The Most Common Punctuation Error of All
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
The Most Common Punctuation Error of All
When asked what the most common punctuation error of all is in American English, I don’t have to think hard. The “winning” mistake is the misuse of the apostrophe, especially with its/it’s.
First, let’s get rid of a myth: There is no such thing as its’. Why? Because its’ would be meaningless. If its’ existed, it would be indicating plural possession. First of all, it is always singular. Second, its without an apostrophe is the possessive form.
Example: The dog hurt its paw.
The word it’s is a contraction for it is or it has.
Examples:
It’s a shame that the dog hurt its paw.
It’s always been there.
Apostrophes
Let’s look at a few more rules concerning this most common punctuation error.
Rule: To show possession by one person, use an apostrophe and add an s.
Examples:
girl’s hat (one girl who owns a hat)
girl’s hats (one girl who owns more than one hat)
woman’s dress (one woman who owns a dress)
woman’s dresses (one woman with more than one dress)
Rule: To show plural possession, make the noun plural first; then add an apostrophe.
Examples:
The girls’ hats flew off in the wind. (more than one girl, each with a hat)
The women’s dresses matched their shoes. (more than one woman, each with matching shoes)
Notice that women’s was not an exception. The noun was made plural first and then the apostrophe was added. The only difference is that the plural of woman doesn’t end in an s.
Examples:
one boy’s book, two boys’ books
one man’s jacket, two men’s jackets
one lass’s hat, two lasses’ hats
If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the "Comment" box at the bottom of this page.
But what if the singular and plural of a word are the same? Such as with fish or deer or sheep. Is it “All the fish’s habitats?” or “All the fishs’ habitats” or “All the fishes’ habitats?”
So a sheep’s wool is the same as many sheep’s wool. Not many sheeps’ wool – to show that the wool belongs to more than one sheep?
It’s only with these plurals/ singular words that do not change, that I have s proble.
No, not “many sheeps’ wool” because there is no such word as sheeps.
“Fish’s habitats” or “fishes’ habitats” would be correct because the plural of “fish,” as you note, is “fish” or “fishes.”
“Sheep’s wool” is the only answer for plural possessive since the only plural for “sheep” is “sheep.” Same with “deer.”
You will never see something like “fishs'” because there is no such word.
Thank you for this page on the misuse of the apostrophe. I have to admit even at twenty two, I still have some bad habits. I finally now understand what we were being drilled about at school!
Better late than never. I’m happy to read that apostrophes are making more sense now. Thanks for writing, Hannah.
What is the actual and correct use of an apostrophe for the following statement:
The branch managers meeting will be held on Thursday?
Todd, there are two answers. If you think of “branch managers” as part of the title, you would not need an apostrophe. If you think of “branch managers” as a description of the meeting, then you would write, “branch managers’ meeting.”
What should the plural possessive be for deer? This was my answer:
Singular Possessive Plural Possessive
deer deer’s deers’
I got the Plural Possessive answer wrong. What did I miss?
Since the plural of “deer” is still “deer,” you can’t add the “s” first for the plural possessive. So both the singular possessive and plural possessive of “deer” is “deer’s.”
I just finished reading a novel in which an “apostrophe S” was added to show possession in names already ending in S, i.e., Chris’s. Is this a new rule or poor proofreading?
Carol,
This is an option that some of us prefer. This note is from my site:
https://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/apostro.asp Rule 2
NOTE: Although names ending in s or an s sound are not required to have the second s added in possessive form, it is preferred.
Mr. Jones’s golf clubs
Texas’s weather
Ms. Straus’s daughter
Jose Sanchez’s artwork
Dr. Hastings’s appointment (name is Hastings)
Mrs. Lees’s books (name is Lees)
I found this example in my daughter’s (British) reading book this evening: “A monster’s got to do what a monster’s got to do!” I suppose this is correct but somehow it strikes me as odd. What do you think?
