Apostrophes for possession
You learn the apostrophe for who owns something: the girl's hat, the girls' hats.
How to do the test
- Find the owner.
- If there is one owner, add an apostrophe and s.
- If the plural ends in s, add just an apostrophe.
- If the plural does not end in s, add an apostrophe and s.
A worked example
Type the word with its apostrophe. The toys belong to the boy. They are the ___ toys.
- Ask who owns it: the boy.
- There is one owner, so add an apostrophe and s.
- The word is boy's.
More examples
Type the word with its apostrophe. The coats belong to the teachers. They are the ___ coats.
- Ask who owns it: the teachers.
- There is more than one owner and the word ends in s, so add just an apostrophe after the s.
- The word is teachers'.
Type the word with its apostrophe. The tail belongs to the cat. It is the ___ tail.
- Ask who owns it: the cat.
- There is one owner, so add an apostrophe and s.
- The word is cat's.
Try it yourself
Type the word with its apostrophe.
The voices belong to the men. They are the ___ voices.
Type the word with its apostrophe.
The books belong to the pupils. They are the ___ books.
Watch out
You put the apostrophe in the same place for one owner and for many.
Ask whether it is one owner or more than one. The girl's is one girl, the girls' is more than one.
Tips
- Say who owns it first, then add the apostrophe to the owner.
Why it works
An apostrophe can show ownership. For one owner it comes before the s. For a plural that already ends in s, it comes after. For a plural that does not end in s, like children, it is apostrophe s again.