The apostrophe is one of the most abused punctuation marks in the English language. Even professional writers often use apostrophes incorrectly. [url]http://Apostropheguide.com[/url] is a site that explains how to use (and not use) apostrophes. It also links to several other useful sites about apostrophe usage. Both beginning and experienced writers ought to look at this site at least once. We all need to refresh our knowledge from time to time, right? :)

The apostrophe may be the simplest and yet most frequently misused mark of punctuation in English. Here we'll review six guidelines for using the mark correctly. 1. Use an Apostrophe to Show the Omission of Letters in a Contraction Use the apostrophe to form contractions: I'm (I am) you're (you are) he's (he is) she's (she is) it's* (it is) we're (we are) they're (they are) isn't (is not) aren't (are not) can't (cannot) don't (do not) who's (who is) won't (will not) Be careful to place the apostrophe where the letter or letters have been omitted, which is not always the same place where the two words have been joined. * Don't confuse the contraction it's (meaning, "it is") with the possessive pronoun its: It's the first day of spring. Our bird has escaped from its cage. 2. Use an Apostrophe with -s for Possessives of Singular Nouns Use an apostrophe plus -s to show the possessive form of a singular noun, even if that singular noun already ends in -s: Harold's crayon my daughter's First Communion Sylvia Plath's poetry Dylan Thomas's poetry today's weather report the boss's problem Star Jones's talk show Victoria Beckham's husband 3. Use an Apostrophe Without -s for Possessives of Most Plural Nouns To form the possessive of a plural noun that already ends in -s, add an apostrophe: the girls' swing set (the swing set belonging to the girls) the students' projects (the projects belonging to the students) the Johnsons' house (the house belonging to the Johnsons) If the plural noun does not end in -s, add an apostrophe plus -s: the women's conference (the conference belonging to the women) the children's toys (the toys belonging to the children) the men's training camp (the training camp belonging to the men) 4. Use an Apostrophe with -s When Two or More Nouns Possess the Same Thing When two or more nouns possess the same thing, add an apostrophe plus -s to the last noun listed: Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia Ice Cream Emma and Nicole's school project (Emma and Nicole worked together on the same project) When two or more nouns separately possess something, add an apostrophe to each noun listed: Tim's and Marty's ice cream (Each boy has his own ice cream.) Emma's and Nicole's school projects (Each girl has her own project.) 5. Do Not Use an Apostrophe with Possessive Pronouns Because possessive pronouns already show ownership, it's* not necessary to add an apostrophe: yours his hers its* ours theirs However, we do add an apostrophe plus -s to form the possessive of some indefinite pronouns: anybody's guess one's personal responsibility somebody's wallet * Don't confuse the contraction it's (meaning, "it is") with the possessive pronoun its: It's the first day of spring. Our bird has escaped from its cage. 6. Generally, Do Not Use an Apostrophe to Form a Plural As a general rule, use only an -s (or an -es) without an apostrophe to form the plurals of nouns--including dates, acronyms, and family names: Markets were booming in the 1990s. The tax advantages offered by IRAs make them attractive investments. The Johnsons have sold all of their CDs. To avoid confusion, we may occasionally need to use apostrophes to indicate the plural forms of certain letters and expressions that are not commonly found in the plural: Mind your p's and q's. Let's accept the proposal without any if's, and's, or but's. Source: http://grammar.about.com/od/punctuationandmechanics/tp/GuideApostrophe.htm

To illustrate the apostrophe these examples work good enough : My sister's friend's investments (the investments belonging to a friend of my sister) My sister's friends' investments (the investments belonging to several friends of my sister) My sisters' friend's investments (the investments belonging to a friend of several of my sisters) My sisters' friends' investments (the investments belonging to several friends of several of my sisters)

[quote=roblimo]The apostrophe is one of the most abused punctuation marks in the English language. Even professional writers often use apostrophes incorrectly. [url]http://Apostropheguide.com[/url] is a site that explains how to use (and not use) apostrophes. It also links to several other useful sites about apostrophe usage. Both beginning and experienced writers ought to look at this site at least once. We all need to refresh our knowledge from time to time, right? :)[/quote] not only in the english language. in german is the apostrophes often incorectly used too :)

In german, the apostophes is gramatically very difficult. If you write something in german like this "jetzt geht's los" you can write it without apostrophes like this "jetzt geht es los".

Hey Friends visit this link: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Its_a_catastrophe_for_the_apostrophe_in_Britain/articleshow/4059672.cms just for your knowledge to see how language is being manipulated.

@Tuzun : Thanks for that clarification. I often get confused with the differences and make errors myself. thanks again

And when a word finishes with an 'x'? Like "Tux' victory" or "Tux's victory"?

Alot of people nowever days really need to be taught how to use the apostrophe because it does become annoying and quite cumbersome reading things that dont technically make sence.