The Most Common Punctuation Error of All

When asked what the most common punctuation error of all is in American English, I don’t have to think hard. The “winning” mistake is the misuse of the apostrophe, especially with its/it’s.

First, let’s get rid of a myth: There is no such thing as its’. Why? Because its’ would be meaningless. If its’ existed, it would be indicating plural possession. First of all, it is always singular. Second, its without an apostrophe is the possessive form.
Example: The dog hurt its paw.

The word it’s is a contraction for it is or it has.
It’s a shame that the dog hurt its paw.
It’s always been there.


Let’s look at a few more rules concerning this most common punctuation error.

Rule: To show possession by one person, use an apostrophe and add an s.
girl’s hat (one girl who owns a hat)
girl’s hats (one girl who owns more than one hat)
woman’s dress (one woman who owns a dress)
woman’s dresses (one woman with more than one dress)

Rule: To show plural possession, make the noun plural first; then add an apostrophe.
The girls’ hats flew off in the wind. (more than one girl, each with a hat)
The women’s dresses matched their shoes. (more than one woman, each with matching shoes)

Notice that women’s was not an exception. The noun was made plural first and then the apostrophe was added. The only difference is that the plural of woman doesn’t end in an s.
one boy’s book, two boys’ books
one man’s jacket, two men’s jackets
one lass’s hat, two lasses’ hats


160 Comments on The Most Common Punctuation Error of All

160 responses to “The Most Common Punctuation Error of All”

  1. aaron says:

    do u put an apostrophe in Roberts name? An example is “Sarah’s report card showed all A’s, but Roberts report card showed lots of failing grades.”

  2. H Corede Adam says:

    I’ll appreciate if you can quickly answer my quiz.
    Which of the following is incorrect?
    a. Jean’s and Dan’s pants are blue.
    b. Where is the women’s restroom?

    • Both sentences look correct to us. We are, however, assuming that Jean and Dan do not own the same pair of pants. Our Rule 4b of Apostrophes says, “In cases of separate rather than joint possession, use the possessive form for both.” If two people possess the same item, the ‘s goes after the second name only.

  3. Casey says:

    What is the correct form of showing possession for the word “accused”? Is it accused’ or accused’s?

    • As the post states, “To show possession by one person, use an apostrophe and add an s.” Therefore, accused’s is correct. Do you recognize the accused’s bloody glove?

  4. Dave B says:

    I came across a book title today that just doesn’t feel right:
    The Lives Our Mothers Leave Us.
    I feel like it’s missing an apostrophe but not sure where.

  5. Brent Clark says:

    What are the rules for apostrophes when speaking of boards and committees?

    For example:
    Would you write Jack read the minutes from the deacons meeting or
    Jack read the minutes from the deacons’ meeting?
    The meeting would consist of several people, but would you say that the deacons have ownership or possession of the meeting and therefore need to make it possessive plural?

  6. Makenzie says:

    For “the shoe belonging to the woman,” would you write “the women’s shoe” or “the woman’s shoe”?

  7. Lauren says:

    What is the correct grammar for “Claire’s son’s room”?

  8. Linda Harris says:

    A discussion at work about the following sentence… The Prevention of Cruelty to animals latest financial report can be found at the Attorney General’s office. The argument was animals is a possessive noun and should have an apostrophe after the s is that correct?

    • Just as you might write something like Bank of America’s profits rose last year, you could write The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ latest financial report … It may be easier to write The SPCA’s latest financial report … OR The latest financial report of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals can be found

  9. John Roberts says:

    I’m scared. The extremely common misuse of apostrophes on electronic media reminds me of what I was taught about how people spelled things how they felt like in Shakespeare’s time, followed subsequently by the dictionary makers taking the most commonly used spellings, and making those official.

    This means the official spellings that would be used would use such words as “alot” (The Macquarie is already allowing this!), “it’s” for the possessive, “quiet” for very much, “definately,” “untill,” “can not”/”guage,” (extremely common) and every plural with an “s” using an apostrophe (my boss does this now – inconsistently!). This would mean that I am now the illiterate one and need to correct my spelling. I am deadly serious about this.

