What I've learned so far

Although it has only been the first two weeks of the semester I have realized there is much more to grammar then just periods and commas. In the world of grammar a simple apostrophe can do a lot. Within a paragraph the meaning can completely change based on how you punctuate it. A fun activity to try is punctuating a letter to sound like a friendly/love letter and then punctuate it to be a break up/angry letter. This was one of the first activities I did in my grammar course and it was amazing to see how punctuation could change the meaning. So in a sense I have learned that punctuation can go a long way. More importantly I have learned about commas and apostrophes.
Something I have always had trouble with is commas. In my writing I always make the mistake of putting commas where they are not needed. A simple way to think of commas is like they are a pause in your writing, kind of like you have to take a breath. It can be hard to figure out when to pause in your writing but if you can that’s when a comma is needed. When using a comma always put a space after it. So I can give you a tip on a couple of places not to use a comma. When you are listing something make sure to put commas in between your listings but when you get to the last item you may choose to use a comma before the “and,” or not. Either way you will be right, it depends on what looks better to you. Or when you are describing something using words like “such as” or “as in” you should use a comma before your descriptive words but not after them. This is an important point to remember because as a writer I always thought you should fully separate these words from the rest of your sentence. For example: “I love seafood, such as, shrimp, crab, etc.” The second comma is not needed. Another tip for comma use is to not use them before words like “because” or “but.” I do this a lot so I think it’s a good tip to keep in mind. Pretty much just remember that if you are already using a transition word you don’t need a comma.
The second thing I have brief knowledge on that I can share with you, is apostrophes. People use apostrophes all the time to make things plural and to create contraction words. What you may not know is how to use them correctly. Let’s start with contraction words because I just used one. When a word can mean two words like “it is” or “who is” it can be made into one word using an apostrophe. How you do this is by saying “it’s” or “who’s”. But these words can also be used without apostrophes when they are being used as possessive. When you use “its” as possessive think of it as saying “his” or “her,” you do not use an apostrophe with these words so you don’t not need to use an apostrophe with “its” or “whose.” Another way to use apostrophes is in making things plural. With numbers apostrophes are usually used to make them plural but with dates they are not necessary. When working with names it can be difficult to figure out how to make a plural name possessive. To make it simple I always add an apostrophe “s” like in “Chris’s” but you may like using “Chris’” either way is correct. Once again it is what you prefer. If a plural noun already ends in “s” then all you need is an apostrophe, same with words that are 3 or more syllables. The best thing to do is look how others use apostrophes and then test yourself on whether or not they are using them correctly. Usually if it looks wrong it probably is.
Hopefully this helps since it’s all I know so far but as the semester continues I am sure I will have more tips and ideas for those interested in expanding their grammar.


My question: I understand how to use contraction words with apostrophes but I still do not fully understand how to use them in making certain words plural or possessive. I have one example that I would love for someone to tell me if it is correct or not.

My wife’s cooking is considered the best.

And going along with this to make something that ends in “s” possessive do you only use and apostrophe at the end like “boys.” Would you add “boys’ “because it’s already plural or do you not need the apostrophe?