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Use this checklist as a list of reminders while you are editing your paper.

  1. Sentence fragments
  2. Sentence sprawl
  3. Misplaced and dangling modifiers
  4. Faulty parallelism
  5. Unclear pronoun reference
  6. Incorrect pronoun case
  1. Omitted commas
  2. Superfluous commas
  3. Comma splices
  4. Apostrophe errors current page arrow
  5. Words easily confused
  6. Misspellings

10. Apostrophe errors

Apostrophes indicate possession for nouns ("Jim's hat," "several years' work") but not for personal pronouns (its, your, their, and whose).

Apostrophes also indicate omissions in contractions ("it's" = "it is").

In general, they are not used to indicate plurals.
Apostrophe error How to fix it

In the current conflict its uncertain who's borders their contesting.

In the current conflict it is [it's] uncertain whose borders they are [they're] contesting.

The Aztecs ritual's of renewal increased in frequency over the course of time.

 The Aztecs' rituals of renewal increased in frequency over the course of time.


Got the hang of it? Take our apostrophe self-test!

Still unsure? For more information and examples, check out our grammar and style FAQ.

 

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