Grammar Quiz-1 (use of the Apostrophe)

The dog wagged its tail [ it's means it is]

I have kept the books in Keats'/Keats's bag.[though in British English only the first form is accepted;the second form is also accepted widely today provided the speaker and reader are both comfortable with the hissing sound produced in the second case]

Please call the carpenter to mend the legs of the table.[inanimate objects do not have the ability to possess and hence they never take an apostrophe]

Raj and Ravi's bakery is just round the corner.[since it is only one bakery which is owned by both of them the apostrophe goes only by one noun]

My father is staying at my sister-in-law's house.[since in compound nouns the plural is indicated by the first noun the apostrophe goes with the second noun]


Note on usage of the Apostrophe

An apostrophe is always an indicator of a word missing.
e.g. it's = it is (here the apostrophe stands for the letter 'i' missing)
I'm = I am (here it stands for a missing 'a')
2 o'clock = 2 of the clock (here it stands for a missing 'f')

Therefore in case of Advika's bag it actually means (Advika her bag).Since 'her' is a possessive pronoun an apostrophe with a noun is used to indicate a possessive case of the noun.