Apostrophes: Contraction and Possession
Use apostrophes in writing for both contraction (marking omitted letters) and singular possession, distinguishing the two uses
What a learner can do afterwards
- Use apostrophes correctly in both 'don't' and 'Sam's bag' within the same piece of writing
- Explain the difference between apostrophe for contraction and apostrophe for possession
- Correct misplaced or missing apostrophes in a set of sentences
The lesson
An apostrophe looks like a tiny floating comma. It does two different jobs. Sometimes it shows that letters are missing from a word. Sometimes it shows that something belongs to someone.
Leo has a bike. It is Leo's bike. The apostrophe and s after his name show that the bike belongs to him, not to anyone else.
To tell the two jobs apart, ask yourself a question. Are two words squashed into one, with letters missing? That is a contraction, like don't or it's. Does something belong to someone? That is possession, like Sam's bag or the cat's tail.
One little mark, two jobs: missing letters make a contraction, and apostrophe plus s shows something belongs to someone.
Watch it
Where it sits
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.