How Do You Use Apostrophes to Show Individual vs. Joint Ownership?
Apostrophes are punctuation marks that can be used to show possession. When a compound subject shows possession, the two or more subjects can have either joint or individual ownership of the object. One apostrophe on the last subject indicates joint ownership, which means that all members of the compound subject own the object. When each member of the compound subject has its own apostrophe, they have individual ownership, meaning that each member of the compound subject has its own object.
Examples of Apostrophes: Individual vs. Joint Ownership
Some examples of apostrophes with individual vs. joint ownership would be the following:
Joint Ownership
Foster and Lydia’s first class of the day is math.
Eunice and Tony’s parents are both soccer coaches.
Marcel and Lacy’s neighborhood is having an egg hunt on Saturday.
Because there is joint ownership, only one apostrophe and -s is needed at end of the last owner.
Individual Ownership
Kyree’s and Everett’s fathers went to high school together.
Christina’s and Amir’s bikes were both locked up in front of the library.
Judy’s, Marie’s, and Hector’s quizzes all had perfect scores.
Because there is individual ownership, an apostrophe and -s is needed at end of both of the owners.
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