Grammar for Everyone - Barbara Dykes 2007

Avoiding confusion
Introduction
Part II The parts of speech

The apostrophe is traditionally used for clarity in abbreviations and other forms.

For example:

The MSc’s were awarded next.

There are two s’s in ’grass’.

11.1 Activities: apostrophes

1. a. Students are given contractions and they supply the full form, first orally, then in writing:

he’ll, we’re, can’t, won’t, would’ve, didn’t, I’d, I’ll, they’d, don’t

b. Students do the reverse giving the contracted form orally and in writing.

2. Students play an oral concentration game. The teacher gives a phrase and students raise both arms if the ending is ’apostrophe s’, as in the girl’s mother, or one arm for an apostrophe only, as in Captain Sykes’ horse, or the boys’ desks. Students must listen carefully for the plurals.

a. the headmaster’s office

b. a bee’s sting

c. two cars’ headlights

d. the class’s results

e. those dogs’ bones

f. the science teacher’s study

g. our museum’s corridors

h. the king’s horses

i. the horses’ harnesses

j. my mother’s hat

3. Students write on the board, or in their books, abbreviations and other usages of the apostrophe.

MBA’s, PhD’s, BBQ’s, do’s and don’t’s, dot your i’s (this would say ’is’ without the apostrophe)

Checklist: apostrophes

Students should now be able to use the apostrophe for:

• showing possession of something belonging to:

- one person or thing, e.g. grandma’s glasses

- more than one person or thing, e.g. the cars’ roofs (n.b. not ’rooves’)

- one or more person or thing that already ends in ’s’, e.g. Mr Jones’ pen

• indicating omission of a letter or letters in contractions, e.g. will’ve, haven’t, and describe clearly how to use the apostrophe in each of the instances so far learnt