Apostrophe Before Suffix for Verb Forms
The Apostrophe
Rulebase Summary
Use an apostrophe before adding a suffix to show that a letter, number, or abbreviation has become a verb form. When a shortened word that ends in c becomes a verb, add k to preserve the hard sound before the suffix. Consult a dictionary to see which words follow which patterns.
Examples
A. He OKed the purchase order that morning.
A. He OK'd the purchase order that morning.
An apostrophe is used before the suffix when an abbreviation becomes a verb form.
A. She was MCing the event last Saturday.
A. She was MC'ing the event last Saturday.
Use an apostrophe before the suffix to show the abbreviation is functioning as a verb.
Transcript Notes
Words like emceeing and deejaying are replacing the older abbreviation-plus-apostrophe forms (DJ'ing, MC'd). Dictionaries also use the hyphen before adding a suffix to show that a letter or abbreviation has become a verb form (bs-ing, od-ing, x-ing).
Style Guide References (2)
Morson's
BGGP