I was originally going to title this post “Plural S vs. Possessive S” since there seems to be a growing problem where people are using the ” ‘s ” when, in fact, the word is simply a plural word. Plural words alone don’t require an apostrophe. Fellow grammar friends please excuse me for using a space between my quotation marks and the apostrophe as I know this is incorrect, but I have chosen to do so for visual ease.
There is another troublesome problem with the ” ‘s ” that I wanted to point out, which is why I thought the new title would be more appropriate. I have seen this MANY times this week as well. That is the “its” vs. “it’s” concern in which case doesn’t follow the typical ” ‘s ” for possessive form. Plus, there is no plural, so it wouldn’t have been applicable had I stuck to the original title. Not to mention there are many other times it is appropriate to use an ” ‘s ” in contractions.
So, let’s proceed!

When to use an ” ‘s “

There are many situations in which an ” ‘s ” is appropriate. The main problem I see, though, is where it is being used incorrectly. Regardless, I still wanted to discuss the correct ways to use it as well.

• To show possession. Examples:
  “That is Aurora’s toy.”
  “My friend’s dog loves to sleep.”
  “Our car’s battery had to be replaced last month.”
  In each case they are to show possession. Therefore an object or action being owned must be in the sentence as well.
  Some exceptions are when a word ends with an “s.” If the word is plural, for example, the apostrophe will come after the “s” Example:
  “Our neighbors’ dog barks all night.”
  A word that naturally ends in an “s” such as a last name or other name causes much debate in the grammar world. Please mind you I am only referring to a situation in which the word is possessive. Some people use inappropriate apostrophes in last names when they make them plural, which is a different matter. I follow the rule of still using the ” ‘s ” despite some who may only use an apostrophe alone.
  Why? Because the apostrophe alone follows a plural word, and since these are singular words they require the apostrophe followed by the s. The exception is actually ancient names, which are to be followed by only the apostrophe – Biblical names and any names you find in ancient history. Again, though, this is the rule I follow, and I respect that the other rule is also accepted by grammar professionals as well. A rule of thumb is to stick to one specific way when both are acceptable. Don’t go back and forth between the two styles.
• As a contraction. ” ‘s ” is used as a contraction in various ways. The most common is a contraction with the word and “is,” but there are definitely many other contractions, so let’s look at few examples.
  “Let’s look at a few examples.” Let’s = “let us.”
  “It’s going to be a great day!” It’s = “it is.” (I will go into more detail about “it’s” vs. “its” at the wrap-up of this post.)
  “She’s gone too far.” She’s = “She has.”

When NOT to use ” ‘s “

The problem tends to come in when ” ‘s ” is used inappropriately, so first, try to determine if it is appropriate using the the appropriate uses above, but also keep in mind these tips on when to NOT use an ” ‘s ” for extra guidance.

• In a plural word. This is definitely the biggest mistake I see, and it seems to be a growing trend. So, again, let’s not ignore the elephant in the room and address this issue. Something to keep in mind is if the word you are using is plural and isn’t in possession of anything there should be absolutely no apostrophe for any reason (unless, of course, there is a contraction). Here are some common examples I see.
  “Mom’s – what have you been up to this week?” In this case they are referring to more than one mom, and that mom isn’t in possession of anything. Therefore, it should be a simple plural word – “Moms.” “Mom’s” means ONE mom that owns an action or object. The correct use of “Mom’s” would be: “That is mom’s coffee.”
  “Our kid’s started school this week.” Again, in this case it is referring to more than one kid, and they aren’t possessing anything. Therefore, it should be a simple plural word – “kids.” “Kid’s” means ONE kid that owns an action or object. The correct use of “kid’s” would be: “That is our kid’s toy.” If there is more than one kid (kids) it would be: “That is our kids’ toy.”
  I see it often in titles as well such as “Fun Artist’s” I want to ask “Fun Artist’s what?” Who is the artist and what do they have that is fun? Obviously in this case it is meant to mean “Artists” plural – no possession. Of course, if the word “Group” were to follow then it would need to have possession. “Fun Artists’ Group.”
  In all cases the word was simply supposed to be a plural word, so before you write (or type) that ” ‘s ” think about the meaning. Do you mean more than one? If so, ” ‘s ” is not correct!
• To make plural a last name that ends in “s.” This one tends to grate the nerves of those who have last names that end in “s” (like my own)! To make it plural, you do NOT use an ” ‘s.” Instead, you use “es.” For example, my last name “Roberts” would be “Robertses.” Trust me, I know it’s a mouthful to say, which is why most people know resort to “The Roberts Family” instead of “The Robertses.” Regardless, “The Roberts’s” is incorrect except to make it possessive (if you do use ” ‘s ” after the “s” like I do).

