If the plural is not an s plural it goes before the s. Such as in men's, women's as opposed to specimen's, specimens'.

Recently people have been accepting an additional s on the end of the word- Charles's niece, for example.

Great help guys.....keep the examples coming!

lmao ov, lets see though, if he has a dog wouldn't it be a quadrinity.
father, son, spirit and holy dog?

The apostrophe is a conjunction of is "there is" becomes "there's". It also applies to the possessive of a noun. eg. "The cat's pyjamas".

The outside apostrophe comes from the possessive of a noun ending in s, generally a name. "James' socks".

The apostrophe can also designate a missing letter or letters: 'gator, 'Cajun, 'bus, 'plane, goin' fishin'.

Many of the posts here are wrong in some fashion:

http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/apostro.asp

And some aren't.

Quiz Results



1. Choose the correct sentence.


Correct Answer: B Her husband's wallet was full of curious, little items.

Explanation: Place the apostrophe before the "s" to show singular possession.

Your Answer: B Her husband's wallet was full of curious, little items.



2. Choose the correct sentence.


Correct Answer: B I went to my mother-in-law's house for dinner last night.

Explanation: With a singular compound noun, show possession with 's at the end of the word.

Your Answer: B I went to my mother-in-law's house for dinner last night.



3. Choose the correct sentence.


Correct Answer: A You may not enter Mr. Harris's office without his permission.

Explanation: Although names ending in ?s? or an ?s? sound are not required to have the second ?s? added in possessive form, it is preferred.

Your Answer: A You may not enter Mr. Harris's office without his permission.



4. Choose the correct sentence.


Correct Answer: B The girl's vitality and humor were infectious. [one girl]

Explanation: Place the apostrophe before the ?s? to show singular possession.

Your Answer: B The girl's vitality and humor were infectious. [one girl]



5. Choose the correct sentence.


Correct Answer: A The women's dresses are on the second floor.

Explanation: To show plural possession, make the noun plural first. Then immediately use the apostrophe.

Your Answer: A The women's dresses are on the second floor.



6. Choose the correct sentence.


Correct Answer: A It's a shame that had to happen.

Explanation: Use an apostrophe when "it's" is a contraction for ?it is? or ?it has.?

Your Answer: A It's a shame that had to happen.



7. Choose the correct sentence.


Correct Answer: B It's hard to believe that winter is almost here.

Explanation: Use an apostrophe when "it's" is a contraction for ?it is? or ?it has.?

Your Answer: B It's hard to believe that winter is almost here.



8. Choose the correct sentence.


Correct Answer: B Her mother and father's business went bankrupt.

Explanation: Use the apostrophe and ?s? after the second name only if two people possess the same item.

Your Answer: B Her mother and father's business went bankrupt.



9. Choose the correct sentence.


Correct Answer: A It is his word against mine.

Explanation: Never use an apostrophe with possessive pronouns: ?his, hers, its, theirs, ours, yours, whose.? They already show possession so they do not require an apostrophe.

Your Answer: A It is his word against mine.



10. Choose the correct sentence.


Correct Answer: B The actresses' costumes looked beautiful on them.

Explanation: To show plural possession, make the noun plural first. Then immediately use the apostrophe.

Your Answer: B The actresses' costumes looked beautiful on them.



11. Choose the correct sentence.


Correct Answer: B Sharon's arriving was unexpected.

Explanation: Use the possessive case in front of a gerund (?-ing? word). If the gerund has a pronoun in front of it, use the possessive form of that pronoun.

Your Answer: B Sharon's arriving was unexpected.



12. Choose the correct sentence.


Correct Answer: A The movie had its desired effect.

Explanation: Don?t use an apostrophe when ?its? is possessive; i.e., it isn?t a contraction for ?it is? or ?it has.?

Your Answer: A The movie had its desired effect.



Final Score: 12/12