    I would much rather see words spelled with no apostrophes- the strike rate of getting the spelling right based purely on percentages would be much greater than it already is.

    • We too can get a bit upset when spellings or usages change according to the lowest common denominator, especially when useful nuances are lost. But languages evolve and most likely always will. Since the earliest dictionaries didn’t come along until late in Shakespeare’s life and shortly after, we would imagine that the tendency to adopt the most popular spellings was rampant at that time.

  10. Bill Welling says:

    How do you distinguish between ownership and a contraction. For example,
    My wife’s bitter.
    This could be interpreted as ownership of the bitter beer or could be referring to her mood. That is, my wife is bitter.

    • In American English, without the noun beer, we would most likely interpret wife’s as a contraction before the adjective bitter in your sentence. We understand that in British English, bitter is a type of ale, and is therefore a noun. In that case, one would need to rely on the surrounding context for interpretation.

  11. Cheryl Morgan says:

    Is the possessive apostrophe correct in the following sentence? “Homeowners are responsible for their home’s exterior maintenance.” Or does it go after the “s” in “homes”? There are multiple homes and owners in our neighborhood association, but each homeowner (whether a single person or a couple) is only responsible for one home. My husband and I can’t agree on this.

    • In our posts How Can They Be Singular, and The Singular They Part II, we talk about how English is an imperfect language, and we need to make the best of its shortcomings. Your sentence is a good example of the difficulty we sometimes encounter in expressing precisely what we intend.

      Taking your sentence as is, we would choose the singular “home’s,” because the plural leaves open the door of interpretation suggesting individual ownership of more than one home, which you say is not the case. Or, the sentence could possibly benefit from the addition of the word own:
      Homeowners are responsible for their own home’s exterior maintenance.
      Homeowners are responsible for exterior maintenance of their own home.

  12. Kevin T says:

    I am in the building design field and I’m labeling room names on the floor plan for a set of school drawings. My head is spinning trying to remember and apply all the apostrophe rules that I learned 30 years ago. I want to avoid having incorrect signage installed, especially in a school.
    Please let me know what is correct for each of the following:
    1. Girl’s Locker Room or Girls’ Locker Room (A locker room for a class or group of girls)
    2. Boy’s Locker Room or Boys’ Locker Room (A locker room for a class or group of boys)
    3. Women’s Restroom or Womens’ Restroom (A single toilet room for a woman to use, not a group toilet room)
    4. Men’s Restroom or Mens’ Restroom (A single toilet room for a man to use, not a group toilet room)
    Thank you so much in advance!

    • We recommend using the plural possessive forms, even in the case of the restrooms. Even though the restrooms are structured to be used by one person at a time, the women’s restroom is a facility for all women, and the men’s restroom is for all men. The following are correct:
      Girls’ Locker Room
      Boys’ Locker Room
      Women’s Restroom
      Men’s Restroom

      You may find our post Confessions of a Guerrilla Grammarian interesting to read.

  13. Page Jennings says:

    A couple are both doctors. Their last name is Childs. Any apostrophes in addressing the Drs. Childs?

  14. Rachel says:

    My mom wants to wood burn a welcome sign for a newlywed couple. The man’s last name is “Michaels.” She wants the sign to say, “Welcome to the Michaels.” Since the last name is plural all by itself, where does the apostrophe go? Or does she need one at all? Please help.

    • Be careful—the last name is not plural by itself; it just ends in an s. Our post Apostrophes with Names Ending in s, ch, or z says, “To show the plural of a name that ends with a ch, s, or z sound, add es… To show plural possession of a name ending in s, ch, or z, form the plural first; then immediately use the apostrophe.” Therefore, your mom will need to write “Welcome to the Michaelses’.” While formally correct, it is a bit cumbersome. There are alternatives—one possibility could be “Welcome to the home of the Michaels family.”

