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Apostrophes
ScottsEnglish
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in Grammar
How to use apostrophes in English
Apostrophes (') cause a lot of problems, because they have two distinct usages in English.
| Contractions | I've been to England four times (I have been) | She'll write the letter tomorrow. (She will) |
| Possession | The dog's bowl is in its house. (The dog is the possessor of the bowl) | Patricia's new car is quite nice. (Patricia owns a new car) |
Are the following uses of the apostrophe contractions or possession?
1. The company's results were disappointing this year.
2. The President's going to change this year in several countries.
3. The research's showed that the drug is useful for topical applications.
4. Our computers' hard drives are full - we should replace them.
5. He'd known the data disagreed with the committee's findings, but he didn't say anything.
1. possession
2. contraction
3. contraction
4. possession
5. contraction possession contraction
2. contraction
3. contraction
4. possession
5. contraction possession contraction
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