Showing Ownership with Apostrophes

Many times in writing, you need to show ownership or possession of something. You may say that it was Henry's dog that ran away or that Subway's subs are delicious. The apostrophe shows ownership. The dog belongs to Henry. The subs belong to the restaurant called Subway.

The main source of confusion is knowing where to place the apostrophe. Ask yourself, "To whom or what does the item belong?". Once you have that answer, the apostrophe and the letter 's' will come after it. Let's look at some examples below.

1.) The women's club went to the movies.
(Why does the apostrophe come after the letter 'n' in that word? That is because the club belongs to the women. In other words, it is the club of the women.)

2.) The cats' bowls are all empty.
(Why does the apostrophe come after the letter 's' in that word? That is because the bowls belong to the cats (more than one of them). In other words, it is the bowls of the multiple cats.)

3.) My sisters' condo is in New Jersey.
(Why does the apostrophe come after the letter 's' in that word? That is because the condo belongs to all of the sisters. In other words, it is the condo of multiple sisters.)

4.) Her brother's car is getting fixed.
(Why does the apostrophe come after the letter 'r' in that word? That is because the car belongs to her one brother. In other words, it is the car of the brother.)


Now you try! Pick two of the topics below and write a complete sentence for each one where you show ownership through the use of an apostrophe.

a.) A shoe belongs to William
b.) The toys belonging to multiple brothers
c.) Meals of more than one diner at a restaurant
d.) A slide owned by Katie
e.) The carrots grown by one farmer