 

• The possessive form of “it.” The possessive form of “it” is “its.” “It’s” means “it is” or “it has” (depending on context). I know this one can be confusing since ” ‘s ” is often associated with possession, but one way to think of this situation is to think of other possessive pronouns: ours, theirs, yours, hers, his, mine, etc. You’ll see none of them end in ” ‘s,” so that may be helpful to remember that “its” doesn’t either. One thing I suggest is reading the sentence. If you have used “it’s,” and “it is” or “it has” doesn’t make sense in its place, you may see you meant for “it” to possess something. In that case, “its” is the correct word.

 

• Other words that end in “s.” There are other words that end in “s” that aren’t plural, but once in a while I see an ” ‘s ” used instead there, too. There are two things I would suggest in this case when in doubt. Consult the dictionary if you aren’t sure. Again, try to use a a contraction in its place. If it doesn’t make sense chances are that “s” shouldn’t be detached from the word with an apostrophe.

So why go through all this trouble? It’s worth it! If you’re just learning grammar, you are going to be establishing a solid foundation for years to come. If you’re a blogger, writer, or business owner, you’re going to let readers and clients know you care about how your work is presented and take you professionally. I know I am not the only person who finds it hard to take professionals seriously when poor grammar abounds. It matters.
*View all posts in my Grammar 101 series*
 

Grammar Resource of the Week:

This week’s grammar resource is Grammarbook.com. There is a blog with great resources as well as books you can purchase for a lot of great grammar information! (I personally haven’t read these books myself, but I love the resources on the website and blog!)
 
 

I apologize for my delay in getting this next post up in my series. I have not been well as I’ve mentioned in other posts, so unfortunately some posts had to get postponed. Without further delay, let’s move forward with clearing up the differences between “their,” “they’re,” and “there.” This post would be almost identical to “Your vs. You’re” (with “their” following the rules of “your” and “they’re” following the rules of “you’re”), but English likes to complicate things. So, we have to take into account a third word that sounds the same – “there.”
OK, let’s start by breaking them down.
Their: possessive pronoun. Belonging to them.
A few examples of using “their” are:

• Followed by a noun (person, place, or thing). “This is their dog.”
• Followed by an adjective that is describing a noun. “This is their silly dog.”
• Followed by a verb ending in “ing.” “Their singing can be heard outside the building.”
• Followed by an adverb that is describing a verb ending in “ing.” “Their beautiful singing can be heard outside the building.”

In all cases they own the object or action and whether there is a descriptive word or not, there will definitely be an object or action that is possessed by them.
They’re: contraction of they are.
A few examples of using “they’re” are:

• They’re the family that lives down the street.
• I really think they’re great!
• They’re doing a great job!

“They’re” can precede both nouns and adjectives. If it precedes a noun or an adjective describing a noun it should also have an article like “the,” “a,” or “an” or a possessive pronoun. It can also precede an adjective by itself since it is, after all, describing them. As I mentioned in Your vs. You’re confusion can happen (in this case between “their” and “they’re”) because “they’re” CAN also precede a verb ending in “ing” as shown in one of the examples above.
There: at or in that place.
A few examples of using “there” are:

• There are the keys.
• We went there yesterday.
• There, I said it!

“There” is a place or direction – for the most part. Going into details about “there” would be a full lesson as it can be used as an adverb, pronoun, adjective, noun, or interjection. Obviously by using three sentences above I didn’t even use it in all of these scenarios. For the purpose of this post, though, I want to try to keep it as simple as possible as a way to differentiate it from “their” and “they’re.” If requests are made about the full uses of “there,” I can surely cover that in a later post.

