Are apostrophes an academic punctuation mark?

What’s the history of the apostrophe?

The apostrophe was apparently introduced into the English language through an imitation of French punctuation in the 16th century, with the term ‘apostrophe’ being of Greek origin and meaning ‘turning away or deleting’. This punctuation mark was first used in English to inform the reader of when a vowel had been omitted (‘I’m’, from ‘I am’) or to replace a letter that no longer represented a sound (‘lov’d’, from ‘loved’). As is normal within a language however, the apostrophe later evolved – broadening its use to include aspects of possession and pluralisation.

In modern English, the apostrophe has created much discussion about its continuing purpose in the grammar. While some grammarians strongly defend the correct use of the apostrophe (some going as far as to correct the street signs and restaurant menus that use the mark incorrectly), other linguists have stated that the apostrophe is “largely decorative” and offers little clarity to the language, arguing that this punctuation mark should be removed from English altogether. Our opinion at Academic Marker is that as long as prescriptive grammars and referencing styles such as Harvard or Chicago recommend including the apostrophe, students of academic English should use this mark accurately too.     

Can apostrophes be used in academic writing?

Of all the punctuation marks, the apostrophe may actually be one of the least helpful for academics, with Functions 1 and 3 being rarely used. While it’s certainly the case that students will be required to demonstrate possession within their writing, it’s rarely the case that omission or such an informal method of pluralisation will be acceptable. Though common in speech, omission using an apostrophe is particularly unlikely because such contracted forms as ‘hadn’t’ (from ‘had not’) or ‘shouldn’t’ (from ‘should not’) are generally considered to be inappropriate in academic contexts. The only time that a student of English for Academic Purposes may need to use such forms is when providing a direct quotation from another author or source – in which case, these marks should still be written accurately.

Even though the apostrophe may be less commonly used in academia than in more informal contexts, it’s still advisable that you read Chapters 2, 3 and 4 to learn more about how to correctly use this punctuation mark in your own writing.