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The Street City Church

9 Hania Street
PO Box 6218, Marion Square,
Wellington
Tel +64 4 385 7315
Fax +64 4 385 7309
Email office@thestreet.org.nz

You are here > Home / Styleguide / Apostrophes

Apostrophes

Use the apostrophe before an “s” to indicate the possessive (i.e. something that is of or belonging to something else — the graduating class of Massey).

  • Massey’s graduating class

If something is descriptive rather than possessive, it does not take an apostrophe (the guide for students, the college for teachers, the halfback for the Hurricanes).

  • students guide teachers college Hurricanes halfback

In cases where the noun ends in an “s”, use a single apostrophe after the “s”.

  • The Hurricanes’ team members
  • James Rees-Thomas’ research

Note that the “s” followed by an apostrophe reads awkwardly, so it might be better to rewrite the sentence.

  • Team members in the Hurricanes
  • Research by James Rees-Thomas

In cases where the possessive is plural, use a single apostrophe after the “s” or rewrite the sentence.

  • The students’ grades will be posted.
  • The ministers’ votes were counted at the end of the election.

or

  • Grades will be posted.
  • At the end of the election, the results of the vote were counted.

Use an apostrophe with plurals of lower case letters.

  • Mind your p’s and q’s. Dot the i’s and cross the t’s.

Capital letters and numbers have no apostrophe before plural-s.

  • She got straight As. We teach the three Rs.
  • The 1960s was a decade of rapid growth for Elizabeth Street Chapel.

(See the NUMBERS and DATES & TIMES sections.)

Do not use an apostrophe with the possessive pronoun “its”.

  • The program is in its third year.

Use an apostrophe with the contraction meaning “it is”.

  • It’s a difficult course.

(See the POSSESSIVES section.)