“A monster’s got to do…” is correct. The apostrophe is for the contraction “A monster has got to do…”
I cannot find rules for the following:
Is it proper to say Texas weather vs Texas’s weather? Can you say teacher perceptions vs teachers’ perceptions?
Where does anthropomorphism end? You cannot say the study thinks but can you say the study analyzes?
Where are the rules regarding these grammar questions?
“Yes” to all your questions. These words can be used as adjectives (without apostrophes) or as possessive pronouns (with apostrophes).
You are right about the extent of anthropomorphism (the attribution of human motivation, characteristics, or behavior to inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena). A study cannot think but it’s reasonable to say that a study analyzes. I don’t think you will find rigid rules about this because it is a “common sense” decision.
when saying “This one is old”. Could this be correctly written as “This one’s old.”
If that is correct is that because it is a contraction, or can that only be written like that for “it is” (it’s)
In informal writing, you may use contractions such as, “This one’s old.”
I just recently sent an example to my English Professor about misused signs”
“Sam and Roscos Restaurant” I stated that the sign should read “Sam and Rosco’s Restaurant” because I was thinking since it’s several nouns for one object the (‘s) is added to the last item in the list. Well she stated that is not correct, it should read “Sam’s and Rosco’s Restaurant”
What is really the correct way and why? This is for my knowledge moving forward.
There is no “incorrect” answer because the name should be decided upon by the owners of the restaurant. Technically, however, the apostrophe will usually be placed with the second name only when two people co-own something. Your writing “Sam and Rosco’s Restaurant” would be correct following this rule.
I am in great need to know if the following sentence should have managers include an apostrophe or not.
I am excited and looking forward to working for John, Beth and their managers.
OR
I am excited and looking forward to working for John, Beth and their manager’s.
Thank ou for your help.
I am excited and looking forward to working for John, Beth, and their managers.
My business partner and I are putting together our website. We are being a little “kitchy” and need to know how to correctly spell/use the word “she’s” in the following sentence.
The “she’s” merged their minds and became sasse.
Could you please let us know if we spell “she’s” with an apostrophe or “shes” without.
We gratefully appreciate your knowledge and look forward to hearing back from you shortly.
Use “shes” without an apostrophe. It is not being used as a possessive pronoun, just a plural.
In writing a personal card saying …
Grandson, hat’s off to you!
Would it be correct to have “hat’s” implying MY hat goes off to you? Do I need to include “my” to clarify that I mean possession?
The inside sentiment of the card is in first person also.
Would it change if it is from “us”? Our hat’s off to you.
Or should it just say “hats off to you”? (which seems impersonal in that all hats are off to you)
Thank you for clarifying!
By using ‘s on the word hat, you are either intending a contraction for hat is, or you are showing possession by the hat itself, such as “The hat’s brim is dirty.” So, if the card is from one person (you), “My hat is off to you” or, informally, “My hat’s off to you” are both fine. If from “us,” “Our hats are off to you” would be correct. The phrase “hats off to you” is commonly used to congratulate or honor someone for an accomplishment. Whether it is interpreted as being impersonal or as a compliment is subjective.
If i am writing a essay and i were to write.
The dictionary says, blah blah blah blah blah.
or would i write it as
the dictionary says’ blah blah blah blah blah.
Use a comma (not an apostrophe) before a direct quotation. Also, use quotation marks and capitalize the first word of the quote. For example:
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary says, “In the Middle Ages, troubadours were the shining knights of poetry (in fact, some were ranked as high as knights in the feudal class structure).”
I was just looking at your website for some help with apostrophes. While reading though the rules I came across rule 4 and became confused. Rule 4 states to make the noun plural first and then immediately use the apostrophe.
In the examples two lines don’t make sense to me:
two boys’ hats two women’s hats
&
two children’s hats
Why don’t the word women’s and children’s follow the rule?
The important words are make the noun plural first. The singular forms are: woman and child. Plural forms are: women and children. Therefore, make the noun plural first, then use the apostrophe: women’s and children’s.
