when should apostrophes be used in formal writing essay

Don't use contractions in formal writing assignments, such as essays, technical writing, cover letters or formal business communications unless you have permission. Who's (who is) going to love me if I can't get my apostrophes right? it's, they're, who's, and you're). Contractions are shortened forms of pairs of words. So it would be acceptable to say: Bob's secret is in his cheesesteaks' sauce. Students often confuse possessives and contractions. (Omission), The 1930s were a great time for music and dance. If you can use "who is" instead of who's in the sentence the apostrophe stays. If its is showing something has possession or ownership of something, then you do NOT need an apostrophe and using its is correct.

However, some critics think using contractions in formal language makes it more readable and accessible.

it’s = it is or it has; should’ve = should have).In academic writing, words that use apostrophes for missing letters (i.e.

Apostrophes are punctuation marks used to indicate possession. When writing reports, articles, or essays, if your professional writing sounds strange without any contractions, then by all means, use them. Sitemap. Don't use contractions in formal writing assignments, such as essays, technical writing, cover letters or formal business communications unless you have permission. If it is showing possession (your dog, your usage), you do NOT want to use an apostrophe. Here's another misunderstood contraction. (Possession), The '30s were great years for jazz and swing music. Even though apostrophes are common in everyday writing, they are relatively rare in academic papers.

Well, there's really no need for such heated conversation, as you only have to ask yourself three quick questions. Not every word ending in an “s” requires an apostrophe. Remembering that apostrophes mainly like to hang out with contractions, there's only one time an apostrophe enters into the there, their, they're family of homophones. However, it is basically a matter of personal choice. 1. add 's to the singular form of the word (even if it ends in -s): the owner's car James's hat (James' hat is also acceptable. (= It has stopped raining. They're (they are) not playing well with apostrophes. The following guidelines should help you maintain a formal writing voice in your essays. Some professors may also permit contractions in formal writing assignments, but check first. In some rare cases an apostrophe can be used to form a plural. However, if you are writing an essay then the second use is irrelevant as you should not be using the informal shortened versions such as can't or doesn't. For example, shorten "it is" to "it's"; "would not" to "wouldn't"; and "he will" to "he'll." Do you put an apostrophe after dates like those above? Even though apostrophes are common in everyday writing, they are relatively rare in academic papers. Do not use first-person pronouns ("I," "me," "my," "we," "us," etc.). What's wrong with these signs? its, whose, and your). The point is: no possession, no apostrophe. Read our article on Using Contractions Correctly for more help on those shortened words and don't forget to post a comment or question about using apostrophes below. An apostrophe showing the possessive on a plural needs to go after the S that is making the word plural. Now that you know how to use the apostrophe to create English contractions, don’t get too carried away. If you aren't sure which form to use, swap the contraction for its original words and check whether the sentence makes sense. Any time you have an it's or an its in your writing, double-check the sentence. Contractions make it easier for readers to understand your writing because they help your language sound natural. These words often sound identical, but they are spelled differently. It is, of course, never appropriate to use such colloquial forms in formal writing, except when you are explicitly writing about colloquial English. If you do have occasion to cite or use these things, you should use apostrophes in the normal way to mark the elided material.Contractions must be carefully distinguished from clipped forms. Can you correct these 14 basic grammar mistakes? Finally, the apostrophe can be used in rare cases to create a plural form, particularly when using an s alone would create confusion. Apostrophes are tiny punctuation marks but are majorly misused every single day. The placement of an apostrophe depends upon the word you are making possessive.

The apostrophe is used to indicate possession (e.g., Tom’s plan, the cat’s whiskers) and to show the omission of letters where a word has been contracted (e.g., I can’t remember the ’80s for I cannot remember the 1980s). 2. to indicate missing letters. Possession.

Before writing contractions in a paper that is going to be graded, you should ask your tutor whether it is appropriate to include them in your writing. An apostrophe should therefore only be added in “it’s” when used as a contraction rather than a possessive. 1. Is it a contraction?

If we can all remember that, then we're one step closer to becoming apostrophe aficionados, and who wouldn't like a title like that? Do not use an apostrophe in verbs. So, the signs above should read: If, however, a plural noun needs to show possession, then it's time for the apostrophe to come on over.

The dog was chewing on its bone.

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