Charlotte/ C.K. Volnek - Author - Story Teller
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Adult Books
  • Middle Grade Books
    • Ghost Dog of Roanoke Island >
      • Meet the Characters from Ghost Dog of Roanoke Island
    • A Horse Called Trouble >
      • Meet the Characters from A Horse Called Trouble
    • The Secret of the Stones >
      • Meet the Characters from The Secret of the Stones
  • Contact Me
  • News/Writing Tips
  • C.K.'s Cover Designs
  • Newsletter

Apostrophe's, Homonyms, and Grammar, Oh My! - by guest, Mariella Morgan

10/19/2010

0 Comments

 
Hi friends. C.K. here. I'm finally feeling my head once more after the week long on-line MuseItUp writing conference. My brain is full! One class I truly enjoyed and learned so much was the Grammar workshop with the Queen of English, Mariella Morgan. So, with grateful thanks to her for allowing me to offer this valuable information in my blog,  here's Mariella....

Apostrophes, Homonyms, and Grammar, Oh My! Common Mistakes You Might Not Know You're Making and How to Correct Them with Mariella Morgan


The Apostrophe -- Using It Correctly Is Becoming a Lost Art

A little background first --As a proofreader I have read many entertaining and thought-provoking stories over the past year. I have also found some common mistakes in apostrophe use, comma use, and in dialogue in these manuscripts. It’s a well-known fact: if two writers submit great stories to a publisher, the writer with the more polished manuscript in the mechanics of writing has a better chance of receiving a contract than the writer who has many errors in punctuation, grammar, and spelling in her manuscript.

We all have a gift. Mine is understanding how to use the mechanics of English to effectively communicate with others. In other words, I know how to punctuate everything from a simple sentence to a complex dialogue passage. I know how to make subjects agree with verbs and pronouns agree with their antecedents. I know the difference between the verbs lie and lay – that’s a big one!

In this lesson, I address APOSTROPHE use because this flying comma is in danger of becoming extinct if we don’t learn how to use it correctly.

Let’s begin.

There are only two rules for the apostrophe that writers of fiction will use often. Most people seem to understand and follow the rule for using apostrophes to form contractions, so I’ll start with that one.
Rule 1: Use an apostrophe to show where a letter, letters, or numbers have been omitted when forming a contraction.
Examples: have not = haven’t. . . . . . . . . cannot = can’t. . . . . . . . . . .1974 = ‘74
I will = I’ll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . will not = won’t

There are some tricky contractions, though. You must read the complete sentence to grasp their correct meanings. For instance,
He’s already gone to work. --------------- He has already gone to work.
He’s the best man for the job. ----------- He is the best man for the job.
He’d been late before. -------------------- He had been late before.
He’d have liked to see her again. ------- He would have liked to see her again.

The second rule is the one that mystifies many writers. Either they leave the apostrophe out, or they put it where it doesn’t belong or both. You see examples of what I'm talking about on signs everywhere. It baffles me how people can be smart enough to open a business but clueless as to where to put the apostrophe in their signs. I have threatened to carry a can of black paint in the car and correct any errant signs I pass, but since my husband does most of the driving, I'm sure he wouldn't stop the car if I did have the paint ready. Something about a law against defacing private property. I personally think that sign correction is NOT defacing property but enhancing it, but Chris says that judges won't buy my argument.

But I digress. On to the second rule. This rule is written several ways: Use an apostrophe to show possession, to make nouns possessive, to show ownership. Before I give you examples, I want to show you how German shows possession (translated into English). Look at these examples.
the son of Chris. . . . . . . the shoes for ladies. . . . . . . . . . . .the book of the children

In English, it would sound strange if you asked a friend about the son of Chris instead of Chris's son. Now aren’t you glad English has given us a shortcut – the apostrophe?

Rule 2: Use an apostrophe to show ownership. Here are some examples.
First, Chris’s son – Chris is a singular noun, meaning we are talking about only one Chris. For all singular nouns, even those that end in an s, we add an apostrophe and the letter s to the end of the noun. Here we add an s to Chris to make Chris possessive. Whose son is he? Chris’s son.

When we make proper nouns possessive, there are a few exceptions to this rule.
Jesus’ cross . . . .Moses’ tablets . . . .Achilles’ heel . . . .Archimedes’ principle
You have probably realized that these words are ancient. I suppose words that are thousands of years old should have the right to be different.

Second, ladies’ shoes – ladies is a plural noun, meaning there is more than one lady. For all plural nouns that end in an s, we simply add an apostrophe. The word ladies ends in an s, so all we do is add an apostrophe. Whose shoes are they? Ladies’ shoes.

