Grammar 101: insider tips and tricks to instantly improve your writing (part 2)

Hannah Lawrence
A professional man sits at a desk, writing notes with a laptop open in front of him.
Reading time: 5 minutes

As a proofreader and editor, I'm often asked to explain the rules of grammar. I answered three of the most common questions in the first post of this series, and now it's time to look at another frequent query: how to use apostrophes.Where do they go? When are they needed? And when should they be left out entirely?

Apostrophes might be small but they can cause big confusion because they are used both to indicate posession and to contract words. But the good news is that there are clear, simple patterns to follow, which we'll explore, along with exceptions to watch out for.Whether you’re writing a report or just a text message, these tips will help you use apostrophes correctly and confidently.

Apostrophes with ease: posession

Apostrophes show possession: they tell us something belongs to someone or something.When we want to show possession for regular plurals (when a word needs an "s" to make it plural), the apostrophe goes at the end and no further "s" is added:

  • The teachers' association
  • The campaigners' letter
  • The dogs' dinner

Whereas, when we want to show posession for either a single noun or an irregular plural (for example, children, geese), we add an "apostrophe s":

  • Sarah's car
  • app's assessment tools
  • The children's presents
  • The geese's pond

Single names that end in an “s” get an “apostrophe s” but plural names get only an apostrophe:

  • Mrs Jones’s car
  • James's cat
  • Whole Foods’ offices
  • Starbucks' nearest store

There's one exception that's important to note: "its" and "it's". The posessive form "its" does not have an apostrophe: "it's" always means "it is".

  • The cat ate its food

Apostrophes with ease: contractions

Contracted words are the combined and shortened forms of two words, which are commonly used in everyday writing and speech to sound more natural and conversational. They're made by omitting certain letters and replacing them with an apostrophe: for example, in "don't", it replaces the missing “o” from not.

When you miss one or more letters, use an apostrophe:

  • "would not" becomes "wouldn’t"
  • "cannot" becomes "can’t"
  • "we are" becomes "we're"
  • and, as before, "it is" becomes "it's"

When not to use apostrophes

A common mistake is using apostrophes when making words plural or when refering to decades and numbers. For example:

  • The 1980s had the best music (not "The 1980's")
  • Many people retire from working in their 70s (not "their 70's")
  • I bought some apples at the store (not "apple's")
Using apostrophes: simple tips to improve your writing skills
Reproducir
Privacy and cookies

By watching, you agree app can share your viewership data for marketing and analytics for one year, revocable by deleting your cookies.

Test your knowledge

Now you know the basic rules of apostrophes, it's time to check your knowledge.

Which sentence is correct?:

  1. The childrens break time has finished
  2. The childrens' break time has finished
  3. The children's break time has finished

It's sentence 3. We want to show posession – break time belongs to the children – and "children" is plural so it gets an "apostrophe s".
Now try these sentences and see if you can figure out which one is right:

  1. When you're walking my dog, its important to remember it's collar.
  2. When you're walking my dog, it's important to remember its collar.
  3. When youre walking my dog, it's important to remember it's collar.

The correct answer is 2. "You're" is a contraction of "you are", "it is important" so we use "it's" and we show that the collar belongs to the dog by using "its". Finally:

  1. Luis' daughter won't go to sleep.
  2. Luis's daughter wont go to sleep.
  3. Luis's daughter won't go to sleep.

Here, the right answer is 3. "Luis" is a single name, so gets an "apostrophe s", and "will not" is shortened to "won't".

Hopefully you now feel more confident in using apostrophes in your writing. Look out for the next post in this series, where we’ll explore more common grammar mistakes and how to avoid them.

Read our blog posts "11 fascinating facts about English"and "Grammar 101: insider tips and tricks to instantly improve your writing (part 1)".

More blogs from app

  • A group of children sat in a park high fiving each other

    Back to school: 5 team building activities to help break down boundaries

    Por Anna Roslaniec

    At the beginning of term adolescent learners are often shy, embarrassed and awkward. They are reluctant to speak English in front of their peers or show enthusiasm in class, often suffering from social pressure and lack of self-confidence. It can take weeks or months for students to get to know each other and form bonds. However, don’t despair if your teen learners are like this. There are plenty of team-building games and activities you can do to help students build relationships that will allow them to feel comfortable and relaxed in the classroom.

  • A girl holding a pile of books smiling in a room with large sheves of books.

    How to bring Shakespeare to life in the classroom

    Por Anna Roslaniec

    The 23rd of April marks the birth (and death) of William Shakespeare: poet, playwright and pre-eminent dramatist. His poems and plays have been translated into 80 languages, even Esperanto and Klingon.