Can you tell me if this sentence has the apostrophe’s in the right place?
Mr. and Mrs. Greenberger’s sons’ bris will be on Tuesday.
First of all, your question should not have an apostrophe at all: “Can you tell me if this sentence has the apostrophes in the right place?”
Assuming there is only one son, it should be “Mr. and Mrs. Greenberger’s son’s bris will be on Tuesday.”
How would you write the expression “dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s?”, with or without apostrophes?
Strictly speaking we are making the letters plural, suggesting that apostrophes shouldn’t be used, but leaving them out looks wrong – e.g. “the i’s” becomes “the is”, which doesn’t make sense.
I wondered about italicising the “i” and “t” and putting the “s” in normal script, or is this a rare exception to the main rule?
The Chicago Manual of Style uses this as an example in its Rule 7.59, Letters as letters: “Roman type, however, is traditionally used in…” dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s.” Therefore, use apostrophes but no italics.
Which is correct in the following company name?
Hats Off!
or
Hats’ Off!
Since the name is likely a shortened form of “Our hats are off,” the word hats is a simple plural, and an apostrophe would be incorrect.
The Burtons’ house is nice.
Mr and Mrs Burton’s house is nice.
Is that correct? ( or the Smiths’ house / Mr and Mrs Smith’s house)
Thanks.
Your sentences are correct. In American English periods are used in the abbreviations Mr. and Mrs.
Could I get your opinion?
I have a list of manufacturers. Would this be the
Manufacturers’ List
Or
Manufacturers List
The apostrophe is for possession but do the manufacturers really own the list?
This seems to be a false possessive, like a Beatles’ song or good New Orleans’ food, both of which are incorrect.
It’s a list of manufacturers. If it listed fish, it would be a fish list, not a fish’s list. We’d say no apostrophe.
An editorial in the Irish Times newspaper recently used the word ‘Her’s’ twice.
Is this correct.
The sentence was Her’s was a . The same grammatical spelling was used later in the editorial.
There was no possessive in either sentence.
I am very surprised Ireland’s paper of repute has got its grammar so very wrong.
The sentences Ken is referring to are from an Irish Times editorial remembering Maya Angelou. The sentences are: “Her’s was a voice of elemental anger at indignity and injustice but never one of petty bitterness.” and “That presence drew its power from a great absence: her’s was the first self-portrait by a black American woman from the Deep South to attain a worldwide audience.” We do not consider ourselves experts in the rules that other countries follow, but an apostrophe is incorrect in the word hers (even though used as a possessive) in American English.
This is a godsend!I am reading the full style guide for crowdsource as I’ve just been assigned a writer qualification and I was so confused. This really helped to clarify!
We are very pleased to hear we have been helpful.
So what is the right way of writing this sentence:
Maria’s dad’s doctor is always running late
or
Maria’s dads’ doctor is always running late
We assume you are writing about one dad. Therefore, your first sentence (with a period added at the end) is correct.
What about if it was a sheep eg: the sheeps field, the sheep’ field or the sheep field
Since you wrote “a sheep,” we assume you meant one sheep. Therefore, write the singular possessive form “the sheep’s field.”
Which of the following is correct?
I am a member of the girls’ basketball team.
or
I am a member of the girl’s basketball team.
Since the basketball team consists of more than one girl, you need to show plural possession. The rule above says, “To show plural possession, make the noun plural first; then add an apostrophe.” Therefore, write girls’.
What was Michael’s response?- is this correct
Yes.
I’m unsure about the apostrophes in this sentence. Both men and women take each others responses the wrong way creating a communication breakdown
Both men and women take each other’s responses the wrong way, creating a communication breakdown.
Thank you for this valuable information. My best friend, who was a journalist, had pointed out to me many years ago about the prominence of the misuse of this little character. I still struggle, hence the need to seek out guidance from your website. The sheer abundance of misuse is a contributor to the confusion, particularly in the mainstream media.
When writing our company instructions, Ive always written the word “manufactures” without an apostrophe. Is this correct?
