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Possession and contraction — the two jobs an apostrophe does, and nothing else.
Question 1 of 12
Which sentence uses apostrophes correctly?
"There are three buses an hour." is the correct version. This is a plain plural. An apostrophe never makes a word plural. An apostrophe only ever does one of two jobs: it marks a missing letter, or it shows that something belongs to someone. If it is doing neither, it should not be there. Ask what the apostrophe is for. Missing letter, or ownership? If neither, take it out.
The answer is C. "There are three buses an hour." is the correct version. This is a plain plural. An apostrophe never makes a word plural. An apostrophe only ever does one of two jobs: it marks a missing letter, or it shows that something belongs to someone. If it is doing neither, it should not be there. Ask what the apostrophe is for. Missing letter, or ownership? If neither, take it out.
Which is the correct way to write the wool from the sheep (more than one)?
"the sheep's wool" is correct. "sheep" is already plural without an s on the end, so it is treated like a singular owner: apostrophe, then s. This is the group that catches people out, because the rule sounds like it should not apply. Leaving the apostrophe out altogether turns it into a plain plural, which is the commonest error of the four. An apostrophe never makes something plural. Two dogs, not two dog's.
The answer is B. "the sheep's wool" is correct. "sheep" is already plural without an s on the end, so it is treated like a singular owner: apostrophe, then s. This is the group that catches people out, because the rule sounds like it should not apply. Leaving the apostrophe out altogether turns it into a plain plural, which is the commonest error of the four. An apostrophe never makes something plural. Two dogs, not two dog's.
Which is the correct way to write the handle of the door?
"the door's handle" is correct. The owner is singular — one door — so it takes an apostrophe and then an s. Leaving the apostrophe out altogether turns it into a plain plural, which is the commonest error of the four. If the owner already ends in s because it is plural, the apostrophe goes after it and no second s is added.
The answer is C. "the door's handle" is correct. The owner is singular — one door — so it takes an apostrophe and then an s. Leaving the apostrophe out altogether turns it into a plain plural, which is the commonest error of the four. If the owner already ends in s because it is plural, the apostrophe goes after it and no second s is added.
"Who's coming to the museum?" is the correct version. "Who's" is short for "who is". An apostrophe only ever does one of two jobs: it marks a missing letter, or it shows that something belongs to someone. If it is doing neither, it should not be there. Read the contraction out in full. "It is dark" works, so "it's dark" is right.
The answer is A. "Who's coming to the museum?" is the correct version. "Who's" is short for "who is". An apostrophe only ever does one of two jobs: it marks a missing letter, or it shows that something belongs to someone. If it is doing neither, it should not be there. Read the contraction out in full. "It is dark" works, so "it's dark" is right.
"The dog wagged its tail because it's happy." is the correct version. Possessive "its" first, contraction "it's" second. The sentence uses both, one of each way. An apostrophe only ever does one of two jobs: it marks a missing letter, or it shows that something belongs to someone. If it is doing neither, it should not be there. An apostrophe never makes a plural, not even for numbers or abbreviations.
The answer is B. "The dog wagged its tail because it's happy." is the correct version. Possessive "its" first, contraction "it's" second. The sentence uses both, one of each way. An apostrophe only ever does one of two jobs: it marks a missing letter, or it shows that something belongs to someone. If it is doing neither, it should not be there. An apostrophe never makes a plural, not even for numbers or abbreviations.
"You're late, and your coat is wet." is the correct version. "You're" is "you are"; "your" shows possession. The sentence needs one of each. An apostrophe only ever does one of two jobs: it marks a missing letter, or it shows that something belongs to someone. If it is doing neither, it should not be there. Read the contraction out in full. "It is dark" works, so "it's dark" is right.
The answer is C. "You're late, and your coat is wet." is the correct version. "You're" is "you are"; "your" shows possession. The sentence needs one of each. An apostrophe only ever does one of two jobs: it marks a missing letter, or it shows that something belongs to someone. If it is doing neither, it should not be there. Read the contraction out in full. "It is dark" works, so "it's dark" is right.
Which is the correct way to write the kits belonging to the players?
