- The boss’ desk is cluttered with papers. (desk of boss)
- Her grandchildren’s visit wore her out. (visit of grandchildren)
- Are the ladies’ hats on sale today? (hats of ladies)
- The Robinsons paid us a visit during their trip to Florida. (no “of” idea)
- Miss Jones’ office is down the hall. (office of Miss Jones)
- I enjoyed hearing James sing. (no “of” idea)
- The baby’s medicine is in the kitchen. (medicine of baby)
- We spent several days on Mr. Brown’s ranch. (ranch of Mr. Brown)
- Both teachers’ classes did well. (classes of teachers)
- After a week’s vacation, I was ready to return to work. (vacation of a week)
Points to Remember:
In #4, the Robinsons don’t own the next thing in the sentence (“paid”), so there’s no apostrophe.
In #5, Miss Jones ends in “s,” so the apostrophe goes after Jones. Otherwise her name would turn into “Jone.”
In #10, remember that time expressions can have apostrophes: a day’s pay, two years’ experience, a good night’s sleep.
Click here for Apostrophes Practice 2!