  15. Genevieve says:

    Manufacturer’s needs or Manufacturers needs or Manufacturers’ needs

    • If you are referring to one manufacturer, write “manufacturer’s needs.” The plural possessive is “manufacturers’ needs.” We see no reason to capitalize the word manufacturer’s or manufacturers’. See our rules for Apostrophes for more information.

  16. Mohammad says:

    I watched the sheep shake its head back and forth.
    Is sheep singular or plural?

  17. Shams says:

    Please which is correct “Footwear are an extended part of you” or “Footwear’s are an extended part of you”

  18. Pete says:

    How very interesting all of this is. We had one in the office today: ‘A winners list will be published…’ After discussion around the rules of apostrophes, in which we are well-versed, we decided it was a list OF winners rather than a list OWNED by winners. Therefore it didn’t require an apostrophe. Please tell us we are correct or else we are all going to pack up and go home!

  19. K says:

    When trying to create the name of a team for trivia, my friends and I settled on “mothers’ of dragons,” but could not decide what the proper use of the apostrophe would be. Would it be “mother’s,” “mothers,'” or just plain “mothers” ?

  20. Emily says:

    I know many people have asked about “sheep” but I need some clarification. What is the correct grammar for the sentence, “She wore a coat made of fine sheeps wool”?

    Should it be “sheep’s wool” or “sheeps wool” in this case, to indicate that the coat was made from the wool of multiple sheep?

  21. selina says:

    Hey, is this sentence correct? “It was supposed to be girls’ day out but dad wanted to join us.” Is it a girl’s day out, the girls’ day out or girls’ day out? Thank you.

  22. artemisia says:

    what about places? like ” I went to america’s disneyland “

  23. Chris says:

    So I googled possessive Chris and it brought me here.. I am still confused
    Chris’ Or Chris’s?

  24. EBM says:

    Please respond. Which statements are correct?

    a) This firm represents Defendants, Blah blah blah and blah blah blah.
    b.) This firm represent Defendants, Blah blah blah and blah blah blah.
    c) This firm represents Defendant, Blah blah blah.
    d) This firm represent Defendant, Blah blah blah.

  25. A K, says:

    Hey team,

    What do you think?

    Most of my job responsibilities coincide with those of a manager
    Most of my job responsibilities coincide with those of a manager’s.

    I know that if we were to replace “manager” with a pronoun, we’d say “his” or “hers” (Most of my job responsibilities coincide with those of his). But what about the noun?

    • The preposition of in your sentence indicates a possessive relationship with the noun manager. Therefore, you do not need to make the noun possessive with an apostrophe:
      Most of my job responsibilities coincide with those of a manager.

      Compare that sentence to the following:
      Most of my job responsibilities coincide with a manager’s job responsibilities.
      Most of my job responsibilities coincide with her job responsibilities.

  26. Phil says:

    I have a question about the word congrats. Is it correct to have an apostrophe after the t?

    I’m thinking that congrats is a contraction of congratulations.

  27. Susan Burkholder says:

    Which is correct?
    a. Please stay out of the boys locker room
    b. Please stay out of the boy’s locker room
    c. Please stay out of the boys’ locker room.

    I had to answer this at the end of a job interview for a secretarial position and did not get asked back or offered the job so I never found out the correct answer. They gave no context in the question. Just straight up choose the correct answer.

  28. Jessica E. says:

    This one always gets me and I am struggling to find a good answer online.

    That is Dave and Jane’s dog.
    That is Dave’s and Jane’s dog.

    The dog belongs to both Dave and Jane. In spoken English I would always use the singular of the first name, but somehow I think that’s wrong grammatically.

    Help please.

  29. Brian says:

    House was provided by my boss’s friend.

    House was provided by a friend of my boss.
    (Correct, but seems like the person writing is scared of the correct use of punctuation? Wordy)

    House was provided by boss’s friend.