Tips to prevent getting them confused:

Because there are three of them it’s not as easy to make cut-and-dry tips other than – know their use and meaning.
If you can replace the word with “they are” you need to use “they’re”
If the meaning of the sentence is correct with “they are,” the correct option to use is “they’re.” This will work every single time in determining whether or not the proper choice is “they’re,” though if you discover it is not it will not help distinguish the correct choice between the remaining two. It will help with the process of elimination. Let’s look at an example:
“*Blank* going to the park today. Can we go, too?”
I chose to insert a blank so we can decide which word to use. Some may use “their” or “there” in this case as the most common mistake is using one of them when “they’re” needs to be used. Would “they are” be appropriate, though?
“They are going to the park today. Can we go, too?”
Yes! That means “they’re” is the appropriate choice for this sentence instead of “their” or “there.” You can ALWAYS use the “they are” check to be sure you aren’t accidentally using “their” or “there” when you need to be using “they’re” because it can give you the answer 100% of the time.
If there is ownership involved it is “their.”
If you are using the word “their” there must be some type of object or action that is being owned by them. If there is no noun (person, place, or thing) or no verb ending in “ing” re-read the sentence again because “their” is not the likely choice.
Some other tips for “their:”

• “Their” won’t be followed directly by a verb that doesn’t end in “ing.” If your sentence has “their” immediately before a verb that doesn’t end in “ing” re-read it and determine if “they’re” (using the tip prior) or “there” is the correct choice. In this case unless “there” is being used as an interjection it most likely won’t be the option, either (though I won’t make any concrete statements since “there” can be sneaky).
• “Their” won’t be followed directly by an article like a, an, or the. Again, if you have an article immediately after “their” it would be wise to re-read the sentence and determine if “they’re” or “there” is the correct choice. Once again, “there” would most likely only be the correct choice if it’s being used as an interjection.
• “Their” will not be the final word in the sentence. The only way this would happen is if it is changed to “theirs.” Ex: “This car is theirs.”

Concluding with “there”
Again, I can’t possibly cover all of “there” in this post, so I hope the few tips I have shared plus a few tips about “there” I will share do help. For the most part “there” refers to direction. I will address some specifics in my tips. One major exception I mentioned is the interjection. An interjection is an abrupt remark, an aside. It will appear at the beginning of a sentence and will be followed by a comma or an exclamation point. Here are some examples:
“There! I hope you are happy.”
“There, this is the information we needed.”
Although it isn’t used often it makes setting specific tips a little harder as it doesn’t follow the general “rules.” Regardless, I will share a few that I hope will help since the interjections are generally an uncommon use of “there.”

• If it is at the very end of the sentence the choice should be “there.” Because “they’re” must precede a predicate and “their” must precede an object or action of ownership, “there” is the only one of the three that can actually be used at the very end of the sentence with the exception of changing “their” to “theirs” as I mentioned above.
• If “there” is being used as a pronoun it is generally followed by a verb (most often “to be”) and is used to introduce a clause or sentence. Ex: “There are a lot of ants in our yard.” You can see in this case the idea that “there” is a direction doesn’t fit, which is why it is important to note the use of “there” as a pronoun. *Please don’t confuse “there are” and “they are,” which are completely different. I have seen this mistake made as well. Because of our tendency to “write as we speak” I have also seen people write a sentence like “They’re a lot of ants in our yard.” If you open that sentence up you realize it is incorrect as it really says “They are a lot of ants in our yard.” Because people also tend to run “there are” together in speech it is sometimes misinterpreted in writing incorrectly, so be sure to note the differences!
• A general rule of thumb may be if you truly struggle with differentiating between the three you may have to eliminate the other two first. “There” is so diverse. It is easier to eliminate the other two then re-read the sentence with “there” instead. If after doing so you may not only realize “there” is the correct choice, but you will also start to recognize the different forms of the word and be able to better identify it in the future!