Follow the manufactures label instructions.
We list multiple manufactures that a customer can utilize.
Thank you!!
We assume you mean manufacturers (companies that make products). Since you are referring to multiple manufacturers, write “Follow the manufacturers’ label instructions.”
I would love some help if at all possible!
Would it be:
Win a ladies watch!
or
Win a ladies’ watch!
There’s only 1 watch to be won.
Thanks
The word ladies is plural. Therefore, write ladies’.
Could you settle this one for me please, would there be an apostrophe in ‘Managers special offer’? I think there is, because of the possessive element. But as we’re sending this out on a label to 200+ people, I’d prefer it to be correct.
Thanks
Make it Manager’s if one manager is offering the special; if more than one, write Managers’.
Which of these sentences is correct? The Airport Division facilities are in a designated secure location(s) or The Airport Division’s facilities are in a designated secure location(s)?
Writing the term “Airport Division” as an adjective phrase describing the word “facilities” is grammatically correct. It is also acceptable to write “Airport Division’s facilities” as a possessive noun. Since you used the article a, we recommend using the singular noun location. See our posts Apostrophes and False Possessives and Confusing Possessives for more information.
So question in this sentence does it need to read owners, owner’s, or owners?
A meeting is schedule for both functional and technical Enterprise System owners’ to start the discussions around the Dept. Org Structure and to lay out the plan to ensure the new structure is in place by go-live.
They each own different systems, but they are a group of system owners?
No apostrophe.
I work for an organization that hosts several conferences each year on topics related to children and mental health. Adult mental health professionals attend the conferences.
When referring to this series of conferences, would it be correct to refer to it as as:
Childrens Conferences
Children’s Conferences
When referring to one of the individual conferences in the series, would it be correct to call it a:
Childrens Conferences
Children’s Conferences
Thank you!
In either case, since the word children is plural, the possessive form is children’s. Writing Children’s Conferences is grammatically correct. Children might also be considered an adjective describing Conferences, but Children Conferences sounds awkward.
Can you settle something for me, please? Which statement is correct?
“We had a great time with the Murphys.”
or,
“We had a great time with the Murphy’s”?
A simple plural does not use an apostrophe, so make it Murphys.
The numbers have lost their shine.
Apostrophe needed? Numbers’?
A simple plural does not need an apostrophe.
The boy’s clothes looked ragged and filthy or
The boys’ clothes looked ragged and filthy
The customers clothes were made of fine silk or
The customer’s clothes were made of fine silk.
Neither example provides information as to how many boys or customers there are.
Without knowing how many boys or customers there are, we cannot give you any advice except that “customers clothes” cannot be correct. You have provided some excellent examples demonstrating the importance of apostrophes.
Want about on package design or when you buy on the internet.
I sometimes see:
Girls Thermals or Girls’ Thermals.
Boys Thermals, or Boys’ Thermals
Baselayer or base layer…
What would be correct?
We recommend writing Girls’ Thermals and Boys’ Thermals. The term base layer is usually a two-word phrase. We would have to see it used in a sentence to say more.
The punctuation of all boys are present
All boys are present.
House was provided by my boss’s friend.
(Correct?)
House was provided by a friend of my boss.
(Correct, but seems like the person writing is scared of the correct use of punctuation? Wordy)
House was provided by boss’s friend.
(Correct?)
All are based on one boss and his friend.
However, would the following be technically correct even though it’s not ‘allowed’ or common;
House was provided by bosss friend.
Only your first two sentences are correct.
This one always gets me and I am struggling to find a good answer online.
That is Dave and Jane’s dog.
That is Dave’s and Jane’s dog.
The dog belongs to both Dave and Jane. In spoken English I would always use the singular of the first name, but somehow I think that’s wrong grammatically.
Help please.
Our Rule 4a of Apostrophes says, “If two people possess the same item, put the apostrophe + s after the second name only.”
