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Apostrophe after S
Apostrophe after S (with Examples)
When showing possession, the apostrophe goes after the "s" when the possessor is plural. For example:- The hamsters' cage
- Moses' tablets


Apostrophe Placement Rules
We now know that the apostrophe goes after the "s" when the possessor is plural. Therefore, it stands to reason that the apostrophe goes before the "s" when the possessor is singular.- The hamster's cage
- The hamsters' cage
What Is the Possessor?
In the examples above, the hamster (or the hamsters) is the "possessor." In other words, it is the thing or things that owns whatever follows (in this case, the cage). Here are some more examples:- The boy's game
- The boys' game
- Rembrandt's painting
- The girls' representative
Only the Possessor Matters
Only the possessor matters when it comes to apostrophe placement. The number of things being possessed is irrelevant. For example:- The hamster's cage.
- The hamster's cages.
- The hamsters' cage.
- The hamsters' cages.
Summary of These Rules (with Exceptions)
Unfortunately, there are some exceptions to the rules covered so far. Here is a summary of all the rules, including the exceptions:The History of the Possessive Apostrophe
The main function of an apostrophe is to replace a missing letter (e.g., "can't," "doesn't"). This is related to the possessive apostrophe.In old English, possession was shown by adding es to the possessor regardless of whether the possessor was singular or plural. For example:
- hamsteres dinner (for one hamster)
- hamsterses dinner (for several hamsters)
- womanes dinner (for one woman)
- womenes dinner (for several women)
- Moseses dinner (for Moses)
This process still works for everything. There are no exceptions.
(Step 1). Identify the possessor. For example:
- hamster
- hamsters
- woman
- women
- Moses
- hamsteres
- hamsterses
- womanes
- womenes
- Moseses
- hamster's
- hamsters's
- woman's
- women's
- Moses's
- hamster's
- hamsters'
- woman's
- women's
- Moses'
Read more about using apostrophes.
Read more about using apostrophes to show possession.
Interactive Exercise
Here are three randomly selected questions from a larger exercise, which can be edited, printed to create an exercise worksheet, or sent via email to friends or students.- Do you disagree with something on this page?
- Did you spot a typo?