"Abolish the apostrophe and it will be necessary, before the hour is up, to reinvent it."

Wise words from Lynne Truss in the excellent Eats Shoots & Leaves, which we recommend to both punctuation lovers and loathers.

In the meantime, here's our guide on how to use your apostrophes appropriately.

Possession

Use ’s after singular nouns, plural nouns that don't end in "s", and indefinite pronouns:

<aside> ✅ Sandra's book

</aside>

<aside> ✅ everyone’s options

</aside>

<aside> ✅ The women’s toilet is over there.

</aside>

For singular nouns that end in "s" or "z", let pronunciation be your guide:

<aside> ✅ James's thesis was longer than expected.

</aside>

<aside> ✅ Socrates' life is recorded in Plato's dialogues.

</aside>

Or consider rearranging the sentence:

<aside> ✅ The thesis that James submitted was longer than expected.

</aside>

<aside> ✅ The life of Socrates is recorded in Plato's dialogues.

</aside>

Use just ’ after plural nouns ending in "s":

<aside> ✅

performers’ entrance

</aside>

<aside> ✅ delegates' lunch

</aside>