    All are based on one boss and his friend.

    However, would the following be technically correct even though it’s not ‘allowed’ or common;
    House was provided by bosss friend.

  30. Sahil Thalor says:

    The punctuation of all boys are present

  31. Luisa says:

    Want about on package design or when you buy on the internet.

    I sometimes see:
    Girls Thermals or Girls’ Thermals.
    Boys Thermals, or Boys’ Thermals
    Baselayer or base layer…

    What would be correct?

  32. John says:

    The boy’s clothes looked ragged and filthy or
    The boys’ clothes looked ragged and filthy

    The customers clothes were made of fine silk or
    The customer’s clothes were made of fine silk.

    Neither example provides information as to how many boys or customers there are.

    • Without knowing how many boys or customers there are, we cannot give you any advice except that “customers clothes” cannot be correct. You have provided some excellent examples demonstrating the importance of apostrophes.

  33. Claire says:

    The numbers have lost their shine.

    Apostrophe needed? Numbers’?

  34. Saura says:

    Can you settle something for me, please? Which statement is correct?
    “We had a great time with the Murphys.”
    “We had a great time with the Murphy’s”?

  35. Mark Grossman says:

    I work for an organization that hosts several conferences each year on topics related to children and mental health. Adult mental health professionals attend the conferences.

    When referring to this series of conferences, would it be correct to refer to it as as:
    Childrens Conferences
    Children’s Conferences

    When referring to one of the individual conferences in the series, would it be correct to call it a:
    Childrens Conferences
    Children’s Conferences

    Thank you!

    • In either case, since the word children is plural, the possessive form is children’s. Writing Children’s Conferences is grammatically correct. Children might also be considered an adjective describing Conferences, but Children Conferences sounds awkward.

  36. David G says:

    So question in this sentence does it need to read owners, owner’s, or owners?

    A meeting is schedule for both functional and technical Enterprise System owners’ to start the discussions around the Dept. Org Structure and to lay out the plan to ensure the new structure is in place by go-live.

    They each own different systems, but they are a group of system owners?

  37. Roy Wilson says:

    Could you settle this one for me please, would there be an apostrophe in ‘Managers special offer’? I think there is, because of the possessive element. But as we’re sending this out on a label to 200+ people, I’d prefer it to be correct.

  38. Lucy says:

    I would love some help if at all possible!

    Would it be:
    Win a ladies watch!
    Win a ladies’ watch!

    There’s only 1 watch to be won.


  39. Dave says:

    When writing our company instructions, Ive always written the word “manufactures” without an apostrophe. Is this correct?

    Follow the manufactures label instructions.

    We list multiple manufactures that a customer can utilize.

    Thank you!!

  40. Vishal Jain says:

    “Signing off WhatsApp, See you all post 20th November 2015” is this correct statement?

  41. Lorraine says:

    Thank you for this valuable information. My best friend, who was a journalist, had pointed out to me many years ago about the prominence of the misuse of this little character. I still struggle, hence the need to seek out guidance from your website. The sheer abundance of misuse is a contributor to the confusion, particularly in the mainstream media.

  42. Tiffane says:

    I’m unsure about the apostrophes in this sentence. Both men and women take each others responses the wrong way creating a communication breakdown

  43. vero says:

    What was Michael’s response?- is this correct

  44. Melanie says:

    Which of the following is correct?
    I am a member of the girls’ basketball team.
    I am a member of the girl’s basketball team.

    • Since the basketball team consists of more than one girl, you need to show plural possession. The rule above says, “To show plural possession, make the noun plural first; then add an apostrophe.” Therefore, write girls’.

  45. Marley says:

    What about if it was a sheep eg: the sheeps field, the sheep’ field or the sheep field

  46. sunitha says:

    So what is the right way of writing this sentence:
    Maria’s dad’s doctor is always running late
    Maria’s dads’ doctor is always running late

  47. Norm says:

    A few years back, I was invited to a “writing” seminar.

