

Although the origins of this phrase are disputed, the expression was used commonly to mean, "Be careful, don't make a mistake." Today, the term also indicates maintaining politeness, possibly from "mind your pleases and thank-yous." Nita's mother constantly stressed minding one's p's and q's. P's and q's = minding your p's and q's is a phrase believed to be taken from the early days of the printing press when letters were set in presses backwards so they would appear on the printed page correctly. There is no need for apostrophes indicating a plural on capitalized letters, numbers, and symbols (though keep in mind that some editors, teachers, and professors still prefer them). "three ps" versus "three p's." To form the plural of a lowercase letter, place 's after the letter. '60 = 1960 Forming plurals of lowercase lettersĪpostrophes are used to form plurals of letters that appear in lowercase here the rule appears to be more typographical than grammatical, e.g.

To use an apostrophe to create a contraction, place an apostrophe where the omitted letter(s) would go. Contractions are common in speaking and in informal writing. A contraction is a word (or set of numbers) in which one or more letters (or numbers) have been omitted. add 's to the last noun to show joint possession of an object: Todd and Anne's apartmentĪpostrophes are used in contractions.add 's to the end of compound words: my brother-in-law's money.add ' to the end of plural nouns that end in -s: two cats' toys.add 's to the plural forms that do not end in -s: the children's game.For plural, proper nouns that are possessive, use an apostrophe after the 's': "The Eggleses' presentation was good." The Eggleses are a husband and wife consultant team.) NOTE: the generally accepted convention for most academic styles (including CMOS, APA, and MLA) is to add apostrophe + s to the singular form of the word, even if it ends in "s." Non-academic styles, such as AP, suggest simply adding an apostrophe to the end of a word that ends in "s." Please check the style guide of whatever format you're using to make sure you're in line with their recommendations. James's hat (James' hat is also acceptable. add 's to the singular form of the word (even if it ends in -s): the owner's car.

Once you've determined whether you need to make a possessive, follow these rules to create one. If the noun after "of" is a building, an object, or a piece of furniture, then no apostrophe is needed! room of the hotel = hotel room For example: the boy's hat = the hat of the boy three days' journey = journey of three days

To see if you need to make a possessive, turn the phrase around and make it an "of the." phrase. To indicate certain plurals of lowercase letters.This handout provides rules and examples for apostrophe usage. Writing Letters of Recommendation for Students.
