Overworked leaders and managers with little time might think that improving their writing is a tedious or even frivolous exercise. But inappropriate use of the apostrophe lets most people down. This punctuation mark is used to show possession or to replace missing letters. While leaders and managers often struggle with grammar rules involving apostrophes, a few simple guidelines will help you use an apostrophe with confidence, and set a good example:
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Add an apostrophe followed by the letter "s" to show possession. For example, if Jack has a computer, use "Jack's computer."
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Add just an apostrophe if you're referring to someone who has a name ending in "s." For example, write "Carlos' television broke yesterday."
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Add just an apostrophe to show possession with plural words that end in "s." For instance, you would write "Can you tell me where the boys'' bathroom is?" because the bathroom belongs to the boys.
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Use "it's" as a contraction of "it is." For instance, write "It's almost Friday." Write "its" -- without the apostrophe -- to show possession; for example, use "My wireless mouse doesn't work. Its batteries died."
- Don't use an apostrophe when you're referring to a whole family. For example, "Wendy sent a Christmas card to the Smiths." However, if you want to write about something belonging to the members of a family, you'd write "The Smiths' house needs painting."
The above leadership tip...
was sent in response to a question from a participant on our 10/10 leadership development and mentoring programme. Whether you're a first time manager or an experienced leader, straightforward, practical advice on best practice is hard to find. Until now. To find out how you, your team or your organisation can benefit, please join us on our next complimentary webinar or contact us.