[stylist] grammatical usage of apostrophes

[loristay at aol.com]

This is a technical answer to a question no one has asked, but it's nagging to be answered anyway.


Simple plurals do not take apostrophe s.  The apostrophe for the most part indicates possession or the dropping of a letter.  For example, do not becomes don't.  But if we are talking about a family, say, the Smiths, then there is no apostrophe.  Mr. Smith, of the Boston Smiths ( S m i t h s), will be visiting the New York area shortly.  


In some areas, the possessive is built into the word.  So for example, His bed means the bed belongs to him, and no apostrophe is necessary.  The bed is hers--now it belongs to her, but still takes no apostrophe.  The word "its" (i t s) meaning something belongs to "it" such as -- the dog dropped its ball--takes no apostrophe.  The apostrophe in the word "it's" (i t ' s) means that the word is short for "it is."


(apologies ahead to dog lovers who object to the objectification of the dog.)
Yours grammatically,
Lori