Apostrophe to show ownership examples

You know possessive apostrophes when you see them, but no matter how simple or common they are, knowing how to use apostrophes correctly can still be tricky. For example, when do you put the apostrophe after s, and when do you put the apostrophe before it?

Below, we explain everything you need to know about possessive apostrophes so you can use them with confidence.

What are possessive apostrophes?

Possessive apostrophes are apostrophes (’) used with the letters at the end of a noun to show ownership over or a close connection with another noun.

For example, if you were talking about the tail of your cat, you can add a possessive apostrophe and an s as punctuation to show which noun is the owner.

My cat’s tail

Apostrophes are used for more than just the possessive case of nouns; they’re also used for contractions like can’t.

Because apostrophes have different uses and specific grammar rules, they account for many common grammar mistakes—so be sure to review the rules on how to use apostrophes in the next section to avoid erro

punctuation for ownership