Micro-listening
Apostrophes: Possession and Short Forms
When should you use an apostrophe?
Use an apostrophe for possession or to show missing letters in a contraction; do not use one for ordinary plurals or possessive pronouns. For example, the artist's sketchbook is on the table. Put the mark before s for one owner, after s for regular plural owners, and before s for irregular plural owners.
Key points
- Add apostrophe plus s for one owner.
- Put the apostrophe after s for regular plural owners.
- Irregular plural owners take apostrophe plus s.
- Contractions use apostrophes where letters are omitted.
This lesson has 5 stages. You can stop at any time and continue later.
At a glance
| Form | Use it for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| One owner: apostrophe + s | Shows that one person or thing owns something. | The chef's apron is clean. |
| Plural ending in s: apostrophe after s | Shows that several owners share something. | The players' changing room is upstairs. |
| Irregular plural: apostrophe + s | Shows ownership when the plural does not end in s. | The men's coats are by the door. |
| Contraction | Marks letters omitted from two words. | I haven't finished the report. |
| Plain plural or possessive pronoun | Use no apostrophe for quantity or pronoun ownership. | Those bags are theirs. |
Stage 1 of 5
Understand
What it means, when to use it, and mistakes to avoid.
The full explanation
An apostrophe functions as an indicator of ownership or contraction. In possessive forms, it links an owner to an item or idea, answering the question of ownership clearly. In contractions, it marks the exact spot where one or more letters disappeared during natural speech. Because plural nouns only indicate quantity, they do not require an apostrophe to make sense.
The instructor's laptop is on the front desk.
Why it works: The apostrophe before the s shows that the laptop belongs to one instructor.
3 more examples
-
All the instructors' notes are saved in the shared folder.
The apostrophe after the s shows that the notes belong to several instructors.
-
We're going to inspect the building and its heating system.
We're is a contraction of we are, while its is a possessive pronoun that needs no apostrophe.
-
The children's art workshop begins at three o'clock.
Children is an irregular plural that does not end in s, so it takes an apostrophe plus s.
Read the full guide
Decide If a Noun Shows Ownership
Before you write an apostrophe, determine whether one noun actually possesses another noun in your sentence. Ask yourself who owns the item or who holds a direct connection to it. If there is no owner, you probably do not need punctuation. For example, when you mention that a supervisor reviewed a project, the word supervisor is an actor rather than an owner. However, when you mention the supervisor's notes, the notes clearly belong to that person. Identifying this relationship prevents unnecessary marks in ordinary sentences.
-
The technician's toolbox was left in the hallway.
Why it works: The toolbox belongs to the technician, so an apostrophe marks the relationship.
-
The technician completed five service calls today.
Why it works: Technician is the subject of the sentence, not an owner, so no apostrophe is used.
Your turn
Which sentence uses an apostrophe correctly to show that a bag belongs to Elena?
Answer: Elena's bag is next to the reception counter.
Show the answer
Answer: Elena's bag is next to the reception counter.
Elena is one person who owns the bag, so add an apostrophe before s.
Add Apostrophe and S for One Owner
When a single person, animal, company, or object owns something, place an apostrophe followed by the letter s at the end of the base noun. This rule applies even if the noun looks formal or ends in an unusual letter. For instance, writing the company's policy informs the reader that the policy belongs to one organization. You hear a clear /z/ or /s/ sound added to the base word when you speak these phrases aloud. Keep the base noun whole before adding the apostrophe and the extra s.
-
The customer's order arrived early this morning.
Why it works: Customer is a single person, so the possessive form adds apostrophe plus s.
-
The hotel's lobby was quiet during the storm.
Why it works: Hotel is a single place that possesses a lobby, requiring apostrophe plus s.
You can practise this again in Adjectives of Number: Forms and Examples and SMS English: Write Clear Short Texts.
Your turn
Which option correctly shows that an email belongs to one client?
Answer: The client's email was very polite.
Show the answer
Answer: The client's email was very polite.
For a single owner like client, add an apostrophe and an s to form client's.
Place the Mark After S for Plural Owners
When multiple people or things own an item and their plural noun ends in s, place the apostrophe immediately after that final s. Do not add another s after the punctuation mark. For instance, if three drivers share an office, write the drivers' office. Readers notice the location of the mark immediately on the page. Placing the apostrophe before the s tells the reader that only one driver owns the space, while placing it after indicates a shared space among several drivers.
-
The teachers' lounge is located on the second floor.
Why it works: Several teachers share the lounge, so the apostrophe follows the plural s.
-
All the participants' badges are printed and ready.
Why it works: The badges belong to all participants, placing the apostrophe after the s.
Your turn
Select the sentence showing that several nurses share one break room.
Answer: The nurses' break room is being painted today.
