Apostrophes for Possession
A possessive apostrophe shows that something belongs to someone or something, usually formed by adding apostrophe + s ('s) to a singular noun, such as 'the dog's bone' meaning the bone belonging to the dog. Year 3 pupils learn the different rules for singular owners and for plural owners that already end in 's'.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Find the noun that owns something in the sentence - this is the 'owner'.
- Check whether the owner is singular (one) or plural (more than one).
- For a singular owner, add apostrophe + s ('s) straight after the word, e.g. 'the girl's coat'.
- For a plural owner that already ends in 's', add just an apostrophe after the s, e.g. 'the girls' coats'.
- Read the sentence back to check the apostrophe is showing ownership, not just a plural or a contraction.
Worked example
Add the correct possessive apostrophe: 'The teacher pen was on the desk.' (there is one teacher)
- Identify the owner: 'teacher'.
- Check whether the owner is singular: yes, there is one teacher.
- Add apostrophe + s to 'teacher' to make 'teacher's'.
- Place the possessive noun before the thing owned: 'pen'.
- Final answer: The teacher's pen was on the desk.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a English exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Add the correct possessive apostrophe to this sentence: 'The lions cage was cleaned this morning.' (there is one lion)
Explain the difference in meaning between 'the pupil's books' and 'the pupils' books', then write one sentence using each correctly.
Find and correct the two possessive apostrophe errors in this sentence, explaining each correction: 'The womens coats were on the childrens' pegs.'
Free printable worksheet
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