    It is remarkable how Shakespeare’s iconic body of work has withstood the test of time. More than four centuries on, his reflections on the human condition have lost none of their relevance. Contemporary artists and writers continue to draw on his language, imagery and drama for inspiration.

    But, despite the breadth and longevity of his appeal, getting students excited about Shakespeare is not always straightforward. The language is challenging, the characters may be unfamiliar and the plots can seem far removed from modern life.

    However, with the right methods and resources, there is plenty for teenagers and young adults to engage with. After all, love, desperation, jealousy and anger are feelings we can all relate to, regardless of the age group, culture or century we belong to!
    So, how can you bring classic Shakespearean dramas like Hamlet, Othello and Macbeth to life?

    There are many ways for your learners to connect with Shakespeare and get excited by his works. Here we’ll show you three classroom activities to do with your students and some indispensable resources to ensure that reading Shakespeare is as accessible and enjoyable as possible!

  • A group of young people sat at a table discussing with a woman stood up

    How to get teenagers to think critically

    Por Anna Roslaniec

    Critical thinking is a 21st century skill that has been around for thousands of years. There are records of Socrates using critical thinking skills in his teaching in 4th century BC Greece. In recent years though, critical thinking has again become more prominent in education.

    What is critical thinking?

    Critical thinking requires students to do more than remember and repeat information. Instead, it encourages them to analyze, examine, evaluate and use their problem-solving abilities through questioning, theorizing and rationalizing to have a deeper understanding of the world around them, both inside the classroom and beyond.

    Why is critical thinking so important?

    In the past, success in education was largely based on the ability to remember facts and figures. However, the skills which our students need today go further than memorization. With our rapidly evolving technology, the internet, and the bewildering amount of information online, it is essential that our students can use higher-order thinking skills to analyze and assess the information they are presented with.

    How can you incorporate critical thinking into your classes?

    Devising long-term goals

    We all know the importance of looking ahead and planning for the future. We can encourage this skill in our students and directly relate it to their learning.

    At the start of the course, take a moment to chat with each student individually and ask them to identify an objective for the first part of the year. You may like to brainstorm possible objectives as a class first, but it’s important for students to determine their own personal objectives, rather than imposing objectives on them.

    During the first half of the year you can talk to each student about their progress and ask them to assess to what extent they’re achieving their goals.

    The key point comes at the end of the semester when students evaluate their progress and set a new objective for the following one.

    Analyzing

    The ability to analyze options, risks and opinions will help your students in the future in many situations, including when they decide which course to take at university or which job to take.

    You can practice this skill by providing students with relatable situations and asking them to analyze and compare the options.

    For example:

    Imagine you are taking a trip with some friends this summer. You have a number of different options and want to discuss them before finalizing your plans. Talk to a partner about the different trips and decide which would be best:

    • Traveling around Europe by train for a month ($1,000)
    • A weekend hiking and camping in the countryside ($200)
    • A weekend break in a big city, with shopping, sightseeing and museum trips ($500)
    • A week-long trip to the beach in an all-inclusive resort ($650)

    Anticipating consequences

    Students also need to have an awareness of the consequences of their actions; this is a skill which is transferable to making business decisions, as well as being important in their everyday lives.

    To practice this skill, put students into small groups and give them the first part of a conditional sentence. One student completes the sentence and then the next student adds a consequence to that statement.

    For example:

    Student A: If I don’t study for my English exam, I won’t pass.

    Student B: If I don’t pass my English exam, my parents won’t let me go out this weekend.

    Student C: If I can’t go out this weekend, I’ll miss the big football match.

    Student D: My coach won’t let me play next year if I miss the big match.

    Rearranging the class menu

    By giving students more responsibility and having them feel invested in the development of the lesson, they will be much more motivated to participate in the class.

    Occasionally, let students discuss the content of the day’s class. Give them a list of tasks for the day, including how long each will take and allow them to discuss the order in which they’ll complete them. For larger classes, first have them do it in pairs or small groups and then vote as a whole class.

    Write on the board:

    • Class discussion (5 minutes)

    The following tasks can be done in the order you decide as a class. You have five minutes to discuss and arrange the tasks as you choose. Write them on the board in order when you’re ready.

    • Check homework (5 minutes)
    • Vocabulary review (10 minutes)
    • Vocabulary game (5 minutes)
    • Reading activity (15 minutes)
    • Grammar review game (5 minutes)
    • Speaking activity (10 minutes)

    Take this one step further by asking your students to rate each activity out of 10 at the end of the class. That way, you’ll easily see which tasks they enjoy, helping you plan more engaging lessons in the future.