Which is correct?
a. Please stay out of the boys locker room
b. Please stay out of the boy’s locker room
c. Please stay out of the boys’ locker room.
I had to answer this at the end of a job interview for a secretarial position and did not get asked back or offered the job so I never found out the correct answer. They gave no context in the question. Just straight up choose the correct answer.
The plural possessive noun boys’ is correct.
Regarding “Boys locker room” vs “Boys’ locker room,” boys’ is certainly the correct plural possessive, but are we sure we want a possessive at all? It seems to me the word “Boys” could also be an adjectival noun describing what kind of locker room it is, rather than saying it’s the locker room of/for the boys.
We prefer the possessive form in this case. Please see our post Confessions of a Guerrilla Grammarian for a complete explanation.
I have a question about the word congrats. Is it correct to have an apostrophe after the t?
I’m thinking that congrats is a contraction of congratulations.
Congrats is an informal shortened form of congratulations. It is not a contraction; therefore, there is no apostrophe.
Hey team,
What do you think?
Most of my job responsibilities coincide with those of a manager
VS
Most of my job responsibilities coincide with those of a manager’s.
I know that if we were to replace “manager” with a pronoun, we’d say “his” or “hers” (Most of my job responsibilities coincide with those of his). But what about the noun?
The preposition of in your sentence indicates a possessive relationship with the noun manager. Therefore, you do not need to make the noun possessive with an apostrophe:
Most of my job responsibilities coincide with those of a manager.
Compare that sentence to the following:
Most of my job responsibilities coincide with a manager’s job responsibilities.
Most of my job responsibilities coincide with her job responsibilities.
So I googled possessive Chris and it brought me here.. I am still confused
Chris’ Or Chris’s?
Our post Apostrophes with Names Ending in s, ch, or z says, “To show singular possession of a name ending in s or z, some writers add just an apostrophe. Others also add another s.” See Rules 1b and 1c of Apostrophes for more discussion.
what about places? like ” I went to america’s disneyland “
Your apostrophe is correct; however, the sentence needs proper capitalization and punctuation.
“I went to America’s Disneyland.”
Hey, is this sentence correct? “It was supposed to be girls’ day out but dad wanted to join us.” Is it a girl’s day out, the girls’ day out or girls’ day out? Thank you.
Since you are referring to more than one girl participating, write “the girls’ day out” or “girls’ day out.”
I know many people have asked about “sheep” but I need some clarification. What is the correct grammar for the sentence, “She wore a coat made of fine sheeps wool”?
Should it be “sheep’s wool” or “sheeps wool” in this case, to indicate that the coat was made from the wool of multiple sheep?
Possessive forms of irregular nouns form the plural with ‘s. Therefore, for multiple sheep write sheep’s wool.
When trying to create the name of a team for trivia, my friends and I settled on “mothers’ of dragons,” but could not decide what the proper use of the apostrophe would be. Would it be “mother’s,” “mothers,'” or just plain “mothers” ?
A simple plural does not need an apostrophe. Write “mothers of dragons.”
How very interesting all of this is. We had one in the office today: ‘A winners list will be published…’ After discussion around the rules of apostrophes, in which we are well-versed, we decided it was a list OF winners rather than a list OWNED by winners. Therefore it didn’t require an apostrophe. Please tell us we are correct or else we are all going to pack up and go home!
We agree with you. The word winners is an adjective modifying list rather than a possessive noun.
Please which is correct “Footwear are an extended part of you” or “Footwear’s are an extended part of you”
Neither sentence is correct. The word “footwear” is a singular noun; therefore, write “Footwear is an extended part of you.”
I watched the sheep shake its head back and forth.
Is sheep singular or plural?
The possessive pronoun “its” implies singular.
Manufacturer’s needs or Manufacturers needs or Manufacturers’ needs
If you are referring to one manufacturer, write “manufacturer’s needs.” The plural possessive is “manufacturers’ needs.” We see no reason to capitalize the word manufacturer’s or manufacturers’. See our rules for Apostrophes for more information.
