Linda Acaster

WRITER, TUTOR, COACH

THAT DREADED APOSTROPHE

What we are writing, and what market we are writing for, will determine the type of punctuation used.

Oh dear. Cries of shock-horror are echoing through the ether – punctuation is fixed! Erm… no it isn’t. Punctuation guides both writer and reader; it doesn’t command.

This article is written in an accessible and chatty style. Its punctuation, like its flexible grammar, adds to its feel-good factor. Had it been written in a precise, instructional, manner, the punctuation would have been closely related, but different. There again, so would the wording of the sentences and the structure of the paragraphs. And this focuses only on non-fiction. Widen the scope to include fiction and we move from a mere side-show into a three-ring circus where full-stops can act as commas, and ellipses can perform as words. Remaining static throughout is the apostrophe, yet it is the most misused of all punctuation.

The problem is that an apostrophe can do two jobs, mark both a possessive and a contraction. The errant apostrophe is the bane of an editor’s life.

And in that last sentence hides the key. The use is possessive: an editor (one editor) therefore one life, so the apostrophe follows an editor because we are talking about the life of a single editor, an editor’s life. If it was referring to more than one editor, as in six editors’ lives, the apostrophe would follow the s because we are talking about the lives of six editors.

The magazine Writers’ Forum is a magazine for, and read by, many writers, not just one writer, so the apostrophe follows the s.

Both of these examples relate to possessions of: life/lives belonging to an editor/editors, and a forum specifically for writers. Italy’s Lake Garda is beautiful to behold. Lake Garda belongs to Italy. There is only one Italy.

When concentrating on multiples rather than possession, no apostrophe is needed. A waiter came to the table. Three waiters came to the table. A diner entered the restaurant. The diners entered the restaurant and the waiters showed each group to separate tables. Exactly the same applies if it was written: Some diners came in and some waiters showed them to tables - but it is a clumsy way of writing the sentence.

Try a mix of multiples and possession. The diners’ guide entered the restaurant and gestured towards the waiter’s tables. What we have here is more than one diner with a single guide between them, and one waiter looking after several tables. The guide belongs to the diners (perhaps he is hired), and the tables belong to the waiter, being his responsibility.

Contractions, two or more words dovetailed together for colloquial ease, need an apostrophe to mark a missed letter and/or space. Can’t = cannot; don’t = do not; I’ll = I will; you’re = you are.

Of course, there is always an exception to a rule. Try its / it’s. Its a term of possession which doesn’t need an apostrophe. It’s is a contraction of it is, and so needs an apostrophe. Speak the contraction out in full, and if the sentence makes sense then it needs an apostrophe. If the sentence is rubbish, then it doesn’t.

The dog has fleas in its coat. The dog has fleas in it is coat does not make sense.

It’s a flea-ridden dog. It is a flea-ridden dog makes sense.

Punctuation isn’t difficult. Just give a little thought to what your phrasing actually means and enamour yourself to an editor.

This article was written specifically for students of the Open College of the Arts