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We can use an apostrophe (') to:
1. show possession, show that something belongs or is owned by someone.
Someone's high test score
Your friend's name
2. show a contraction show where a letter has been missed out when words are shortened
He'll know it was me (He will)
If she doesn't report him (does not)
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If it's a singular noun, the apostrophe goes before the 's'. It doesn't matter if thing or person owned is singular or plural
The boy's shirt = one owner, the boy
The doctor's patients = one owner, one doctor
If it's a plural noun, the apostrophe goes after the 's'
The boys' shirts = more than one boy or owner
The doctors' patients = more than one doctor or owner
If it's an irregular plural noun, the apostrophe goes before the 's'
The men's newspapers
The mice's footprints
If a noun ends in an 's', we usually put the apostrophe + s after the first 's'
James's house
Dennis's friends
Although this rule is flexible and nowadays you might see:
James' house
Dennis' friends
Another exception to this rule is with literary or classical references:
Dickens' novels
Socrates' writings
If the context is clear, we don't always have to mention the thing that's owned:
Is that my pen or Paul's? = Paul's pen
That top is my sister's = my sister's top
We don't use an apostrophe to show possession with these determiners:
mine - That's mine
yours- I've got my money, have you got yours?
his - Those shoes are his
hers- That bike is hers
its- My dog isn't well, its temperature is very high
ours- That house is his and that one is ours
theirs - Don't touch those cakes, they're theirs and they don't like to share
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The apostrophe is used to show where a letter or letters have been left out:
She hasn't replied to my letter = has not
He's my brother = is
We can make contractions with:
1. nouns and pronouns
She's a teacher
There's nobody here
2. auxiliary verbs (would, could, will, should) as well as sometimes with be and havewhen they aren't being used as auxiliary verbs:
They would've come if you'd invited them = would have/you had
I haven't got any money = have not
We can't use double contractions in English:
'She'sn't from France' is wrong.
Instead we'd say 'She isn't from France' or 'She's not from France'
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get away with something:
to do something wrong or illegal and not get caught or found out
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