Apostrophe - '

This section of Exploring English describes the English apostrophe - '.

The apostrophe is used to indicate the omission of letters in a contraction:

I'm
isn't

Used in the contraction of a number:

'57 Chevy

Used to indicate missing letters in dialect:

I'm not goin' 'cause she's rainin'.

Used to denote possession:

Milo's meadow

Jones's house

Note: Use its for the possessive, not it's.

See Single Quotation Mark

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Last Modified April 08, 2003