Show the answer
Answer: The nurses' break room is being painted today.
Because nurses is a plural noun ending in s, the apostrophe belongs after the final s.
Handle Plural Owners Without S
Certain English plurals do not end in s, including words such as men, women, children, people, and mice. Because these words already represent more than one individual without an s, you treat them like singular nouns when forming the possessive. You must add both an apostrophe and an s to the end of the word. Writing the childrens' books is a frequent error. The correct written form is the children's books because the base word children does not finish with an s.
-
The women's soccer league raised money for equipment.
Why it works: Women is an irregular plural, so ownership requires an apostrophe plus s.
-
The people's feedback helped improve the bus route.
Why it works: People is already plural, so the possessive form adds apostrophe plus s.
Your turn
Which phrase correctly shows ownership for a group of children?
Answer: the children's art projects
Show the answer
Answer: the children's art projects
Children is an irregular plural without an s, so it takes an apostrophe plus s.
Replace Missing Letters in Contractions
Contractions represent the way words combine in casual spoken English. When two words merge, an apostrophe replaces the letter or letters that you leave out. In the word don't, the mark takes the place of the letter o from not. In the phrase we're, the apostrophe replaces the letter a from are. Contractions make emails and casual conversations sound smooth and natural. In formal reports or legal agreements, writers often spell out the complete two-word forms instead.
-
They haven't announced the winner of the contest yet.
Why it works: Haven't is the contraction of have not, with the mark replacing the letter o.
-
She's working on the financial summary this afternoon.
Why it works: She's represents she is, with the apostrophe replacing the letter i.
Your turn
What does the contraction they'll stand for in a sentence?
Answer: they will
Show the answer
Answer: they will
They'll combines they and will, using the apostrophe in place of the letters w and i.
Separate It's From Possessive Its
The difference between it's and its causes trouble for many learners and native speakers alike. The word it's with an apostrophe is always a contraction standing for it is or it has. The word its without punctuation is a possessive pronoun meaning belonging to it. Whenever you are unsure which word to select, expand the word to it is. If the sentence still makes clear sense, write it's with an apostrophe. If the sentence sounds broken, you need the possessive its without any mark.
-
It's cold inside the warehouse today.
Why it works: It's means it is, so the contraction requires an apostrophe.
-
The cat licked its paws after eating dinner.
Why it works: Its shows possession by the cat, so no apostrophe should be written.
Your turn
Choose the correct sentence to describe a printer that needs ink.
Answer: The printer lost its connection to the computer.
Show the answer
Answer: The printer lost its connection to the computer.
Connection belongs to the printer, so the possessive pronoun its is required without an apostrophe.
Leave Plain Plural Nouns Without Marks
A common mistake in shop signs and informal notes is placing an apostrophe in an ordinary plural noun. An apostrophe never signals that you have more than one object or person. When you write about apples, keys, laptops, or meetings, simply add the letter s or es without punctuation. You only introduce an apostrophe if those objects actively possess something else later in the sentence. Keeping ordinary plurals plain ensures that your business writing remains clean and professional.
-
The manager ordered ten new desks for the office.
Why it works: Desks is a simple plural indicating quantity, so no apostrophe is needed.
-
Fresh sandwiches are available in the cafeteria.
Why it works: Sandwiches names multiple food items, so it takes an es plural without punctuation.
Your turn
Which sentence correctly refers to multiple electronic documents?
Answer: Please print these two reports before noon.
Show the answer
Answer: Please print these two reports before noon.
Reports is an ordinary plural noun showing quantity, so it requires no apostrophe.
Keep Possessive Pronouns Unpunctuated
Possessive pronouns show ownership without ever using an apostrophe. This group includes words such as hers, yours, ours, theirs, whose, and its. Learners sometimes add an apostrophe to these words because they associate ownership with the punctuation mark. However, these pronouns already possess ownership in their fundamental grammatical structure. Writing your's or their's is always incorrect in standard English. Remembering that possessive pronouns never take punctuation will protect your writing from a very frequent error.
-
This blue umbrella is mine, and the black one is hers.
Why it works: Hers is a possessive pronoun and must never be written with an apostrophe.
-
Our team finished the design, but the final choice is yours.
Why it works: Yours indicates ownership directly without any apostrophe.
Your turn
Which sentence uses the possessive pronoun correctly?
Answer: The parking space on the left is theirs.
Show the answer
Answer: The parking space on the left is theirs.
Theirs is a complete possessive pronoun and never takes an apostrophe.
Common mistakes
What learners often say, what to say instead, and why.
-
Not this:
The student's are waiting outside.Say: The students are waiting outside.
Students is an ordinary plural, not a possessive form.
-
Not this:
The childrens' books are on the shelf.Say: The children's books are on the shelf.
