I'm 23 and still can't apostrophe!

I have been saving this blog post for the last week of class because it is something that is very embarrassing to admit. In school, we dedicated an entire unit to the apostrophe. We learned when to use it, when not to use it, and what it means. I was paying close attention during this unit - because the apostrophe is something I have always struggled with - but the rules didn't stick.

Honestly, I was beginning to believe that I was one of those people who were destined not to understand how to properly use this very important piece of punctuation.

Then, Lindor Reynolds from the Winnipeg Free Press wrote a column that discussed the apostrophe specifically. She called herself the "Cranky Grammar Lady," and she made some valid points (even though she did make some spelling and grammatical errors of her own). After discussing the article in class, I decided that it was time I learned how to use the apostrophe correctly once and for all.

Over the last few days, I have conducted a self-help apostrophe session. I read the Canadian Press Stylebook, re-read the grammar book from Writer's Craft, and searched online for websites that offered additional information. I think I've finally got it figured out, and now I will explain how exactly the apostrophe works.

To the best of my knowledge, that is...

Let’s start from the beginning. In the dictionary, the apostrophe is defined as "a sign that is used to indicate the omission of letters in a word, to indicate possession, or to show contractions."

Here are some examples of each:

1) When indicating omission: she’d, it’s, ‘30s, couldn’t, won’t, and he’d.

2) When indicating possession: the children’s toys and a person’s legal rights. But, dealing with possession is a little bit more complicated than that.

• Use an apostrophe + s (‘s) with:
• Almost all single nouns: Mr. Bates’s House, the class’s record, and a fox’s bushy tail.
• Plural nouns that do not end in s: women’s rights, the people’s voice, and the geese’s flight.
• Use an apostrophe (‘) alone with:
• Plural nouns ending in s: the two girls’ coats, the boys’ gymnasium, and the parents’ car.

3) When indicating contractions: can’t [cannot], what’s [what is], we’re [we are], and so on...

• Do NOT use an apostrophe:
• With possessive personal pronouns such as his, hers, its, ours, yours, theirs, and whose.
• With ordinary plurals or verbs: stores, stars, etc...

The Canadian Press Stylebook has additional information about when to use an apostrophe and when to exclude it, but it’s just too much information to remember at once. My recommendation is to look up specific situations on a case by case basis.

A good way to check if you need an apostrophe is to try and substitute the use of “of.” For example: In the sentence: “Amanda’s house was well-organized,” think of “the house of Amanda was well-organized.”

If you still are confused about proper usage of the apostrophe, here are some games below that can help. They are mostly for children, but are still quite helpful. Try using the “of” rule as you go through and answer the questions.

Basic Sentences game: http://bit.ly/aBnLlp
Re-write the sentences quiz: http://bit.ly/dnVWaf
Apostrophe trivia game: http://bit.ly/cJuiVx