The Write STUFF
JANE STRAUS
What is the most common English usage error? The "winning" mistake is the misuse of the apostrophe, especially with its/it's.
Rule: There is no such thing as its' because if its' existed, it would have to indicate plural possession. But it is always singular. Second, its without an apostrophe is already the possessive form.
Example: The dog hurt its paw.
Rule: The word it's is a contraction for it is.
Example: It's a shame that he fell from the ladder.
Rule: To show possession by one person, use an apostrophe and then add 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 the 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 is not an exception. The noun was made plural first and then the apostrophe was used. The only difference is that the plural of woman doesn't have an s so we must add it at the end.
Quiz
1. Her husbands wallet was full of pictures of their children.
2. Its a shame that he broke his ankle just before baseball season.
3. The actresses costumes looked beautiful on them.
4. The movie had its desired impact.
5. Please hand me the two boys jackets.
Answers
1. husband's
2. It's
3. actresses'
4. its
5. boys'
Source: 'The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation: An Easy-to-Use Guide with Clear Rules, Real-World Examples, and Reproducible Quizzes', by Jane Straus, ISBN: 978-0-470-22268-3. Learn more at http://www.GrammarBook.com .
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