Sentence Construction And Errors Questions Long
Apostrophes are punctuation marks that serve multiple purposes in sentence construction. The primary use of apostrophes is to indicate possession or ownership and to form contractions. Here are the rules for using apostrophes in sentence construction:
1. Possessive Nouns: When indicating possession or ownership, an apostrophe is used before the "s" at the end of a singular noun. For example:
- The dog's bone was buried in the backyard.
- Mary's car is parked in the driveway.
2. Possessive Plural Nouns: When indicating possession for plural nouns, the apostrophe is placed after the "s" at the end of the word. For example:
- The students' books were left on the desk.
- The birds' nests were built in the trees.
3. Possessive Pronouns: Apostrophes are not used with possessive pronouns like "yours," "hers," "theirs," "ours," and "its." For example:
- The book is hers, not mine.
- The responsibility is theirs, not ours.
4. Contractions: Apostrophes are used to form contractions, which are shortened versions of two words combined. For example:
- I can't (cannot) attend the party.
- They're (they are) going to the beach.
5. Plural of Letters, Numbers, and Symbols: Apostrophes are used to indicate the plural form of letters, numbers, and symbols. For example:
- Mind your p's and q's.
- The 1990's fashion trends are making a comeback.
- There are too many &'s in this document.
It is important to note that apostrophes should not be used for pluralizing regular nouns. For example, "apple's" is incorrect when referring to multiple apples.
In summary, apostrophes are used to indicate possession, form contractions, and indicate the plural form of letters, numbers, and symbols. Understanding and applying these rules correctly will help in constructing sentences accurately.