“I’ve always had a problem with #6. I understand the use of the apostrophe for the contraction of “it is” - but the non-use of it when dealing with possession has always puzzled me.”
That had me baffled for many years as well. I’ve always sort of sensed that an apos would be right, but it’s not.
And: ONLY PEOPLE can possess things or attributes requiring an apostrophe. Not in real life, only in punctuation convention.
WRONG: The companys’ policies affected morale.
No apostrophe on non-human things.
Wrong: The frogs’ eyes followed me about the room.
Wrong: The frogs’ eyes followed me about the room.
Huh? What am I missing?
You are putting apostrophes on them as if plural, but the examples are for singular usage. I have never heard of NOT using them just because it’s not human.
And here I thought you had more than one frog.
RIGHT: The company’s policies affected morale.