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.His Achilles’ tendon was torn.His father mended James’ toy engine.Some of Dickens’ novels have been televised.Making a plural noun possessiveTo make a noun plural, you usually have to add an ‘s’.Because the ‘s’ is already there, you do not need to add onewhen putting in the apostrophe.Put the apostrophe afterthe ‘s’.The ladies’ cloakroom was closed for renovation.The boys’ playground was flooded.Put the apostrophe after the ‘s’ when plural.Remembering to add ‘es’Don’t forget to add ‘es’ if the word ends in double ‘s’.The duchesses’ hats were spectacular.The waitresses’ aprons were dirty.Do not use an apostrophe merely because the noun is plural; for example, ‘potatoes’ for sale’ isincorrect.There are a number of words which do not add an ‘s’ for the plural.In some cases the word is changed.98 / I M P R O V E Y O U R P U N C T U A T I O N & G R A M M A RExamplesSingularPluralchildchildrenfootfeetgoosegeesemanmenmousemicetoothteethwomanwomenWords that do not end in ‘s’ to make the plural are treated the same as singular nouns when they are made possessive.The apostrophe follows the word and an ‘s’ is added.The children’s adventure playground proved very popular.The mice’s tails looked like rubber tubes.The men’s golf tournament was cancelled.The women’s lunch was held at a luxurious hotel.If there are two nouns indicating ownership of one thing, theapostrophe will be placed after the second noun.Chris and Daniel’s boat is moored at Bosham.Using timeApostrophes are also needed in the following examples:She was given a week’s notice.They had two months’ holiday.H A N D L I N G A P O S T R O P H E S A N D A B B R E V I A T I O N S / 99ABBREVIATING WORDSWhen writing in a formal style, do not abbreviate wordsunless you are using dialogue.Omitting lettersIf you omit letters from a word to abbreviate it, put anapostrophe in place of the letters.CannotCan’tCould haveCould’veDo notDon’tIt hasIt’sIt isIt’s‘Its’ possessive has no apostrophe.It’s = it is or it hasThe abbreviation for ‘have’ is ‘ve’ not ‘of’.Could’ve = could haveMight’ve = might haveShortening a wordIf a word is shortened and therefore the missing letters are at the end of the word, a full stop is used to indicate this: abbreviationabbr.adjectiveadj.adverbadv.documentdoc.etceteraetc.informationinfo.languagelang.The names of counties are also shortened and require fullstops.They always start with capital letters.BerkshireBerks.BuckinghamshireBucks.100 / I M P R O V E Y O U R P U N C T U A T I O N & G R A M M A RGloucestershireGlos.LincolnshireLincs.NottinghamshireNotts.StaffordshireStaffs.Counties that have their own abbreviations also require fullstops.HampshireHants.OxfordshireOxon.If you write the initials of a person’s name before the sur-name, separate them with a full stop.B.J.BrownM.R.MossV.A.ThomasHowever, it is becoming increasingly common to omit thefull stop particularly when typing the name.Titles can be abbreviated if they are followed by the person’sfull name and a full stop is then used.The abbreviation should not be used if only the surname follows it.Capt.Kenneth Smythe or Captain Smythe not Capt.SmytheProf.Ian Blythe or Professor Blythe not Prof.BlytheRev.Anthony Harris or Reverend Harris not Rev.HarrisHANDLING CONTRACTIONSContractions are when the abbreviation is created by usingthe first and last letters of the original word.A full stop at the end is not required.H A N D L I N G A P O S T R O P H E S A N D A B B R E V I A T I O N S / 101DoctorDrMisterMrMistressMrsRoadRdSaintStStreetStNo full stop is required after a contraction.USING INITIAL LETTERSThe names of many groups and organisations are now betterknown by the initial letters of their names.No full stopbetween the letters is required.BABachelor of ArtsBBCBritish Broadcasting CorporationBCBefore ChristMPMember of ParliamentRAFRoyal Air ForceUSAUnited States of AmericaLEARNING ACRONYMSOther initial letters can be pronounced as words.Theseare known as acronyms.It is becoming so common to useacronyms that we often forget what the letters stand for.Nofull stops are needed between the letters
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