Pusat Teknologi Nasion Berkelas Dunia

WRITING TRAPS
BY: IS DEWANGGA. M.PD

www.itts.ac.id
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OUTLINE

WRITING
TRAPS

PLURALS
AND
CAPITALIZATION
POSSESSIVE
S

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OBJECTIVE

Punctuate singular and plural

possessives correctly

Apply capitalization rules in

correspondence

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NOUNS AS POSSESSIONS
• Nouns and pronouns can show possession or ownership of
other nouns. At times, it can be tricky to identify a possessive
because some nouns, such as value or belief or hope, are
abstract; in other words, they are not concrete objects.
• The easiest way to determine whether a word is a noun is to
place the word the in front of it. If the phrase sounds
complete, the word is probably a noun.
For example: the idea the thought the color the glare

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• When two nouns appear together, even when the fi rst noun does not end in an
s, check to see if the fi rst noun possesses the second one. (The s may have been
inadvertently left off the fi rst noun.) Does the fi rst noun need an apostrophe and
s to show possession?
• For example: Incorrect: Bobs arrival the windows display the rooms color Margies
hope Correct: Bob’s arrival the window’s display the room’s color Margie’s hope

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SINGULAR NOUNS NOT ENDING IN S

• To form the possessive of a singular noun that does not end in s, add an
apostrophe and s (’s). This category is the easiest because you are
taking a noun and adding to it in a logical way. Here are some examples:
Singular Noun Singular Possessive
Book Book’s cover
Manager Manager’s responsibilities
• Sometimes it is difficult to determine whether a noun is showing
possession; this is especially true with inanimate objects such as wind
or paper. When in doubt, ask yourself if you can change the sentence
around by using the word of. That is, the paper of yesterday becomes
yesterday’s paper.
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SINGULAR NOUNS ENDING IN S

To form the possessive of a singular noun that ends in s, add an apostrophe
alone or add an apostrophe plus an s (’s). Follow these guidelines:
• If a new syllable is formed in the pronunciation of the possessive, add an
apostrophe plus s, as in the following:
- the witness’s answer
- Dallas’s downtown area
• If the addition of an extra syllable would make the word challenging to
pronounce, add only the apostrophe, as in the following:
- Mr. Jones’ (or Jones’s) meeting
- Mark Phillips’ briefcase
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PLURAL POSSESSIVES
• Regular Plural Possessives To form the possessive of a regular plural
noun (a plural noun ending in s or es), add an apostrophe after the s
(s’). In other words, make the singular form of the noun plural before
you make the noun possessive.
Singular Possessive Plural Possessive
the owner’s address a few owners’ addresses
our manager’s decision all of the managers’ decisions
an employee’s question many employees’ questions

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CONTINUE

• When the singular form of a noun already ends in s, make the noun
plural by adding es to the singular. Then form the possessive by
adding an apostrophe. For example:
Singular Plural Singular Possessive Plural Possessive
Business Businesses business’s owner businesses’ owners
Virus viruses virus’s origination viruses’
originations

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CONTINUED
• some nouns come in mass and are considered noncount nouns;
examples include paint or cake or food. Other examples of noncount
nouns are honor, integrity, and humor.
Singular Possessive Plural Possessive
a boy scout’s honor several boy scouts’ honor
a person’s integrity many persons’ integrity

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IRREGULAR PLURAL POSSESSIVES

• To form the possessive of an irregular plural noun, change the singular
form of the noun to the plural form and then add an apostrophe and s
(children’s).
Singular Possessive Plural Possessive
a child’s toy the children’s toys
one woman’s hat many women’s hats
one man’s idea many men’s ideas
a lady’s suggestion several ladies’ suggestions

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GROUP WORDS
• With group words or compound nouns, the
apostrophe and the s are added to the last term.
• For example:
• the queen of England’s duties
• the attorney general’s job
• her mother-in-law’s address

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NOUNS IN SERIES
• When two nouns joined by and share joint possession, add the
apostrophe only to the last noun. When there is individual
possession, add the apostrophe to both nouns.
• For example:
• Joint Ownership Individual Ownership
Mitch and Helen’s mother Mitch’s and Helen’s cars
Margaret and Bill’s project Margaret’s and Bill’s projects

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ABBREVIATIONS
• To make an abbreviation plural, simply add an s.
• For example:
• three DVDs blue, green, and yellow M&Ms
• five VCRs ten CDs
• To make an abbreviation possessive, add an apostrophe and s, just as
you would with regular possessive nouns.
• For example:
• ABC’s newscast the ADA’s guidelines for dental hygiene
• CNN’s reporters the NBA’s new season
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POSSESSIVES STANDING ALONE

• At times, a writer or speaker will make a comparison between two
nouns that are showing possession but leave off the item being
possessed after the second noun. Be careful in these constructions as
the second noun also shows possession.
• Barb’s remark was similar to George’s (remark).
• We will meet in Alex’s office, not Miko’s (office).
• Michele is working on her master’s (degree).

