Use of Apostrophes
updated: February 10, 1998


(Adapted from the MLA Handbook, 4th ed. pp.54-55)
  1. Possessives of regular nouns
    1. To form the possessive of a singular noun, add an apostrophe and an s.
      1. the zebra's stripes  [=the stripes of the zebra]
      2. a poem's meter
    2. To form the possessive of a plural noun ending in s, add only an apostrophe
      1. the photographers' props [= the props of the photographers]
      2. the tourists' luggage
  2. Possessives of Irregular Nouns
    1. To form the possessive of an irregular plural noun not ending in s, add an apostrophe and a s
      1. the children's books
      2. the media's voice
      3. women's study [=the study of women]
  3. Possessives of Nouns in a Series
    1. To form the possessive of nouns in a series, add a single apostrophe and an s if the ownership is shared
      1. Fred, Lucinda, and Nan's house
    2. To form the possessive of nouns in a series when ownership is not shared
      1. Fred's, Lucinda's, and Nan's coats
  4. Possessives of Proper Nouns
    1. To form the possessive of any singular proper noun, add an apostrophe and a s
      1. Venus's beauty
      2. Dickens's reputation
      3. Marx's precepts
    2. To form the possessive of any plural proper noun, add only an apostrophe
      1. the Dickenses' economic views
      2. the Vanderbilts' estate
  5. Do not use an apostrophe to form the plural of an abbreviation or a number
    1. PHDs
    2. MAs

    HINT: If you can change X's Y to the Y of X, you need a possessive:
    Example: John's car = the car of John