Third, the children’s book – children is a plural noun, but the word children does not in an s. For all plural nouns that do not end in an s, we add an apostrophe and the letter s to the end of the plural noun. We add an apostrophe and an s to children to make the word possessive. Whose book is that? The children’s book.

Let’s consider how an apostrophe changes the meaning of sentences to show just how important using them correctly really is. Here are three pictures that illustrate the differences in meaning with and without an apostrophe and where the apostrophe is placed. As much as I love words, a picture is certainly worth a thousand words.

I am trying to add the pictures. If they aren't here, please use your imagination.

The first example -- Look at the boys box. Without an apostrophe, boys is a plural noun, and box is a verb.
The second example -- Look at the boy's box. The apostrophe between the y and s makes boy a singular noun possessive. The box belongs to one boy.
The third example -- Look at the boys' box. The apostrophe after the s makes boys, a plural noun, possessive. The box belongs to two boys.

In the last example, two boys owned one box. What if we used the boys' names, Sam and Sammy? The sentence would read -- Look at Sam and Sammy's box. LOOK CLOSELY-- only one apostrophe attached to the second boy's name.

Rule 2 part 2: If two people own one thing, attach the apostrophe to the second person's name. If two people own something separately, attach an apostrophe to each person's name and make the object they own plural.
Look at Sam's and Sammi's boxes. You could also write: Look at Sam's box and Sammi's box.

When don't you use apostrophes to show ownership? Good question.
Example 1: When three or more people own the same thing, do as the Germans do. Use a prepositional phrase beginng with of.
Look at Sam, Sammy, Sammi, and Samuel's home. I can't add the Pollard quadruplets because the phrase would have to describe home, which wouldn't make sense.
Better: Look at the home of Sam, Sammy, Sammi, and Samuel, the Pollard quadruplets.

Example 2: When you have a string of apostrophes, again use a prepositional phrase instead.
Look at my brother's math teacher's parents' home -- a mess of a sentence.
Better -- Look at the home of the parents of my brother's math teacher.

I know I said there were only two rules for apostrophes, but before I close this lesson on apostrophes, I feel compelled to add one more rule.
Rule 3: Never use an apostrophe to make a noun plural. I see this mistake often when I proof manuscripts. In English we usually add s or es to a noun to form the plural. Look at these examples -- no apostrophes anywhere!!!
one cat – two cats. . . . . . . one box – two boxes. . . . . . . one city – two cities
Note the spelling change in cities.

Irregular nouns are nouns that don’t add s or es to the singular form to make the plural form. Here are some examples of irregular nouns. Still no apostrophes!!!
one child – two children. . . . .one woman – two women. . . . . .one man – two men

WHAT YOU NEED TO REMEMBER: AN APOSTROPHE IS USED EITHER WITH A PERSON'S NAME OR A NOUN TO SHOW OWNERSHIP OR TO STAND FOR A LETTER THAT HAS BEEN LEFT OUT. IF NO ONE OWNS ANYTHING OR NOTHING IS LEFT OUT, YOU DON'T WANT AN APOSTROPHE.

Mariella Morgan
the Queen of English
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Ghost Dog of  Roanoke Island
    - a tween ghost story with a twist of Native American Folklore and based on the real life mystery of the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island.

    Available in Print and E-book
    Picture
    View the Book Trailer for Ghost Dog of Roanoke Island
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbJEF9TjZzo

    A Horse Called Trouble
    A troubled teen must overcome her abused past to save the defiant horse who taught her to love and trust again.
    Available in  Print and e-book
    Picture
    View the book trailer for 
    A Horse Called Trouble

    Welcome to my blog.

    Hi. I'm C.K. Volnek, Author and Story teller. I love books and photography, dogs and horses, hiking and tulips, kids, pasta, sunsets and of course…writing. Please come back often and share your passion in writing.. 

    Blogs to follow:

    Moments of Clarity
    Victorine Writes
    Why is My Book not Selling
    Barbara's Meanderings
    Teen Word Factory
    Muse It Up Publishing
    Dasef's Book Corner
    Sue Perkins
    Pembroke Sinclair
    Stories Ala Mode
    Kim Baccellia
    Candid Canine
    Shellie Neumeier
    Under the Yellow Hat


    CK's bookshelf: read

    The Secret GardenThe ShackDear JohnThe Queen of EverythingTangerine

    More of CK's books »
    CK Volnek's  book recommendations, reviews, favorite quotes, book clubs, book trivia, book lists
    free counters

    Archives

    March 2015
    May 2013
    April 2013
    February 2013
    December 2012
    October 2012
    August 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010