My mom wants to wood burn a welcome sign for a newlywed couple. The man’s last name is “Michaels.” She wants the sign to say, “Welcome to the Michaels.” Since the last name is plural all by itself, where does the apostrophe go? Or does she need one at all? Please help.
Be careful—the last name is not plural by itself; it just ends in an s. Our post Apostrophes with Names Ending in s, ch, or z says, “To show the plural of a name that ends with a ch, s, or z sound, add es… To show plural possession of a name ending in s, ch, or z, form the plural first; then immediately use the apostrophe.” Therefore, your mom will need to write “Welcome to the Michaelses’.” While formally correct, it is a bit cumbersome. There are alternatives—one possibility could be “Welcome to the home of the Michaels family.”
A couple are both doctors. Their last name is Childs. Any apostrophes in addressing the Drs. Childs?
We recommend something simple and clear like either Drs. Susan and James Childs OR Dr. Susan Childs and Dr. James Childs.
I am in the building design field and I’m labeling room names on the floor plan for a set of school drawings. My head is spinning trying to remember and apply all the apostrophe rules that I learned 30 years ago. I want to avoid having incorrect signage installed, especially in a school.
Please let me know what is correct for each of the following:
1. Girl’s Locker Room or Girls’ Locker Room (A locker room for a class or group of girls)
2. Boy’s Locker Room or Boys’ Locker Room (A locker room for a class or group of boys)
3. Women’s Restroom or Womens’ Restroom (A single toilet room for a woman to use, not a group toilet room)
4. Men’s Restroom or Mens’ Restroom (A single toilet room for a man to use, not a group toilet room)
Thank you so much in advance!
We recommend using the plural possessive forms, even in the case of the restrooms. Even though the restrooms are structured to be used by one person at a time, the women’s restroom is a facility for all women, and the men’s restroom is for all men. The following are correct:
Girls’ Locker Room
Boys’ Locker Room
Women’s Restroom
Men’s Restroom
You may find our post Confessions of a Guerrilla Grammarian interesting to read.
Is the possessive apostrophe correct in the following sentence? “Homeowners are responsible for their home’s exterior maintenance.” Or does it go after the “s” in “homes”? There are multiple homes and owners in our neighborhood association, but each homeowner (whether a single person or a couple) is only responsible for one home. My husband and I can’t agree on this.
In our posts How Can They Be Singular, and The Singular They Part II, we talk about how English is an imperfect language, and we need to make the best of its shortcomings. Your sentence is a good example of the difficulty we sometimes encounter in expressing precisely what we intend.
Taking your sentence as is, we would choose the singular “home’s,” because the plural leaves open the door of interpretation suggesting individual ownership of more than one home, which you say is not the case. Or, the sentence could possibly benefit from the addition of the word own:
Homeowners are responsible for their own home’s exterior maintenance.
Homeowners are responsible for exterior maintenance of their own home.
How do you distinguish between ownership and a contraction. For example,
My wife’s bitter.
This could be interpreted as ownership of the bitter beer or could be referring to her mood. That is, my wife is bitter.
In American English, without the noun beer, we would most likely interpret wife’s as a contraction before the adjective bitter in your sentence. We understand that in British English, bitter is a type of ale, and is therefore a noun. In that case, one would need to rely on the surrounding context for interpretation.
I’m scared. The extremely common misuse of apostrophes on electronic media reminds me of what I was taught about how people spelled things how they felt like in Shakespeare’s time, followed subsequently by the dictionary makers taking the most commonly used spellings, and making those official.
This means the official spellings that would be used would use such words as “alot” (The Macquarie is already allowing this!), “it’s” for the possessive, “quiet” for very much, “definately,” “untill,” “can not”/”guage,” (extremely common) and every plural with an “s” using an apostrophe (my boss does this now – inconsistently!). This would mean that I am now the illiterate one and need to correct my spelling. I am deadly serious about this.
