plural vs. possessive vs. pronoun

You people sure enjoy apostrophes. It doesn't matter if it's necessary. Just stick it in there. It looks good.

This is an easy fix. An apostrophe replaces a missing letter. Simple. Here's the trick if you're not sure if it belongs there: If you want to use an apostrophe, say the contraction out. If it makes sense, leave it. If it doesn't make sense, get rid of it.

Here's an example: "A leopard never changes it's spots." I see stuff like this all the time. Does it make sense to say, "A leopard never changes it is spots"? Of course it doesn't. Do you need it there? I think the answer is obvious.

Here's a good one. I actually had a student write in a paper, "Rat's!" It was supposed to be an exclamation. Oh, really? "Rat is." That's an interesting expression.

Now don't confuse this with the distinction between words such as "your" and "you're." That's a completely different apostrophe issue. Don't worry. I'll rant and rave on that one a different day.

Just take my advice and say out the contraction if you're not sure. The world will be a better place.