"the players' kits" is correct. The owner is plural and already ends in s — "players" — so the apostrophe goes **after** that s and nothing more is added. Putting it before the s would mean one player. The apostrophe's position is doing real work here: it is the only thing telling the reader how many owners there are. Leaving the apostrophe out altogether turns it into a plain plural, which is the commonest error of the four. Irregular plurals — children, men, women, people — take an apostrophe and an s, exactly like a singular owner.
The answer is A. "the players' kits" is correct. The owner is plural and already ends in s — "players" — so the apostrophe goes **after** that s and nothing more is added. Putting it before the s would mean one player. The apostrophe's position is doing real work here: it is the only thing telling the reader how many owners there are. Leaving the apostrophe out altogether turns it into a plain plural, which is the commonest error of the four. Irregular plurals — children, men, women, people — take an apostrophe and an s, exactly like a singular owner.
Which is the correct way to write the nest belonging to the bird?
"the bird's nest" is correct. The owner is singular — one bird — so it takes an apostrophe and then an s. Leaving the apostrophe out altogether turns it into a plain plural, which is the commonest error of the four. If the owner already ends in s because it is plural, the apostrophe goes after it and no second s is added.
The answer is C. "the bird's nest" is correct. The owner is singular — one bird — so it takes an apostrophe and then an s. Leaving the apostrophe out altogether turns it into a plain plural, which is the commonest error of the four. If the owner already ends in s because it is plural, the apostrophe goes after it and no second s is added.
Which is the correct way to write the hutch belonging to the rabbits?
"the rabbits' hutch" is correct. The owner is plural and already ends in s — "rabbits" — so the apostrophe goes **after** that s and nothing more is added. Putting it before the s would mean one rabbit. The apostrophe's position is doing real work here: it is the only thing telling the reader how many owners there are. Leaving the apostrophe out altogether turns it into a plain plural, which is the commonest error of the four. If the owner already ends in s because it is plural, the apostrophe goes after it and no second s is added.
The answer is D. "the rabbits' hutch" is correct. The owner is plural and already ends in s — "rabbits" — so the apostrophe goes **after** that s and nothing more is added. Putting it before the s would mean one rabbit. The apostrophe's position is doing real work here: it is the only thing telling the reader how many owners there are. Leaving the apostrophe out altogether turns it into a plain plural, which is the commonest error of the four. If the owner already ends in s because it is plural, the apostrophe goes after it and no second s is added.
"It's been raining since Tuesday." is the correct version. "It's" is short for "it has" here, so the apostrophe marks the missing letters. An apostrophe only ever does one of two jobs: it marks a missing letter, or it shows that something belongs to someone. If it is doing neither, it should not be there. An apostrophe never makes a plural, not even for numbers or abbreviations.
The answer is D. "It's been raining since Tuesday." is the correct version. "It's" is short for "it has" here, so the apostrophe marks the missing letters. An apostrophe only ever does one of two jobs: it marks a missing letter, or it shows that something belongs to someone. If it is doing neither, it should not be there. An apostrophe never makes a plural, not even for numbers or abbreviations.
"We couldn't find the footpath." is the correct version. The apostrophe stands where the "o" of "not" has been removed. An apostrophe only ever does one of two jobs: it marks a missing letter, or it shows that something belongs to someone. If it is doing neither, it should not be there. An apostrophe never makes a plural, not even for numbers or abbreviations.
The answer is A. "We couldn't find the footpath." is the correct version. The apostrophe stands where the "o" of "not" has been removed. An apostrophe only ever does one of two jobs: it marks a missing letter, or it shows that something belongs to someone. If it is doing neither, it should not be there. An apostrophe never makes a plural, not even for numbers or abbreviations.
"Let's go before it's dark." is the correct version. "Let's" is "let us" and "it's" is "it is". Both are contractions, so both need apostrophes. An apostrophe only ever does one of two jobs: it marks a missing letter, or it shows that something belongs to someone. If it is doing neither, it should not be there. Ask what the apostrophe is for. Missing letter, or ownership? If neither, take it out.
The answer is C. "Let's go before it's dark." is the correct version. "Let's" is "let us" and "it's" is "it is". Both are contractions, so both need apostrophes. An apostrophe only ever does one of two jobs: it marks a missing letter, or it shows that something belongs to someone. If it is doing neither, it should not be there. Ask what the apostrophe is for. Missing letter, or ownership? If neither, take it out.
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