Use of the Possessive Apostrophe

Apostrophes are a very useful punctuation mark, when used CORRECTLY! When used incorrectly, however, they are plain annoying. I say, if you don't know where an apostrophe is required, it's worse to guess and place it incorrectly than it is to leave it out altogether.

The biggest error I see 'guessers' making is placing the apostrophe before the 's' rather than after the 's' when a plural occurs.

Here are some examples of incorrect usage of the possessive apostrophe:

1. When we checked the coop, all of our chickens eggs were ready for collecting.
1. When we checked the coop, all of our chicken's eggs were ready for collecting.

2. My brothers wives are both bringing a dish to lunch. (NB: Assume polygamy is not practised.)
2. My brother's wives are both bringing a dish to lunch.

3. The witches broomsticks were lined up against the hut's wall.
3. The witch's broomsticks were lined up against the hut's wall.

CORRECTED, they should read:

1. When we checked the coop, all of our chickens' eggs were ready for collecting.

2. My brothers' wives are both bringing a dish to lunch.

3. The witches' broomsticks were lined up against the hut's wall.

The tricky part is understanding that if the word is already in a plural which doesn't end in 's', adding an apostrophe before the 's' may be required.

eg. the children's hats, the people's wishes

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