英语语法：33 Apostrophes

Grammar Girl here.

Today's topic is apostrophes.

A couple of weeks ago Legal Lad did a show about homeowners associations. What you didn't hear was that behind the scenes, Steve, one of our copy editors, debated whether to put an apostrophe in the word homeowners.

 
This topic also comes up in the news when there's a writer's strike or teachers strike. Does the strike belong to the writers or teachers, or are the words writers and teachers adjectives that tell people what kind of strike is happening? If the words are possessive, we need an apostrophe, but if they're adjectives, we don't need an apostrophe.
 
It's a lot easier to see the difference when you're dealing¹ with singular words. For example, if you're talking about green bean casserole, green is an adjective that tells people what kind of beans you use. But if Mr. Green has an award-winning bean at the state fair, you'd talk about Green's bean, with an apostrophe.
 
When the phrase includes a plural², as with writers strike, it can be a tougher call. I believe it's pretty clear that the writers don't own the strike, and that the word writers is there to tell us more about what kind of strike it is. So I'd leave out the apostrophe. On the other hand, I'd include the apostrophe in homeowners' association, at least when the homeowners actually own or control the association that manages their property.
 
An important point is that you should make sure you put the apostrophe after the final s. If you call it a homeowner's association (homeowner-apostrophe-s), you're talking about an association owned by one homeowner.
 
Here's an even trickier³ one: farmers market. The market is used by the farmers, populated by the farmers, but generally not owned by the farmers. So it seems reasonable to conclude that you don't use an apostrophe because the word farmers is there to identify the type of market. It's an adjective.
 
I should note that there are credible⁴ people who firmly believe an apostrophe is required on farmers market, writers strike and similar phrases. It's a contentious⁵ topic, and you may have to defend your choice to someone no matter which choice you make.
 
The key question to ask yourself when deciding whether you need an apostrophe is if you are talking about possession or ownership. If you are, you need an apostrophe. If you aren't, you don't need an apostrophe.
 
Web Bonus
 
Depending on the context, the same words may need to be punctuated⁶ differently. Here's an example:
Did you mail the homeowner's insurance policy?
We now offer homeowners insurance.
 In the first sentence, we're talking about one insurance policy that belongs to one homeowner. It's possessive, so homeowner's needs an apostrophe.
 
In the second sentence, we're talking about the type of insurance the firm is now offering. Homeowners is a descriptive word—an adjective—so it doesn't need an apostrophe.
 
Also, some sources say to treat proper names and general phrases differently. Using that rule, you could argue for American Medical Writers Association, but also writers' group.
 
Administrative⁷ Stuff
 
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That's all. Thanks for listening.
 

1 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

2 plural   

n.复数；复数形式；adj.复数的

参考例句：

• Most plural nouns in English end in's '.英语的复数名词多以s结尾。
• Here you should use plural pronoun.这里你应该用复数代词。

3 trickier   

adj.狡猾的( tricky的比较级 )；（形势、工作等）复杂的；机警的；微妙的

参考例句：

• This is the general rule, but some cases are trickier than others. 以上是一般规则，但某些案例会比别的案例更为棘手。 来自互联网
• The lower the numbers go, the trickier the problems get. 武器的数量越低，问题就越复杂。 来自互联网

4 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

5 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

6 punctuated   

v.（在文字中）加标点符号，加标点( punctuate的过去式和过去分词 )；不时打断某事物

参考例句：

• Her speech was punctuated by bursts of applause. 她的讲演不时被阵阵掌声打断。
• The audience punctuated his speech by outbursts of applause. 听众不时以阵阵掌声打断他的讲话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

8 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。