updates | May 31, 2026

Does this sentence need an apostrophe?

Any time you have an it’s or an its in your writing, double-check the sentence. If you can say “it is” in its place, then you DO need the apostrophe. If its is showing something has possession or ownership of something, then you do NOT need an apostrophe and using its is correct.

How do you tell if a word needs an apostrophe?

Apostrophe Rules Summary If the word already has an “s,” it only needs an apostrophe. If the word does not already have an “s,” it needs the apostrophe followed by “s.” However, when to use apostrophe “s” or an apostrophe after “s,” can vary by preference for words that end in “s.”

Where does the apostrophe go in this sentence?

An apostrophe is a small punctuation mark ( ‘ ) placed after a noun to show that the noun owns something. The apostrophe will always be placed either before or after an s at the end of the noun owner. Always the noun owner will be followed (usually immediately) by the thing it owns.

Do you use an apostrophe for ownership?

Use an apostrophe in the possessive form of a noun to indicate ownership. To show ownership, add apostrophe + s to the end of a word, with one exception: To show ownership with a plural noun already ending in s add only the apostrophe.

What are the two main uses of apostrophes?

The apostrophe has three uses: 1) to form possessive nouns; 2) to show the omission of letters; and 3) to indicate plurals of letters, numbers, and symbols.

What are examples of oxymorons?

Here are 10 examples of popular oxymorons: