Hello friends.
It has come to my attention that the Californian Public School System has failed you in the department of punctuation.
It's okay. I'm here to help.
Lesson 1: Apostrophes
1) An apostrophe can be used to replace the missing letter in a contraction.
Ex: 'Should not' to Shouldn't
2) An apostrophe can also be used to show possession (or ownership).
Ex: "These glasses belong to Sarah" to "These are Sarah's glasses"
3) However, when changing a word from singular to plural, an apostrophe is not necessary.
Ex: The Hibbard Family NOT: The Hibbard's
4) The most common confusion is the usage of its and it's.
It is important to note that, for these words, Rule #1 applies, while Rule #2 does not.
Ex (contraction): "It is a beautiful day" to "It's a beautiful day"
Ex (possession): Just close its lid NOT: Just close it's lid
I hope this clears-up any confusion you may have had.
I'm open to suggestions for Lesson #2.
4 comments:
Suggestion for lesson #2 (and one of my pet peeves):
The difference and usage of "your" and "you're".
I totally agree with you AND Josh above me. Your and you're drives me crazy. And my saying is: When in doubt, write it out! Example: It is a beautiful day!!!
This, my dear, is truly a public service.
Next lesson: commas
Then: when to use ";" and when to use ":"
Then: there, their, they're
Then: accept vs. except, advice vs. advise
Finally: How to reread your blog, twitter or facebook comments beFORE pressing send.
Yes, yes! Thank you for sharing a deep passion for proper grammar with others (like me!)...proper grammar is cooler than most people know!
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