To form the possessive of a singular or plural noun NOT ending in an "s" sound, add an apostrophe plus an "s" to the noun.
- dog's bone
- Arkansas's senator
- women's salaries
To form the possessive of a plural noun ending in "s" simply add an apostrophe.
- dogs' bones
- boys' bicycles
To form the possessive of a singular noun that ends in an "s" sound, be guided by the way the word is pronounced. If a new syllable is formed in the pronunciation of the possessive, add an apostrophe plus "s."
- boss's office
- witness's memory
If an extra syllable makes it hard to pronounce, add only the " '."
- for goodness' sake
- Mrs. Jones' hat
The possessive of a compound noun is formed on the last word of the compound.
- the attorney general's office
- my brother-in-law's job
Joint ownership is shown by placing the apostrophe with the last word of the combination. Separate ownership is shown by placing the apostrophe with each member of the combination.
- Mary and Joe's car needs to be repaired.
- Mary's and Joe's cars are very expensive.
For Contractions and Other Omissions
- she'll, doesn't, won't, o'clock
- it's (meaning "it is," not to be confused with the pronoun "its," meaning "belonging to")
- The class of '63 donated an azalea garden to the university, didn't they?
For Pluralizing Letters, Numbers, Symbols, and Words Used as Terms
- Always remember to dot your i's and cross your t's.
- Your G's look like 9's.
- He uses too many and's and uh's when he speaks.