Determine Where to Place the Apostrophe With This Handy Flowchart
For some of us, grammar lessons in elementary school have not caught on. Until recently, I did a pretty good job with my trusty Elements of Style , but incessant attacks on grammar on the Internet sometimes undermine my confidence. (Every time I want to type, for example, occasion , rain, or domination , I need to close my eyes and meditate a little.)
If you are one of those people for whom grammar and punctuation are not easy (or you are not a native English speaker), this handy flowchart from GrammarCheck.net will come in handy to help you navigate all the questions that arise. Determine if you need an apostrophe or not, from large (are you doing something possessive?) To small (is that a one-letter word?).
I confess: I love reading grammar guides, not only because I’m a complete computer geek, but also because I often either learn something I don’t know, or the explanation formulates a concept that I intuitively understand but never thought about: for example, one-letter words in sentences like ” Kittens have two letters” take an apostrophe.
One niggle: “Are you cutting?” In the section, the question is: “Do you truncate the words by replacing some letters with an apostrophe?” This is sloppy – it should read: “Are you truncating the words by replacing some of their letters with an apostrophe?” Perhaps the next GrammarCheck flowchart should address the complex grammatical question of consent .