Quote:
Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce
You're right, I don't understand. The apostrophe is used for contraction or for possession, and sometimes not at all.
That's clear as mud, but it covers the ground.  |
"Sometimes???"
Nouns put the apostrophe. Pronouns do not -- owing to the otherwise inevitable confusion and ambiguity representing the contractions would bring.
Sounds are identical; on the page at least you can tell them apart.
Recommended Reading: Lynn Truss'
Eats, Shoots, and Leaves: the Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. (The title is indeed the panda joke.) Break out your highlighter if you need to. It contains some memorable remarks on mishandled apostrophes. It posits a growing suspicion that greengrocers are deploying them as a sales tool. To English majors and the Amateur Association Against Apostrophe Abuse, at least.