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USING APOSTROPHES IN ENGLISH 1

B1–B2 · Intermediate
Apostrophes mark possession or omitted letters in contractions; they do not normally make a word plural. Decide where an apostrophe belongs in contractions and possessives, and when a word needs no apostrophe at all. Need a refresher? Review the grammar ↓


Choose the proper use of apostrophes to complete each of the following sentences.
Example: Jim was born in the 90s. (90's/90s)

1. __________ that person?
2. The cat was licking __________ paws.
3. There were a lot of good bands in the __________.
4. Both of my __________ were born in Germany.
5. I borrowed my __________ car yesterday.
6. Why __________ you be nice to him?
7. We heard the __________ voices from the other room.
8. This house belongs to both my __________.
9. __________ not him.
10. This exercise will help you use __________ correctly.
11. The __________ names are Thomas and Andrew.
12. The __________ of this house are never around.
13. Those __________ dog is really cute.
14. He always buys __________ at the market.
15. This __________ core is rotten.
16. He __________ his children play in the street.
17. __________ play in the street.
18. I received a lot of good __________ this year.
19. __________ time for you to go home.
20. You should replace the __________ battery.
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GRAMMAR REVIEW Using apostrophes

1. POSSESSION
A. Singular nouns
Add 's to show possession.
the girl's book
the dog's leash
James's car (both James's and James' are accepted, style-dependent)

B. PLURAL NOUNS NOT ENDING IN 'S'
Add 's.
children's toys
men's room
women's rights

C. PLURAL NOUNS ENDING IN 'S'
Add only the apostrophe after the s.
the teachers' lounge
the families' cars
the players' uniforms

2. CONTRACTIONS
Use an apostrophe to show omitted letters.
don't (do not)
she's (she is / she has)
can't (cannot)
they're (they are)
3. APOSTROPHES FOR TIME OR QUANTITY (POSSESSIVE MEANING)
Used when time/quantity acts like a possessive.
a day's work
two weeks' notice
a dollar's worth

4. DO NOT USE APOSTROPHES TO FORM THE PLURAL FORM OF NOUNS
Incorrect: Apple's for sale
Correct: Apples for sale
Incorrect: CD's, 1990's
Correct: CDs, 1990s

Remember to check out our other free advanced English punctuation exercises:
Abbreviations 1
Capitalization 1
Capitalization 2
Comma or semicolon? 1
Comma, semicolon, or colon? 1


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