This exercise will give you practice in applying the principles introduced in Guidelines for Using Apostrophes Correctly. To view this exercise without ads, click on the printer icon near the top of the page.
Instructions
In the following passage, insert apostrophes where needed to show possession or mark a contraction. Eleven apostrophes appear in the original passage, which you'll find on page two.
The Art of Remembering Names
No ones ability to remember names is perfect. Yet this important skill gives you the advantage in business and personal relations. "A persons own name is the sweetest and most important sound." Dale Carnegie wrote in How to Win Friends and Influence People. Its often the ticket to a friendship, a closed deal or a new partnership, and it generates instant good will in a way no other courtesy can. Forgetting someones name, on the other hand, can cause hurt feelings and make you feel socially inept and uncomfortable. Even worse, it can create a powerfully negative first impression that works against you long afterward.
When you find yourself wrestling with a forgotten name ten seconds after an introduction, its because you were inattentive. The happens primarily because we often are preoccupied with ourselves. When youre meeting someone new, clear your thoughts of outside concerns. If your mind wanders during an introduction, ask that the name be repeated. At large gatherings, decide in advance to whom youre going to pay attention. If you say to yourself "Im going to be very conscious of my bosss wifes name," youll retain it.
(adapted from How to Remember Names, by Thomas Crook and Christine Allison. HarperCollins, 1992)
Answers to this exercise are on page two.
Additional Practice in Using Apostrophes Correctly:
