There are some cases where individuals use an apostrophe when it isn’t necessary or else use them inappropriately. These cases are relatively common, so we’ll look at some of the most common mistakes to help you avoid them yourself.

Common Apostrophe Mistakes

Regular Nouns

A regular noun is a noun that simply adds an ‘s’ or ‘es’ to the end to show plurality. In these cases, mistakes are common when trying to show plural possession. For example:

• Incorrect: The guy’s party was fun. – The guy’s suggests that it was just one guy whose party it was.
• Correct: The guys’ party was fun – The guys’ suggests that it was multiple guys hosting the party, i.e. we are showing plural possession.

Making a Noun Plural

The third apostrophe use we covered ‘to show plurality’ is likely the reason for this confusion. We only use an apostrophe to show plurality for letters, numbers, and symbols, never a noun.

• Incorrect: The car’s drove by quickly.
• Correct: The cars drove by quickly.

More than One Person Possesses it

Sometimes you may need to write a sentence in which more than one person possesses something. Here, only ever put the apostrophe and the ‘s’ to show possession after the second name.

• Incorrect: Kelly’s and June’s house wasn’t far away. – This suggests that Kelly and June live separately. If that were the case, the house would have to become houses to show that.
• Correct: Kelly and June’s house wasn’t far away. – This shows that both Kelly and June own the house.