It's Easy to Put an Apostrophe in Its Place

This week, we're looking at that often-misused piece of punctuation, the apostrophe, referred to by many students as "that floating comma thingie".  While the apostrophe is a great little punctuation mark, it can also cause loads of confusion when it's used incorrectly.  Look around, and you'll find apostrophe errors everywhere, especially on the net.  Handwritten grocery signs seem to bring out the worst as well, for some reason.  It's amazing how much trouble one little squiggle can cause when it's allowed to run wild.   

Here's "The Apostrophe Song", complete with Apostrophe Catastrophes like "Treat your loved one's this Valentines" and "The surgery is closed on Saturday's and are open on Sunday's".  Don't miss the gravestone, either.

Sometimes, it can be confusing to tell whether or not you need to use an apostrophe, and many people end up overusing the poor thing "just to be on the safe side".  Much like its buddy the comma, apostrophes have a tendency to multiply like rabbits, so when in doubt, leave it out.

Here's a great refresher on the usage rules, hosted by the apostrophe itself.  I hope it helps.  Dig Chris's whistle, but don't touch Stephanie's pint.