I would much rather see words spelled with no apostrophes- the strike rate of getting the spelling right based purely on percentages would be much greater than it already is.
We too can get a bit upset when spellings or usages change according to the lowest common denominator, especially when useful nuances are lost. But languages evolve and most likely always will. Since the earliest dictionaries didn’t come along until late in Shakespeare’s life and shortly after, we would imagine that the tendency to adopt the most popular spellings was rampant at that time.
A discussion at work about the following sentence… The Prevention of Cruelty to animals latest financial report can be found at the Attorney General’s office. The argument was animals is a possessive noun and should have an apostrophe after the s is that correct?
Just as you might write something like Bank of America’s profits rose last year, you could write The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ latest financial report … It may be easier to write The SPCA’s latest financial report … OR The latest financial report of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals can be found …
What is the correct grammar for “Claire’s son’s room”?
If you are referring to a room belonging to one son of Claire, writing “Claire’s son’s room” is grammatically correct.
For “the shoe belonging to the woman,” would you write “the women’s shoe” or “the woman’s shoe”?
The singular possessive “the woman’s shoe” is correct.
What are the rules for apostrophes when speaking of boards and committees?
For example:
Would you write Jack read the minutes from the deacons meeting or
Jack read the minutes from the deacons’ meeting?
The meeting would consist of several people, but would you say that the deacons have ownership or possession of the meeting and therefore need to make it possessive plural?
Thanks.
The plural possessive (deacons’ meeting) could be used to indicate a meeting consisting of deacons as participants; however, using the noun deacons as an adjective is also acceptable (deacons meeting). See our post Apostrophes and False Possessives for more information.
What is the correct form of showing possession for the word “accused”? Is it accused’ or accused’s?
As the post states, “To show possession by one person, use an apostrophe and add an s.” Therefore, accused’s is correct. Do you recognize the accused’s bloody glove?
I’ll appreciate if you can quickly answer my quiz.
Which of the following is incorrect?
a. Jean’s and Dan’s pants are blue.
b. Where is the women’s restroom?
Both sentences look correct to us. We are, however, assuming that Jean and Dan do not own the same pair of pants. Our Rule 4b of Apostrophes says, “In cases of separate rather than joint possession, use the possessive form for both.” If two people possess the same item, the ‘s goes after the second name only.
Do you put an apostrophe in Roberts name? An example is “Sarah’s report card showed all A’s, but Roberts report card showed lots of failing grades.”
Since you put an apostrophe in “Sarah’s name,” why wouldn’t you put an apostrophe in “Robert’s name” or in “Robert’s report card”?
Is this correct?
Women’s restroom
Men’s restroom
Family restroom …. or is it Family’s restroom? I found it without the apostrophe more often and was wondering what’s the correct way to write it.
Thank you!
“Women’s restroom” and “Men’s restroom” are correct. You will find more insight under the posts What Are Irregular Plural Nouns? and Confessions of a Guerrilla Grammarian.
“Family restroom” is also correct. The word “Family” is used as an adjective to modify the word “restroom.” Please see the post Apostrophes and False Possessives for more information.
Which is correct?
Send an email to the County Supervisor’s office or Supervisors’ office or simply County Supervisors Office?
If there is one person whose formal title is “County Supervisor,” write “County Supervisor’s office.”
See our Rules for Apostrophes.
What is wrong with the use of apostrophe in the following phrase? The basic division into women’s, children’s and men’s shoes.
The apostrophes are fine; you are missing a comma. Please see our Rule 1 of Commas.
Write “the basic division into women’s, children’s, and men’s shoes.”
How to punctuate girls trip?
Multiple girls are going on a trip:
Girls’ trip or girls trip?
As our post Apostrophes and False Possessives indicates, either one is acceptable.
Ok, I need help with this one.
American Dental Hygienists’ Association, or is it American Dental Hygienists Association?
Thanks.
Our post Apostrophes and False Possessives explains that either is acceptable. We suggest visiting the organization’s website to find out which option is being used in the formal name.