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CAPITALIZATION
• Capitalization creates special problems for writers. When
writers feel unsure about capitalization, they sometimes
write everything in lowercase—this practice is especially true
in e-communication. Other times, writers seem to capitalize
words randomly, possibly thinking that common nouns are
actually proper nouns. For professional writing, follow the
standard rules of capitalization so that your writing has
credibility.

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PROPER NOUNS VERSUS COMMON NOUNS

• Before you work on individual rules of capitalization, the most
basic place to start is identifying the difference between common
nouns and proper nouns.
• A proper noun is the official name of a particular person, place, or
thing.
• A common noun is a general term that refers to a class of things.
• Proper Nouns Common Nouns
• Bill Smith person
• Janny Construction company
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• Proper nouns are always capitalized; common nouns are not

capitalized. However, sometimes it is diffi cult to identify
whether a noun is proper or common. For example,
imaginative names and nicknames that identify a particular
person, place, or thing are also considered proper, such as
Big Mac, Mr. Nice Guy, and Amber Alert.
• Personal names are always considered proper nouns. Even
so, some foreign spellings do not capitalize the fi rst letter of
the name. For example: di Nicolo d’Angelo van Heus
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• When company names and personal names are involved,

make sure you get the correct spelling directly from the
source.
• Here are some other categories of proper nouns, along with
examples:
• Titles of literary and artistic works The New York Times,
Moby Dick
• Periods of time and historical events the Civil War, the
Middle Ages
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PROPER ADJECTIVES
• Proper adjective may be a new term to you, but
the mystery will be gone once you know the
definition: a proper adjective is an adjective
derived from a proper noun, such as American,
Bostonian, or Machiavellian. Proper adjectives
are always capitalized, just as proper nouns are
always capitalized.
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ARTICLES AND PREPOSITIONS

• In titles of organizations as well as literary and artistic
works, capitalize the word the if it is the first word of
the name, as in “The University of Chicago.” However,
if the word the is not the first word of the title, do not
capitalize it; also do not capitalize the following:
• Articles (a, an) Conjunctions (and, but, nor)
• Prepositions of three or fewer letters (for, of, in, at)

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FIRST WORDS
• Another category of importance when it comes to
capitalization is first words, such as the first word of
a sentence. Capitalize the first word of each of the
following:
• Sentences, Poems Direct quotations that are
complete sentences, Independent questions within
a sentence, Items displayed in a list or outline,
Salutations and complimentary closings.
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PROFESSIONAL TITLES
• Some people capitalize every title they see,
thinking that a title is an official category or
proper noun. However, a title is not a proper
noun; here’s the general rule to follow:
• Capitalize titles when they precede a name, but
not when they are part of an appositive.
• Do not capitalize titles when they follow a name.
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• Here are examples of how a professional title is displayed before a

name, as part of an appositive, and after a name:
• You should have discussed that with Vice President Glen
Eichelberger.
• We spoke to a vice president, Glen Eichelberger, about the problem.
• We asked Glen Eichelberger, vice president, about the matter. Here
are a few more examples:
• Dee Sims, director of admissions, will assist you.
• You can speak with Professor Ferretti at 3 p.m.
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ORGANIZATIONAL TERMS
• Capitalize common organizational terms in your own company,
such as advertising department, manufacturing division,
finance committee, and board of directors. Do not capitalize
these terms when they refer to departments at another
organization unless you want to show special importance.
• The Board of Directors meets on the first Friday of each
month.
• The Finance Committee has not completed this year’s
budget.
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HYPHENATED WORDS
• Hyphenated words can be capitalized in a number of ways,
depending on whether the words are at the beginning of a
sentence, within a sentence, or in a title or heading.
• Within a sentence, capitalize only the parts of a hyphenated
word that are proper nouns or proper adjectives.
• At the beginning of a sentence, capitalize the first part of the
hyphenated word and other parts that are proper nouns or
proper adjectives.

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HYPHENATED WORDS
• In a heading or title, capitalize all the parts
(except articles, short prepositions, and short
conjunctions, as noted previously).
Within Sentences Beginning Sentences In Headings and Titles
E-mail E-mail E-Mail
Up-to-date Up-to-date Up-to-Date
One-tenth One-tenth One-Tenth

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Thank You 

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