Apostrophes show possession and missing letters — Language, 11–13
An apostrophe can tell you who something belongs to, or show that a short form has lost letters. These two jobs look alike but mean different things.
Two jobs, one small mark
An apostrophe has two common jobs in English. In “Maya's bike”, it helps show possession; in “can't”, it shows that letters from “cannot” have been left out. The mark is small, but its position changes what the words tell you.
Why was it needed?
Writers needed a quick way to show two different relationships: an object belonging to someone, and a shortened form people say or write often. Without the mark, “the girls bags” could be confusing, and “cant” could look like an ordinary word. The apostrophe keeps the missing information visible.
Build the phrase carefully
Start with the meaning: the jacket belongs to Alex. Put the owner first, add an apostrophe and s, then add the object: “Alex's jacket”. Now shorten “she is”: remove the i from “is” and join the words, giving “she's”. The same mark appears, but the job is different.
Not every plural needs one
A common mistake is writing “apple's” just because there is more than one apple. That feels reasonable because the apostrophe sounds like a little pause, but a normal plural needs only “apples”. Use “apple's” when something belongs to one apple, or when you are shortening words—not simply to make a plural.
Signs, messages and names
You meet apostrophes on shop signs, labels, menus and messages: “the teacher's desk”, “today's special”, “we're open”. Reading the mark correctly helps you understand who owns something and whether a phrase is shortened. When you write, it prevents small marks from creating a big misunderstanding.
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