01 Possessive vs. Plural
An apostrophe is not a plural
Singular possessive: add
’s —
the dog’s leash.
Plural possessive (plural already ends in s): add just an apostrophe —
the dogs’ leashes.
Plain plural: no apostrophe at all —
the dogs ran.
02 The Pronoun Test
Expand it to decide
it’s = it is / it has;
its = belonging to it.
they’re = they are;
their = belonging to them;
there = a place.
who’s = who is;
whose = belonging to whom. Possessive pronouns (its, their, whose, your)
never take an apostrophe.
03 Tricky Cases
Two that trip students up
Names ending in s: add
’s for the singular possessive —
Charles’s book.
Joint vs separate ownership: Anna and Ben’s shop (shared) vs
Anna’s and Ben’s shops (separate).
Ready to practice?
14 questions for this session — 4 guided (label the structure first), 6 on the clock, and 4 in home practice. Every timed score feeds your sub-skill Error Log.
Open Session 06 Exercises →