Possessive Apostrophe vs. Contraction Apostrophe: Grade 7 Difference Explained

📚 Understanding Apostrophes: Possession vs. Contraction

Apostrophes are tricky little punctuation marks that can change the meaning of a word. The two main uses that often confuse students are possessive apostrophes and contraction apostrophes. Let's explore each one!

🔑 Possessive Apostrophe: Showing Ownership

A possessive apostrophe shows that something belongs to someone or something. It indicates ownership or a relationship.

• 🙋‍♀️ Singular Possession: Use 's after a singular noun. For example, *the dog's bone* means the bone belongs to the dog.
• 👯 Plural Possession: If the noun is plural and ends in 's', simply add an apostrophe after the 's'. For example, *the students' books* means the books belong to the students.
• ✍️ Plural Nouns (not ending in 's'): If the plural noun doesn't end in 's', add 's. For example, *the children's toys* means the toys belong to the children.

✨ Contraction Apostrophe: Combining Words

A contraction apostrophe replaces missing letters in a word. It's used to combine two words into a shorter form.

• 🤝 Combining 'is' and 'not': For example, *is not* becomes *isn't*. The apostrophe replaces the 'o' in 'not'.
• ⏰ Combining 'will' and 'not': For example, *will not* becomes *won't*. This one is a bit irregular!
• ➕ Combining pronouns and verbs: For example, *I am* becomes *I'm*, *you are* becomes *you're*, and *they are* becomes *they're*.

🆚 Possessive vs. Contraction: Side-by-Side Comparison

💡 Key Takeaways

• 🎯 Possession = Ownership: Remember that possessive apostrophes always indicate some form of ownership or belonging.
• 🧩 Contractions = Shorter Forms: Contraction apostrophes are all about making words shorter by joining them together.
• 🧐 Context is Key: Pay attention to the context of the sentence to determine whether you need a possessive or contraction apostrophe.