    In their fancy brochure, which begged me to attend & drink all the coffee I could quaff–I noticed the following statements:

    Are You One of the Many Professionals Who Absolutely HATE to Write?
    Do you spend hours agonizing over the wording of your letters, memos and reports?
    Do you worry you are going to make grammatical mistakes that will tarnish your image?

    Now, I often wonder if this should be HATE or HATES..I’ve asked a few persons reportedly learned in such matters, only to find they are suddenly late for an oil change or dental appointment.

  48. Nina Cacic says:

    This is a godsend!I am reading the full style guide for crowdsource as I’ve just been assigned a writer qualification and I was so confused. This really helped to clarify!

  49. Ken says:

    Is this correct.
    There was no possessive in either sentence.

    • The sentences Ken is referring to are from an Irish Times editorial remembering Maya Angelou. The sentences are: “Her’s was a voice of elemental anger at indignity and injustice but never one of petty bitterness.” and “That presence drew its power from a great absence: her’s was the first self-portrait by a black American woman from the Deep South to attain a worldwide audience.” We do not consider ourselves experts in the rules that other countries follow, but an apostrophe is incorrect in the word hers (even though used as a possessive) in American English.

  50. Jonas B. says:

    Could I get your opinion?

    I have a list of manufacturers. Would this be the

    Manufacturers’ List
    Manufacturers List

    The apostrophe is for possession but do the manufacturers really own the list?

    • This seems to be a false possessive, like a Beatles’ song or good New Orleans’ food, both of which are incorrect.

      It’s a list of manufacturers. If it listed fish, it would be a fish list, not a fish’s list. We’d say no apostrophe.

  51. Claudia says:

    The Burtons’ house is nice.
    Mr and Mrs Burton’s house is nice.
    Is that correct? ( or the Smiths’ house / Mr and Mrs Smith’s house)

  52. Lorraine says:

    Which is correct in the following company name?

    Hats Off!


    Hats’ Off!

  53. Peter says:

    How would you write the expression “dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s?”, with or without apostrophes?

    Strictly speaking we are making the letters plural, suggesting that apostrophes shouldn’t be used, but leaving them out looks wrong – e.g. “the i’s” becomes “the is”, which doesn’t make sense.

    I wondered about italicising the “i” and “t” and putting the “s” in normal script, or is this a rare exception to the main rule?

  54. Gwen says:

    Can you tell me if this sentence has the apostrophe’s in the right place?

    Mr. and Mrs. Greenberger’s sons’ bris will be on Tuesday.

    • First of all, your question should not have an apostrophe at all: “Can you tell me if this sentence has the apostrophes in the right place?”

      Assuming there is only one son, it should be “Mr. and Mrs. Greenberger’s son’s bris will be on Tuesday.”

  55. Paolo says:

    I was just looking at your website for some help with apostrophes. While reading though the rules I came across rule 4 and became confused. Rule 4 states to make the noun plural first and then immediately use the apostrophe.

    In the examples two lines don’t make sense to me:

    two boys’ hats two women’s hats
    two children’s hats

    Why don’t the word women’s and children’s follow the rule?

    • The important words are make the noun plural first. The singular forms are: woman and child. Plural forms are: women and children. Therefore, make the noun plural first, then use the apostrophe: women’s and children’s.

  56. michael says:

    If i am writing a essay and i were to write.

    The dictionary says, blah blah blah blah blah.
    or would i write it as
    the dictionary says’ blah blah blah blah blah.

    • Use a comma (not an apostrophe) before a direct quotation. Also, use quotation marks and capitalize the first word of the quote. For example:

      Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary says, “In the Middle Ages, troubadours were the shining knights of poetry (in fact, some were ranked as high as knights in the feudal class structure).”

  57. Chris says:

    In writing a personal card saying …

    Grandson, hat’s off to you!

    Would it be correct to have “hat’s” implying MY hat goes off to you? Do I need to include “my” to clarify that I mean possession?
    The inside sentiment of the card is in first person also.
    Would it change if it is from “us”? Our hat’s off to you.

