Chapter 57: Apostrophes
CHAPTER 57CONNECT: What makes apostrophe use tricky for you? The Top Twenty, “Unnecessary or missing apostrophe”; 57a–d
CREATE: Write a brief paragraph beginning, “I’ve always wondered about my best friend’s . . . ,” noting every word you use that includes an apostrophe. Then type the same paragraph on your smartphone or other device, and note every time the device inserts the apostrophe for you.
REFLECT: Write or record a reflection on what you learned about depending on a device to insert appropriate apostrophes. Do you think you need the device’s help? Did you find any instances where the device was wrong?
THE LITTLE APOSTROPHE can make a big difference in meaning. The following sign at a neighborhood swimming pool, for instance, probably doesn’t say quite what the writer intended:
Please deposit your garbage (and your guests) in the trash receptacles before leaving the pool area.
Adding a single apostrophe would offer a more neighborly statement: Please deposit your garbage (and your guests’) in the trash receptacles before leaving the pool area asks residents to remove the guests’ garbage, not the guests themselves.