Apostrophe Rules - Weebly



Unit 5 Grammar: Apostrophes and Confusing Words FormativeApostrophesPunctuate the following sentences with apostrophes according to the rules for using the apostrophe.1. Whos the partys candidate for vice president this year?2. The fox had its right foreleg caught securely in the traps jaws.3. Our neighbors car is an old Chrysler, and its just about to fall apart.4. In three weeks time well have to begin school again.5. Didnt you hear that theyre leaving tomorrow?6. Whenever I think of the stories I read as a child, I remember Cinderellas glass slipper and Snow Whites wicked stepmother.7. We claimed the picnic table was ours, but the Smiths children looked so disappointed that we found another spot.8. Its important that the kitten learns to find its way home.9. She did not hear her childrens cries.10. My address has three 7s, and Tims phone number has four 2s.Confusing WordsDirections: Underline the correct word.(Who, Whom) is going to the party?12. I need to make (fewer, less) mistakes.I want to go, (two, to, too).Put the box over (their, there, they’re).She (lead, led) the children in a song.(Can, May) I have another cookie?Give the present to (I, me).I need (your, you’re) telephone number.The toy has lost (its, it’s) batteries.The park is (by, buy, bye) the lake.Apostrophe RulesUse?the apostrophe to make words possessive.You can show possession the long way or the short way. The long way requires a?phrase?using a word like?belong?or?own. A?preposition?such as?of?will also do the trick.The donut?belonging?to VinceThe hot sports car?owned?by SylviaThe home?of?the WatsonsShowing possession with an apostrophe [and often an added?s] reduces the word count:Vince's?donutSylvia's?hot sports carThe?Watsons'?homeTo use the apostrophe to show possession, follow the guidelines below.Nouns Without a Final?SFor 25 of the 26 letters of the alphabet, the rule is simple: When a? HYPERLINK "" noundoes?not?end in?s, use?apostrophe?+?s.The lollipop belonging to Elena?=?Elena's?lolllipopThe dictionary owned by the grammar whiz?= The grammar?whiz's?dictionaryThe shoes of the children?= The?children's?shoesNouns with a Final?SNouns that?do?end in?s?require more thought. If the noun is?plural, just attach an apostrophe.The leashes for the dogs?= The?dogs'?leashesThe grades of the students?= The?students'?gradesThe wages earned by the workers?= The?workers'wagesThe location of the apostrophe clues an educated reader about numbers. Take the noun?dog, for example. If the apostrophe comes before the?s, we know that?one?dog has?multiple?leashes:The?dog's?leashesBut if the apostrophe comes after the?s, we understand that?many?dogs have a?variety?of leashes:The?dogs'?leashesIf the noun ending in?s?is?singular, most sources recommend adding both the apostrophe and an additional?s.The bad luck that plagues Odysseus?=?Odysseus'sbad luckThe strong tentacles of the octopus?= The?octopus'sstrong tentaclesThe directive given by the boss?= The?boss'sdirectiveIn these cases, the?apostrophe?+?additional s?adds another syllable to the pronunciation. If the extra syllable sounds unnatural, add the apostrophe alone.So you can write ...Odysseus's?bad luckbecause Odysseus-ES sounds okay, but you just need...Achilles'?hot temperbecause Achilles-EZ sounds weird.Since "sounds natural" can be a matter of region or opinion, your best bet in these cases is to consult the textbook or handbook assigned to your class, the teacher or professor who will be evaluating your assignment, or your supervisor or the style manual that your industry uses. Then follow the advice that you get.CONFUSING WORD SETS TO KNOWHere are some words that are confusing:two - to - too = two is a number, to means toward, too means also, much, or verytheir - there - they’re = their shows possession, there is a place, they’re is a contraction for they areI - me = I is a subject pronoun, me is an object pronounwho - whom = who is the subject pronoun, whom is an object pronounfewer - less = fewer means a smaller number, lesser is a smaller amount.its - it’s = its shows possession, it’s is a contraction for it isyour - you’re = your shows possession, you’re is a contraction for you arecan - may = can shows ability, may shows permissionlead - led = lead is a metal and a word for others to follow, led is the past tense form of the verb leadby - buy - bye = by means near or beside, buy means to purchase, bye is like goodbyeaccept - except = accept means to receive, except means to leave out or takeaffect - effect = affect is a verb meaning to influence, effect is a noun meaning resultcapital - capitol = capital is the seat of government, capitol is the building where the legislative body meetscompliment - complement = compliment is saying something nice, complement is something that completescouncil - counsel = council is a group, counsel is a verb meaning advisedescent - dissent = descent means a decline, dissent means disagree or oppositionlose - loose = lose means to not win or you can’t find something, loose means roomy or unrestrainedprecede - proceed = precede means to come before, proceed means to continue or go forwardprincipal, principle = principal means the main person or part, principle means a fundamental truthstationary, stationery = stationary means standing still, stationery means paper to write onAnswers1.?Who's?the?party's?candidate for vice president this year?2. The fox had its right foreleg caught securely in the?trap's?jaws.3. Our?neighbor's?car is an old Chrysler, and?it's?just about to fall apart.4. In three?weeks'?time?we'll?have to begin school again.5.?Didn't?you hear that?they're?leaving tomorrow?6. Whenever I think of the stories I read as a child, I remember?Cinderella's?glass slipper and?Snow White's?wicked stepmother.7. We claimed the picnic table was ours, but the?Smiths'?children looked so disappointed that we found another spot.8.?It's?important that the kitten learns to find its way home.9. She did not hear her?children's?cries.10. My address has three?7s, and?Tim's?phone number has four?2s.11. who12. fewer13. too14. there15. led16. may17. me18. your19. its20. by ................
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