Apostrophes
Adding an apostrophe should do one of two things:
- Indicate a contraction (it’s, we’re, he’ll, etc.)
- Indicate ownership (Michael’s, the president’s, our neighbors’)
We love contractions, so definitely use apostrophes for those. But what do apostrophes not do? They don’t make singular words plural. (Football games are on “Fridays,” not “Friday’s.”)
It’s hard to read if this headline’s too many confusing apostrophes.
Don’t use contractions if they make the words hard to understand. (Does “’s” stand for “has” or “is?”)
We’ll let you know as soon as it’s ready.
Do make your content more conversational with natural contractions.
The most common (and potentially confusing) use of the apostrophe at Hudl appears on team names: “boys’ varsity football,” “women’s JV soccer,” etc. Here’s how it works:
- If there’s an “s” at the end of the plural noun (“boys,” “girls”), the apostrophe goes at the very end.
- If there’s no “s” at the end of the plural noun (“men,” “women,”) add an apostrophe and then an “s.”