    Or should it just say “hats off to you”? (which seems impersonal in that all hats are off to you)
    Thank you for clarifying!

    • By using ‘s on the word hat, you are either intending a contraction for hat is, or you are showing possession by the hat itself, such as “The hat’s brim is dirty.” So, if the card is from one person (you), “My hat is off to you” or, informally, “My hat’s off to you” are both fine. If from “us,” “Our hats are off to you” would be correct. The phrase “hats off to you” is commonly used to congratulate or honor someone for an accomplishment. Whether it is interpreted as being impersonal or as a compliment is subjective.

  58. Cari Shane says:

    My business partner and I are putting together our website. We are being a little “kitchy” and need to know how to correctly spell/use the word “she’s” in the following sentence.

    The “she’s” merged their minds and became sasse.

    Could you please let us know if we spell “she’s” with an apostrophe or “shes” without.

    We gratefully appreciate your knowledge and look forward to hearing back from you shortly.

  59. June says:

    I am in great need to know if the following sentence should have managers include an apostrophe or not.

    I am excited and looking forward to working for John, Beth and their managers.


    I am excited and looking forward to working for John, Beth and their manager’s.

    Thank ou for your help.

  60. waseem says:


  61. waseem says:

    guys where can i find a wirksheet of this

  62. Toshia says:

    I just recently sent an example to my English Professor about misused signs”
    “Sam and Roscos Restaurant” I stated that the sign should read “Sam and Rosco’s Restaurant” because I was thinking since it’s several nouns for one object the (‘s) is added to the last item in the list. Well she stated that is not correct, it should read “Sam’s and Rosco’s Restaurant”

    What is really the correct way and why? This is for my knowledge moving forward.

    • Jane says:

      There is no “incorrect” answer because the name should be decided upon by the owners of the restaurant. Technically, however, the apostrophe will usually be placed with the second name only when two people co-own something. Your writing “Sam and Rosco’s Restaurant” would be correct following this rule.

  63. bluestar8279 says:

    when saying “This one is old”. Could this be correctly written as “This one’s old.”
    If that is correct is that because it is a contraction, or can that only be written like that for “it is” (it’s)

  64. Donna Rice says:

    I cannot find rules for the following:

    Is it proper to say Texas weather vs Texas’s weather? Can you say teacher perceptions vs teachers’ perceptions?

    Where does anthropomorphism end? You cannot say the study thinks but can you say the study analyzes?

    Where are the rules regarding these grammar questions?

    • Jane says:

      “Yes” to all your questions. These words can be used as adjectives (without apostrophes) or as possessive pronouns (with apostrophes).
      You are right about the extent of anthropomorphism (the attribution of human motivation, characteristics, or behavior to inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena). A study cannot think but it’s reasonable to say that a study analyzes. I don’t think you will find rigid rules about this because it is a “common sense” decision.

  65. Jane says:

    “A monster’s got to do…” is correct. The apostrophe is for the contraction “A monster has got to do…”

    • Tanzi says:

      However in the discussion with Engee above you stated that “has got” is not correct usage. So isn’t “A monster has got to do…” incorrect? Shouldn’t it be “A monster has to do, what a monster has to do” or “A monster’s to do what a monster’s to do”?

      • Since Jane is no longer among us, we can only guess that her intention was for her response of September 8, 2008, to supersede earlier responses of 2007. While we may or may not more commonly hear in American English “It has a broken windshield” vs. “It’s got a broken windshield,” both are correct.

  66. Robert Shaw says:

    I found this example in my daughter’s (British) reading book this evening: “A monster’s got to do what a monster’s got to do!” I suppose this is correct but somehow it strikes me as odd. What do you think?

