Apostrophe Rules

Apostrophes do two completely different jobs:

Replace missed letters

When we write words like "I'll" instead of "I will" and "she'll" instead of "she will", we are leaving out some letters and the apostrophe is put in their place. Do remember to put these in, because "ill" and "shell" mean something else. If you are writing a formal document like a report, a CV or a letter to an employer, it is better to write the words out in full. This sounds correct and formal:

I am a full-time student now but I will start my job in September.

This sounds more informal:

I'm a full-time student now but I'll start my job in September.

Show possession or ownership

The apostrophe here is only used when something is of or belongs to someone or something. Rewrite the possessive bit in a bracket like this:

The team's competitive spirit (the competitive spirit of - or belonging to - the team)

The apostrophe goes after the last word in that bracket. It may be singular or plural and it may already end in "s".

The waitresses' aprons were bright pink (aprons of the waitresses)
The waitress's apron was bright pink (apron of the waitress)

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