Charles's friend
Burns's poems
the witch's malice
Exceptions are the possessives of ancient proper names ending in -es and -is, the
possessive Jesus', and such forms as for conscience' sake, for righteousness' sake.
But such forms as Moses' Laws, Isis' temple are
commonly replaced by
the laws of Moses
the temple of Isis
Indefinite pronouns, however, use the apostrophe to show possession. one's rights somebody else's umbrella
The first is a contraction, meaning "it is." The second is a possessive.
It's a wise dog that scratches its own fleas.
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Culled from the book ; The Elements of Style by Oliver Strunk