  67. Jane says:

    This is an option that some of us prefer. This note is from my site: Rule 2
    Mr. Jones’s golf clubs
    Texas’s weather
    Ms. Straus’s daughter
    Jose Sanchez’s artwork
    Dr. Hastings’s appointment (name is Hastings)
    Mrs. Lees’s books (name is Lees)

  68. Carol says:

    I just finished reading a novel in which an “apostrophe S” was added to show possession in names already ending in S, i.e., Chris’s. Is this a new rule or poor proofreading?

  69. Jane says:

    Since the plural of “deer” is still “deer,” you can’t add the “s” first for the plural possessive. So both the singular possessive and plural possessive of “deer” is “deer’s.”

  70. Kayla says:

    What should the plural possessive be for deer? This was my answer:
    Singular Possessive Plural Possessive
    deer deer’s deers’

    I got the Plural Possessive answer wrong. What did I miss?

  71. Jane says:

    The s on all the words you ask about is optional. American English usage tends to leave off the s while British usage tends to add it.

  72. Sharon says:

    Are upwards, downwards, towards, etc., correct, or should it be upward, downward, toward, etc.?

    Thank you.

  73. Jane says:

    Todd, there are two answers. If you think of “branch managers” as part of the title, you would not need an apostrophe. If you think of “branch managers” as a description of the meeting, then you would write, “branch managers’ meeting.”

  74. Todd says:

    What is the actual and correct use of an apostrophe for the following statement:

    The branch managers meeting will be held on Thursday?

  75. Jane says:

    You’re welcome, Engee.

  76. engee says:

    Thanks a lot. Now I’ve come to know about another difference I didn’t have any idea about between British and American English. Next time I’ll check something up thoroughly before giving my personal opinion about it.

  77. Jane says:

    No grammar or spell check program is completely reliable.

  78. ben parker says:

    I don’t have a copy of Word handy to check, but I wonder if it “fixes” the capitalization automatically resulting in at least some of the instances you see.

  79. Jane says:

    In American English, the expression is more likely to be “has gotten,” than “has got” when you mean “has purchased.” Example: “She has gotten a brand new car.”
    If you mean “to possess,” it’s less wordy to say, “She has a brand new car,” than “She has got a brand new car.”

  80. Jane says:

    You’re right that “it’s” is also a contraction for “it has.” However, we wouldn’t recommend the first example you give of “It’s got a broken windshield.” So write “It has a broken windshield.” Your second example is just fine.

  81. engee says:

    I hate to disagree with you on that one point that the usage of ‘has got’ is incorrect, when used in a contraction. As far as I know, in British English you can use both ‘has’ and ‘has got’ meaning ‘to possess’, cf.
    She has a brand new car.
    She has got a brand new car.
    She’s got a brand new car.
    or with the meaning of ‘necessity/obligation’:
    It has got to be finished by Friday.
    It’s got to be finished by Friday.
    I suppose the contraction of this kind is not so common in American English.

  82. engee says:

    I’d like to point out one thing: the contraction for ‘it has’ is also represented by ‘it’s’. Compare:
    Look at the car. It’s (= It has) got a broken windshield.
    It’s (= It has) been snowing since yesterday.
    Well, all I can suggest is making some small changes to the on-line book in the places where applicable.

  83. Jane says:

    Better late than never. I’m happy to read that apostrophes are making more sense now. Thanks for writing, Hannah.

  84. HANNAH says:

    Thank you for this page on the misuse of the apostrophe. I have to admit even at twenty two, I still have some bad habits. I finally now understand what we were being drilled about at school!

  85. Jane says:

    “Fish’s habitats” or “fishes’ habitats” would be correct because the plural of “fish,” as you note, is “fish” or “fishes.”
    “Sheep’s wool” is the only answer for plural possessive since the only plural for “sheep” is “sheep.” Same with “deer.”
    You will never see something like “fishs'” because there is no such word.

  86. ilana says:

    But what if the singular and plural of a word are the same? Such as with fish or deer or sheep. Is it “All the fish’s habitats?” or “All the fishs’ habitats” or “All the fishes’ habitats?”

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