Children is an irregular plural without s, so add apostrophe plus s.
-
Not this:
The choice is her's.Say: The choice is hers.
Possessive pronouns such as hers never take an apostrophe.
Questions about "Apostrophes: Possession and Short Forms"
How should I add an apostrophe to a person's name that already ends in s, such as James?
You can write James's or James' depending on the style guide your school or office follows. Most modern American style guides, such as Chicago and MLA, prefer James's because it reflects natural pronunciation with an added /ɪz/ sound. Some journalistic guides prefer only the apostrophe, writing James'. Choose one style and apply it consistently across your document.
James's presentation impressed the entire committee.
We visited Charles's new studio after dinner.
Do decade names like 1990s or acronyms like PDFs need an apostrophe?
No, decades and acronyms do not need an apostrophe when you are simply writing plurals. Write the 1990s and three PDFs without punctuation. An apostrophe is only required if the decade or acronym possesses something, as in 1990's greatest hits or the PDF's second page.
Our company digitized thousands of PDFs last month.
Music from the 1980s remains popular among young listeners.
How do I show possession when two people own something together versus separately?
When two people share ownership of a single item, place an apostrophe and s only on the second person's name. When each person owns their own separate item, add an apostrophe and s to both names. For example, joint ownership is Mark and Sarah's apartment, while separate ownership is Mark's and Sarah's laptops.
David and Maria's bakery opened on Fifth Avenue.
David's and Maria's cars are parked outside.
What is the rule for choosing between who's and whose?
Who's is always a contraction of who is or who has, using an apostrophe to mark the omitted letters. Whose is a possessive pronoun that shows ownership and never uses punctuation. Test your sentence by substituting who is. If the sentence makes sense, write who's. If you are asking about ownership, write whose.
Who's responsible for locking the conference room tonight?
Whose notebook was left on the laboratory table?
Before you go
Remember this
Check your sentence by identifying the owner or the missing letters. Use an apostrophe before the s for one owner, after the s for regular plural owners, and before the s for irregular plurals. Use contractions when writing casual messages, making sure the mark replaces omitted letters. Keep plain plurals and possessive pronouns clean of apostrophes.
Stage 2 of 5
Listen
Hear it in real sentences, from short to long, and write what you hear.
0 of 4 done
Listening 1 of 4
Listening 2 of 4
Try a longer clip. Listen once, then replay the part you missed.
Listening 3 of 4
This clip is longer. Follow the instruction above the answer field.
Listening 4 of 4
Listen, then type the missing words. The rest of the text is already there.
0:00
Practice complete
You listened closely.
Your result is saved in this browser.
Keep your progress. Your practice is saved on this device only. Create a free account to keep it everywhere.
Create a free accountThat was today's free lesson. Tomorrow you get another one. Want more today? See membership.
Create a free SubLearn account to keep this progress across devices.
Save my progressStage 3 of 5
Speak
Say it with the speaker, then use it in your own answer.
Shadow
Say it along with the speaker
Play the line slowly, then speak at the same time as the speaker. Copy the rhythm, not just the words.
Your turn
Say it your way
Describe a shared workspace or office you know well. Explain who owns or uses different areas, using singular and plural possessives naturally.
Use: apostrophes: Possession and Short Forms
You could start with “In our office, the manager's desk sits near the window…”
Take ten seconds to think, then answer out loud without looking at the lesson. Speak for the time shown in the task above. Nothing is sent unless you ask for feedback.
0:00
Stage 4 of 5
Write
Use what you've learned to write about your day or week, then write a message.
Write
Put it in your own words
- I used “apostrophes: Possession and Short Forms”.
- It is about my life, not the lesson’s example.
- I read it once aloud to check it sounds right.
Write your own response
Choose a situation and write 30–50 words of your own. In this activity, you decide what to say rather than copy the words in a recording.
Check your own writing
Read one possible response
Use these checks to revise your message. Grammar and meaning are not automatically graded. Each task keeps its own draft in this browser tab.
You finished the free part of this lesson
- Understand
- Listen
- Speak
- Write
- CheckPart of membership
Worth another look
With a free account, the lessons you finish come back for review to help you remember them.Create a free account
Stage 5 of 5 · Part of membership
Check
New clips without hints.
Listening tests are included with membership. Try the free dictation first, then decide whether to continue.
Listening 1 of 2 Part of membership
Listening 2 of 2 Part of membership
Follow MicroEnglish
New lessons, short videos and quick quizzes every day. Pick the app you already use.
Questions & comments
Ask about this lesson, share an example, or help another learner.
Example
Memory tip
Goes with
Related forms
Not to be confused with
In this lesson
This word isn't in our dictionary. Check the spelling, or try another form of the word.
We couldn't load this word. Try again.
