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SAT Reading and Writing skill page

SAT Apostrophes and Possessives Practice

Decide whether a noun owns something, is plural, or needs a contraction before choosing an apostrophe.

Practice apostrophes and possessives in Dolphin SATPractice questions
8-12 min practice time3 questions in practice blockStandard English Conventions
Practice time8-12 min
Practice questions3 questions
Best forStandard English Conventions

What this tests

What to know for this SAT skill

Dolphin practice questions

Practice your skill

Question 1 of 3Easy
Which choice shows that one student owns the notebook?
  1. students notebook
  2. student's notebook
  3. students' notebook
  4. student notebook
Show answer and solution
Correct answerB. student's notebook

Solution walkthrough

  1. One student owning one notebook uses singular possessive form: student apostrophe s.
Question 2 of 3Medium
Which choice shows that several teachers share one lounge?
  1. teacher's lounge
  2. teachers' lounge
  3. teachers lounge
  4. teacher lounge's
Show answer and solution
Correct answerB. teachers' lounge

Solution walkthrough

  1. Several teachers means plural teachers, and ownership adds the apostrophe after the s.
Question 3 of 3Hard
Which sentence uses its or it is correctly?
  1. Its important to check the answer.
  2. It's color changed after heating.
  3. It's important to check the answer.
  4. The app improved it's design.
Show answer and solution
Correct answerC. It's important to check the answer.

Solution walkthrough

  1. "It is important" contracts to "It's important. "
  2. The possessive form "its" has no apostrophe.

Avoid these traps

Common mistakes on this skill

Using an apostrophe to form a plural

Most plurals take s without an apostrophe; apostrophes usually mark possession or omitted letters.

Confusing its and it is

Its is possessive. It's is the contraction for it is or it has.

Study plan

How to practice this skill in Dolphin

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  1. Decide whether the noun is plural, possessive, or both before placing an apostrophe.
  2. For possession, identify whether the owner is singular or plural.
  3. Expand every contraction to confirm that the sentence still makes sense.
Practice apostrophes and possessives in Dolphin SAT

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FAQ

Questions about SAT Apostrophes and Possessives Practice

Where does the apostrophe go in a plural possessive?

For a regular plural already ending in s, place the apostrophe after the s, as in students' projects.

Why does its have no apostrophe?

Possessive pronouns such as its, his, hers, and theirs do not use apostrophes.