
We sometimes do the same thing with numerals:
Amelie got straight A’s on her report card. When referring to a single letter as a plural, we sometimes use ’s to make it more clear what we are trying to say. The following instances often vary by style guide or grammar resource, so it is best to consult the one that you use.
There are few other rare cases where we might use an apostrophe.
Plurals of letters, numerals, and abbreviations
The movie was popular with adults who were born in the ’70s (1970s).įor more uses of the apostrophe, learn about some uncommon contractions. This omission rule also applies to decades. (“I am afraid that I don’t know what he is thinking.”) ’Fraid I don’t know what he is thinkin’. Informally, an apostrophe is also used to shorten words when mimicking casual speech. Written out: We should have turned left. Some common examples of contractions include can’t, hasn’t, didn’t, we’ve, I’ll, you’re, and she’d. The word that is formed from this substitution is called a contraction. When we omit letters, we substitute in an apostrophe in place of the removed letters. If you’d like a more thorough explanation of how apostrophes can be used with these kinds of nouns, we have got you covered. However, style guides may disagree and instead end these words with just an apostrophe. For example, Santa Claus becomes Santa Claus’s. Singular nouns that end in s: Most grammar resources suggest that these nouns simply use ’s like all other singular nouns. For example, United States becomes United States’. Plural nouns treated as a singular: Add just an apostrophe. Plural nouns that end in s: Add just an apostrophe. For example, cat becomes cat’s and people becomes people’s. Singular and plural nouns that don’t end in s: Add an apostrophe followed by the letter s. The specific rules of how to make a noun possessive often vary by style guide or grammar resource. Possessive nounsĪpostrophes are needed to create a possessive noun. There are several common reasons why we would use an apostrophe. A lot of millennials have nostalgia for the ’90s. I can never remember how many s ’s there are in Mississippi. I could ’ve taken out the trash, but I didn ’t feel like it. Harold ’s dog is bigger than Tiffany ’s.
The following sentences show some of the different ways we can use apostrophes: ✏️ Examples of an apostrophe in a sentence