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☝️ The Greengrocer's Nightmare
☝️ The Greengrocer's Nightmare
Walk past any market stall and you will see it: "Fresh Tomato's! Banana's 3 for £1!" This is the greengrocer's apostrophe — the habit of sticking an apostrophe before every s. It is charming on a vegetable crate. In a GCSE exam it costs marks.
Apostrophes have exactly two jobs. Knowing which job is which is a quick, free upgrade to your AO6 band.
What are the two jobs of the apostrophe?: <strong>Job 1 — Possession</strong> (something belongs to someone):<br><em>“the dog’s lead”</em> = the lead belonging to the dog<br><em>“the students’ work”</em> = work belonging to many students<br><br><strong>Job 2 — Contraction</strong> (letters are missing):<br><em>don’t</em> = do not • <em>it’s</em> = it is • <em>they’re</em> = they are<br><br><strong>The apostrophe NEVER signals a plural.</strong> “The dog’s” = one dog + possession or contraction. “The dogs” = several dogs, no apostrophe needed.
English Language glossary
- What are the two jobs of the apostrophe?
- <strong>Job 1 — Possession</strong> (something belongs to someone):<br><em>“the dog’s lead”</em> = the lead belonging to the dog<br><em>“the students’ work”</em> = work belonging to many students<br><br><strong>Job 2 — Contraction</strong> (letters are missing):<br><em>don’t</em> = do not • <em>it’s</em> = it is • <em>they’re</em> = they are<br><br><strong>The apostrophe NEVER signals a plural.</strong> “The dog’s” = one dog + possession or contraction. “The dogs” = several dogs, no apostrophe needed.
🔍 The Two Jobs of the Apostrophe
An apostrophe does one of two things. Memorise the distinction and every apostrophe question becomes mechanical.
Now try it yourself
Quiz · Question 1 of 10
Which sentence uses an apostrophe correctly?
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