When in doubt go to the dictionary. They’re going to find answers to all of their definitions and uses there. 😉
I hope you have found these tips helpful! If anybody else has tips to share on how they differentiate between the three please share!
Stay tuned for my next Grammar 101 post where I will be addressing a new “trend” I have been seeing and discussing the difference between the Plural S and Possessive S. Each week I will also share a grammar resource I love! I may share two Grammar 101 posts in one week, so both posts will have the same resource that week.
*View all posts in my Grammar 101 series*
 

Grammar Resource of the Week

This week’s grammar resource is Grammaropolis! This is a fun learning website after my own heart. I just recently joined, but I’m already in love! OK, the kids love it, too! 🙂 It is so much fun! It is available as an app as well!
 
 

I am going to start with the grammar mistake I see the most because I’m not very good at ignoring the elephant in the room. So, instead of ignoring it, I want to address this common mistake right off the bat. Most commonly “your” is used when “you’re” needs to be used. Once in a while, though, I see the reverse. Let’s start by breaking them down.
Your: possessive pronoun. Belonging to you.
A few examples of using “your” are:

• Followed by a noun (person, place, or thing). “This is your hat.”
• Followed by an adjective that is describing a noun. “This is your red hat.”
• Followed by a verb ending in “ing.” “I am trying to concentrate, but your talking is distracting.”
• Followed by an adverb that is describing a verb ending in “ing.” “I am trying to concentrate, but your loud talking is distracting.”

In all cases you own the object or action and whether there is a descriptive word or not, there will definitely be an object or action that is possessed by you.
You’re: contraction of you are.
A few examples of using “you’re” are:

• You’re a great friend.
• I really think you’re generous!

“You’re” can precede both nouns and adjectives. If it precedes a noun or an adjective describing a noun it should also have an article like “the,” “a,” or “an.” It can also precede an adjective by itself since it is, after all, describing you. Some confusion comes in because “you’re” CAN also precede a verb ending in “ing.”

Tips to prevent getting them confused:

When it doubt, replace the word with “you are.”
If the meaning of the sentence is correct with “you are,” the correct option to use is “you’re.” Let’s look at an example:
“Don’t forget sunblock if your going to the beach.”
Ouch. I didn’t even like to type that. This is an example where the general rules I explained wouldn’t help because it’s a verb ending in “ing,” so either could be an option. So, let us look at “your” in this case, though, and see if saying “you are” makes sense.
“Don’t forget sunblock if you are going to the beach.”
It does! That means “you’re” is the appropriate choice for this sentence instead of “your.” When in doubt, ALWAYS use the “you are” check because it can give you the answer 100% of the time. I will share other general tips, but I stress this is a guaranteed way to make sure you are using the correct option.
If the next word you will be using is an article (a, an, or the) the correct option is “you’re.”
If you are writing a sentence and have written “your” followed by an article (a, an, or the) I suggest going back and changing it to “you’re.” “Your” is a possessive pronoun and will be followed directly by the object or action possessed or the word that describes it but NEVER an article.
If there is no article (a, an, or the) before a noun the correct option is “your.”
“You’re” can definitely be followed directly by adjectives and verbs ending in “ing,” but when followed by a noun it must have an article before the noun. This is obviously the opposite of the above rule, so you can think of it both ways. Don’t get confused by thinking “you’re” HAS to have an article immediately after it, though, because it doesn’t! It only has to have an article before a noun. If this is too confusing to remember, I recommend using one of the other tips to help keep them straight.
I hope you have found these tips helpful! If anybody else has tips to share on how they differentiate between “your” and “you’re” please share! Please, though, DON’T ignore the elephant in the room. It may not seem like a big deal, but as you can see, they are VERY different. It IS important to use them correctly whether you are a writer, blogger, business owner, or are teaching your children.
Stay tuned for my next Grammar 101 post where I will be hashing out the differences between “there,” “their,” and “they’re.” Each week I will also share a grammar resource I love! I may share two Grammar 101 posts in one week, so both posts will have the same resource that week.
*View all posts in my Grammar 101 series*
 

Grammar Resource of the Week

This week’s grammar resource is Gramatically Correct! I LOVE this book! *Please note this is my Amazon affiliate link, and I do receive a small portion of the sale if you do purchase it or anything else during that shopping trip. This supports my site and our family, and I really appreciate it! I am recommending this book because I have found it to be a great resource, though. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.*