in short forms

We use an apostrophe when we join two words and leave out some letters. These short forms are called contractions. They are very common in speech and in everyday writing.

• do not → don’t → I don’t know the answer.
• it is → it’s → It’s raining today.
• you have → you’ve → You’ve done a great job.
• she is → she’s → She’s my sister.
• they had / would → they’d → They’d never seen snow before.

Be careful: the same short form can mean different things depending on the sentence.

• He’s tired. (He is)
• He’s been to Italy. (He has)

2. Apostrophes to show that something belongs to someone

We use an apostrophe + s to show that something belongs to someone or something.

• This is Lina’s bike.
• My friend’s house is near the park.

If the word is plural (more than one) and ends in “s,” the apostrophe goes after the “s.”

• The students’ classroom is on the left. (more than one student)

3. Apostrophes with time

We also use apostrophes with time to show a duration:

• I need an hour’s rest. (one hour)
• It’s just ten minutes’ walk from here. (ten minutes)

Common mistake: its vs. it’s

• It’s = it is or it has: It’s my favorite movie.
• Its = belonging to it (no apostrophe): The cat washed its paws.