Reading & Writing

Apostrophes and Possessives

2 min readEasy5-question drill

On the test, a single apostrophe can change the meaning of a sentence — and these questions show up reliably. Master four rules and you'll never lose a point to a misplaced apostrophe again.

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An apostrophe (') does two jobs in English: it shows possession (something belongs to someone) and it forms contractions (squishing two words together, like do not → don't). On the test, the apostrophe questions are almost always about possession and about the difference between a few sneaky look-alike words.

Here are the only rules you need:

1. Singular noun → add 's The artist owns the exhibition: the artist's exhibition. This works even if the singular noun ends in s: the boss's office, James's car.

2. Plural noun ending in s → add only an apostrophe (') Many artists own works: the artists' works. The apostrophe goes after the s that makes it plural.

3. Irregular plural (no s) → add 's Words like children, women, people don't end in s when plural, so they follow rule 1: the children's books, the women's team.

4. Plural with NO possession → NO apostrophe at all If a noun is just plural and doesn't own anything, leave it alone: The artists painted landscapes. No apostrophe.

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Does the noun possess the next word?

Yes ↓

Is the noun plural ending in -s?

Yes ↓

→ Add apostrophe only: artists'

No ↓

→ Add 's: artist's / children's

No ↓

→ No apostrophe (plain plural)

The full apostrophe decision chain.

Now the trap words. These sound identical but mean different things:

its = belonging to it (possessive, NO apostrophe). The dog wagged its tail.
it's = it is or it has (contraction). It's raining.
whose = belonging to whom (possessive). Whose book is this?
who's = who is. Who's coming?
their = belonging to them; they're = they are; there = a place.

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Possessive vs. contraction look-alikes

Possessive (no 'is')	Contraction	Means
its	it's	it is / it has
whose	who's	who is
their	they're	they are

The apostrophe version is always the contraction.

The test's favorite move: showing you a plural that doesn't need an apostrophe at all. Your default question for every apostrophe should be: does this noun actually POSSESS the next thing? If yes, figure out singular vs. plural. If no, drop the apostrophe.

To decide it's vs. its, just expand it: replace with it is. If the sentence still makes sense, use it's. If it sounds broken, use its. Same trick works for who's/whose and they're/their.

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Quick check

The artist's latest exhibition features landscapes painted in a style reminiscent of the Impressionists_______ however, her use of digital tools gives the works a distinctly contemporary feel.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

—

;

Worked examples

Example 1

The two scientists shared their data, but the _______ conclusions differed sharply.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

Example 2

The committee revised _______ proposal after realizing _______ likely to face opposition.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

Example 3

Visitors to the gallery often pause before the _______ most famous painting, a swirling night sky that draws crowds every evening.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

Common pitfalls

Adding an apostrophe to a plain plural

A noun that's just plural — "the artists painted" — needs NO apostrophe. Always ask whether the noun actually OWNS the next word before reaching for an apostrophe.

Confusing its / it's (and whose / who's)

The apostrophe version is ALWAYS the contraction (it is / who is), never the possessive. Test it by expanding: if "it is" fits, use it's; otherwise use its.

Putting the apostrophe in the wrong place on plurals

For a plural ending in s, the apostrophe goes AFTER the s: students', not student's, when many students own something. student's means exactly one student.

Treating irregular plurals like regular ones

Words like children, women, and people don't end in s when plural, so they take 's: children's, not childrens'.

Key takeaways

Singular possessive = noun + 's (even if it ends in s); plural possessive (ending in s) = noun + apostrophe only.
A plain plural with no ownership gets NO apostrophe at all.
it's / who's / they're are contractions; its / whose / their are possessives — expand the contraction to check.
Irregular plurals (children, women) take 's because they don't already end in s.
Before adding any apostrophe, ask: does this noun actually possess the next word?

Tracks your progress across lessons.

Try it yourself

5 practice questions on Apostrophes and Possessives, drawn from the question bank. The tutor is one click away if you get stuck.

Where this lesson fits

Apostrophes and Possessives

You are here

→Boundaries →Form, Structure, and Sense