Spot the apostrophe mistake
You learn to spot apostrophe mistakes: banana's, its and it's, your and you're.
How to do the test
- Ask why the apostrophe is there.
- It shows missing letters, as in can't, or one owner, as in Tom's.
- A plain plural, like apples, needs no apostrophe.
A worked example
Tap the word with the apostrophe mistake. There are three banana's on the table.
- A plain plural is just s.
- An apostrophe shows missing letters or an owner.
- Write bananas.
- Banana's has an apostrophe mistake.
More examples
Tap the word with the apostrophe mistake. The cat licked it's paws.
- Its without an apostrophe shows that something belongs to it.
- Write its.
- It's has an apostrophe mistake.
Tap the word with the apostrophe mistake. This is Toms bike.
- The bike belongs to one boy, so add an apostrophe and s.
- Write Tom's.
- Toms has an apostrophe mistake.
Watch out
You add an apostrophe to a plain plural, as in apple's.
A plain plural is just s. Ask if letters are missing or if something belongs to one owner. If not, there is no apostrophe.
Tips
- It's always means it is or it has. For ownership, its has no apostrophe.
Why it works
An apostrophe has only two jobs: missing letters and one owner. If it does neither, it does not belong. That one question catches nearly every mistake.