See that key on your QWERTY keyboard, the one to the right of the semicolon? It's generally an apostrophe, but it has two other uses as well. It was originally meant to be used for contractions. The apostrophe goes where the letter it is replacing was.

• is not = isn't
• does not = doesn't
• it was = 'twas
• are not, is not, am not = ain't

The apostrophe is also used to indicate possession. Singular nouns take their possessive forms by adding an apostrophe followed by s. When the noun is plural, the apostrophe comes after the s.

• boy's club (singular)
• boys' club (plural)

For singular nouns that end in s, forget about the final s and treat these nouns the same as other nouns.

• the boss's (singular) daughter
• the bosses' (plural) limousines
• Bruce Jones's (singular) big mistake
• the Joneses' (plural) house
• a bass's stripes
• children's literature
• a herd of sheep's mysterious disappearance

NOTE: The apostrophe is never used to form the plural of a family name: "The Mathiesons live here" (not "Mathieson's").

For plural nouns that do not end in s, treat them as if they were singular nouns.

• This year the alumni's donations have exceeded all expectations.
• The 'lamestream' media's efforts have ended up being a waste of time.

When a sentence has compound subjects owning the same thing, the apostrophe goes with the second subject. When each subject owns his or her own object, each takes an apostrophe.

• JoJo and Tali's water ski is back on the dock. (One ski for the two of them...they share it.)
• Gracie's and Jay's life jackets are drying on the porch. (Two separate life jackets.)

The apostrophe is seldom used to connote a plural form of a noun or noun form. The misplaced apostrophe for plural forms is perhaps the most common mistake we see in documents. The following are correct plurals. Note how few use apostrophes.

• mind your p's and q's
• stick to the three Rs
• he was big back in the 1990s
• learn the dos and don'ts of polite conversation
• the bride has sent her thank-yous by now
• time to count the yeses and nos

Other forms:

• the United States' policy on despots
• for goodness' sake; for righteousness' sake
• for expedience's sake
• for appearance's sake (or for appearances' sake [plural possessive] or for the sake of appearance)
• for Jesus's sake; Jesus's disciples

NOTE 2: It is DEAD WRONG to use the apostrophe in its unless you are forming a contraction of it is.

• The '70 Pontiac GTO is safe in its garage (not "it's garage").
• It's high time he won a game!

And finally, when using an apostrophe in place of the first two digits of a year (as in the second-to-last bullet above), make sure it is an apostrophe, and NOT a left single quotation mark. The apostrophe curves like a right single quotation mark and should not be confused with anything else. MS Word trick: When using 'smart' apostrophes, Word tries to make the apostrophe before the year a left single quotation mark. Thwart it by typing in two marks in succession. (Word makes the first one curve like a left single quotation mark and the second like an apostrophe.) Then delete the first one. It's that simple.

Misuse of apostrophes is a sure sign of carelessness. Don't let your readers judge you this way!

On this busy June 15, the Magna Carta was sealed in 1215, George Washington was assigned to lead the Continental Army in 1775, the U.S. Congress passed the Espionage Act in 1917, and Judy Garland married Vincente Minnelli in 1945. A lot to think about as you slash your way through this week's word quiz.

1. seisin: (a) an assembly of bishops and representative clergy of the Church of England; (b) porridge; (c) the possession of a freehold estate in land by one having title thereto; (d) an advocate of independence or autonomy for a part of a political unit (as a nation).

2. Aquitaine: (a) an old region of southwestern France; (b) an old region of northern England; (c) Roman emperor, 1201-1247; (d) medieval mouthwash.

3. primate: (a) a king; (b) a bishop who has precedence in a province, a group of provinces, or a nation; (c) the capital city of a district; (d) one having the care of a kingdom during the king's minority.

4. burgess: (a) a representative in the popular branch of the legislature of colonial Maryland or Virginia; (b) one who owns or operates a plantation; (c) a principal official exercising governmental powers over a major political unit (as a nation); (d) an officer (as of a monastery or college) in charge of funds.

5. vicissitude: (a) physical or moral compulsion; (b) a hostile encounter between military forces; (c) a difficulty or hardship attendant on a way of life, a career, or a course of action and usually beyond one's control; (d) respect or awe inspired by the dignity, wisdom, dedication, or talent of a person.

6. upbraid: (a) to cajole; (b) to lift up; (c) to ascend; (d) to reproach severely.

7. fifth column: (a) a group of secret sympathizers or supporters of an enemy that engage in espionage or sabotage within defense lines or national borders; (b) the techniques and procedures of espionage; (c) unofficial name for the Central Intelligence Agency; (d) the public press.

8. sedition: (a) the practice of spying or using spies to obtain information about the plans and activities especially of a foreign government; (b) incitement of resistance to or insurrection against lawful authority; (c) the betrayal of a trust; (d) the offense of attempting by overt acts to overthrow the government of the state to which the offender owes allegiance.

9. Judy Garland's original name: (a) Julie Glaland; (b) Joella Janger; (c) Minerva Kochops; (d) Frances Gumm.

10. amphetamine: (a) a drug used especially as a sedative, hypnotic, and antispasmodic; (b) a drug used to treat hyperactive children and the symptoms of narcolepsy and as a short-term appetite suppressant in dieting; (c) a drug used to prevent the formation of blood clots by hindering coagulation of the blood; (d) any of a class of antipsychotic drugs (as haloperidol) used especially in the treatment of schizophrenia.

Here are the answers to today's Vocabulary Test!