Use apostrophes to show possession.
It is true that apostrophes have not always been used in English. Read unedited texts from the seventeenth century and before (and some from the eighteenth) and you will see that apostrophes were often neglected. But it is also true that we live in the twenty-first century, not the seventeenth, and we show possession by using apostrophes where appropriate.
Why the works of Dickens are read today, but Alexander Popes are not is a mystery to few.
Why the works of Dickens are read today, but the works of Alexander Pope are not is a mystery to few.
Why Dickens’s works are read today, but Alexander Pope’s are not is a mystery to few.
Ones best effort needs to be put into revision.
Here “one’s” is an indefinite pronoun and needs an apostrophe.
Possessive Pronouns
Be aware that possessive pronouns do not use apostrophes to show possession.
- His
- Hers
- Theirs
- Its
- it’s = it is
Sentences in Green are incorrect.