    Categories

    All
    #100blogfest
    A Horse Called Trouble
    Al Capone
    Aloha For Carol Ann
    Anne Johnson
    Author
    Author Interview
    Author Platform
    Bad Spelling
    Barbara Bockman
    Barbara Ehrentreu
    Beast Of Noor
    Bethlene Williams
    Blood Chronicles
    Book
    Book Birthday
    Book Cover
    Book Marketing
    Born Of Blood
    Brian Kittrell
    Building A Promotional Platform
    Bullying
    Characters
    Chicken Soup
    Children\'s Books
    Chris Henderson
    Christian
    Christine Irene Steeves
    Christine Verstraete
    Christmas
    Ckvolnek
    C.k. Volnek
    C.k. Volnek
    C.K. Volnek
    Colors Like Memories
    Contest
    Cover Art
    Crimson Dream
    Crossed Out
    Cry Of The Fallen
    Cyrus Keith
    Dark Fantasy
    David Normoyle
    Death In Writing
    Descriptions & Emotions
    Down River
    Dragon Flame
    Dragons Of Noor
    Dragonswood
    Driven
    Earrings Of Ixtumea
    Ebenezer
    Ellen Jackson
    Enchantment
    Exiled
    Fantasy
    Free
    Ghost Dog Of Roanoke Island
    Ghost Dog Trailer
    Ghost Story
    Ginger Simpson
    Halloween
    Heather Cashman
    Herman Agency
    Heroes
    Historical Romance
    Horse Story
    If I Could Be Like Jennifer Taylor
    Impossible To Hold
    Indian Folklore
    Inspirational
    Internet Book Fair
    Jack Dahlgren
    Janet Lee Carey
    Jan Fischer Wade
    Janni Lee Simner
    Jenny Lundquist
    Jill Corcoran
    Joel Andre
    John Hart
    Jo Linsdell
    Joyful
    J. R. Wagner
    Judge A Book
    Kathy Pieper
    Kathy Rygg
    Killer Valentine Ball
    Kim Baccellia
    Lady-In-Waiting
    Lawna Mackie
    Letters From Al
    Liebster Award
    Life After The Undead
    Linda Barnett-Johnson
    Lindsay Below
    L.K. Below
    Long Story Short
    Lost Colony Of Roanoke Island
    Margo Sorenson
    Marketing
    Martin King
    Marva Dasef
    Meradeth Houston
    Mg Books
    MG/YA Blog-A-Thon
    Middle Grade
    Middle Grade Author
    Midnight Find
    Midnight Oil
    Mike Larsen
    Mindy Hardwick
    Mirror Mirror
    Missing Assumed Dead
    Muse Author Blog-a-thon
    MuseItUp MG/YA Blog-a-thon
    Muse It Up Publishing
    Napibowriwee
    New Year
    No Goddesses Allowed
    Not What She Seems
    Odessa
    Omm Writer
    On-line Writing Confrence
    Pb
    Pembroke Sinclair
    Penny Lockwood Ehrenkranz
    Perception
    Picture Books
    Prophecy
    Published
    Publishing
    Rebecca Russell
    Rebecca Ryals Russell
    Resolutions
    Reva's Quest
    Sb Knight
    Scary Story
    Scrivener
    Seeing Cinderella
    Self-esteem
    Shellie Neumeier
    Shortcomings
    Social Media
    So You Want To Write A Novel
    Spirit Stealer
    Stained Glass Summer
    Sue Perkins
    Tall Tales With Mr. K
    Teen Talk
    Thanksgiving
    The Ballad Of Booser Bogg
    The Beast Of Noor
    The Black Chronicles
    The Burberry Scare
    The Circle Of Sorcerers
    The King Of Lies
    The Last Child
    The Never Chronicles
    The Overtaking
    The Seraphym Wars
    The Tiger
    The Writing Friend
    Three Things To Remember
    Tweeting
    Tweets
    Tweet Tips
    Twitter
    Twitter Tips
    Veiled Virtues
    Victorine Lieske
    Why Is My Book Not Selling
    Witches Of Galdorheim
    Wounds
    Writechris
    Writer
    Writers' Blog
    Writing
    Writing Skills
    Writing Tips
    Writing Workshop
    Ya Author
    Yellow Hat
    Young Adult
    Zarena

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos used under Creative Commons from Yuliya Libkina, brewbooks, nanaow2006, orangeacid, peasap, Mr. T in DC, h.koppdelaney, The U.S. Army, Giorgio Montersino, LifeSupercharger, gilles chiroleu, DSuàr, jumpyjodes, Sugar Daze (f/k/a LittleMissCupcakeParis), Ethan.K, the bbp, *Vintage Fairytale*, kenny_lex, striatic, MarkBennett86, {Guerrilla Futures | Jason Tester}, Pink Sherbet Photography, Xurble, DanielWiesheu, Smiley Stew, George Vnoucek, laverrue, skuds, AngryJulieMonday