Possessive Nouns Apostrophe worksheet for language arts practice.
Worksheet titled "Possessive Nouns Apostrophe" with exercises to add apostrophes to sentences, featuring a yellow border and numbered questions.
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Show Answer Key & Explanations
Step-by-step solution for: Apostrophe with Possessives Worksheet
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Show Answer Key & Explanations
Step-by-step solution for: Apostrophe with Possessives Worksheet
Let's solve the Possessive Nouns Apostrophe worksheet step by step. The goal is to determine whether to add an apostrophe (’), an apostrophe + S (’s), or nothing at all in each sentence.
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1. Singular nouns: Add ’s
→ *the dog’s tail*
2. Plural nouns ending in -s: Add ’
→ *the girls’ room*
3. Plural nouns not ending in -s: Add ’s
→ *the children’s books*
4. Joint possession: Use ’s only on the last noun
→ *Jim and Mike’s room*
5. Individual possession: Add ’s to both
→ *Jim’s and Mike’s rooms*
6. Names ending in -s: Usually add ’s (e.g., *James’s*) unless it sounds awkward, then just ’
7. Pronouns (like *its*, *hers*, *theirs*) do not use apostrophes
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Now, let’s go through each sentence:
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1. For dinner, we had monkeys_ brains.
→ "monkeys" is plural and not possessive; "brains" belongs to the monkeys → monkeys’
✔ monkeys’
2. He ran to close his_ windows.
→ "his" is a possessive pronoun → no apostrophe
✔ his
3. I cleaned Jim_ and Mike_ room.
→ One room shared by both → joint possession → Jim and Mike’s
✔ Jim and Mike’s
4. I cleaned Jenna_ and Pamela_ rooms.
→ Two separate rooms → individual possession → Jenna’s and Pamela’s
✔ Jenna’s and Pamela’s
5. I visited Rachel_ and Joe_ house.
→ Likely one house they both own? Or two houses?
But “house” is singular → probably Rachel and Joe’s house (shared)
✔ Rachel and Joe’s
6. I visited Jason_ and Joshua_ houses.
→ Plural: multiple houses → individual → Jason’s and Joshua’s
✔ Jason’s and Joshua’s
7. It wasn’t as nice as the Joneses_ car.
→ "Joneses" is plural family name → Joneses’
✔ Joneses’
8. Put the book in Ella_ room.
→ Singular person → Ella’s
✔ Ella’s
9. Put the book in the children_ room.
→ "children" is plural → children’s
✔ children’s
10. She had to go to the bosses_ meeting.
→ "bosses" is plural → bosses’
✔ bosses’
11. The dog raised its_ head.
→ "its" is a possessive pronoun → no apostrophe
✔ its
12. The door hung on its_ hinges.
→ Again, "its" is possessive pronoun → no apostrophe
✔ its
13. The Kings_ house is very beautiful.
→ Family name, plural → Kings’
✔ Kings’
14. The US_ and the UK_ contract was signed.
→ "US" and "UK" are abbreviations → treat as singular → US’s and UK’s
But often written as US and UK contracts, but since it says "contract" (singular), it’s likely referring to one contract from each. So:
→ US’s and UK’s
✔ US’s and UK’s
15. The US_ and the UK_ contracts were signed.
→ Now plural → US’s and UK’s
✔ US’s and UK’s
16. This bag is hers_.
→ "hers" is a possessive pronoun → no apostrophe
✔ hers
17. This is a men_ bathroom.
→ "men" is plural → men’s
✔ men’s
18. This is a man_ bicycle.
→ Singular → man’s
✔ man’s
19. We had dinner at Mr. Jones_ house.
→ "Mr. Jones" is singular → Mr. Jones’s
✔ Mr. Jones’s
20. We read Martin Luther King, Jr._ book.
→ Name ending in "Jr." – still singular → Martin Luther King, Jr.’s
✔ Martin Luther King, Jr.’s
21. Women_ clothing is hard to find here.
→ "women" is plural → women’s
✔ women’s
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1. monkeys’
2. his
3. Jim and Mike’s
4. Jenna’s and Pamela’s
5. Rachel and Joe’s
6. Jason’s and Joshua’s
7. Joneses’
8. Ella’s
9. children’s
10. bosses’
11. its
12. its
13. Kings’
14. US’s and UK’s
15. US’s and UK’s
16. hers
17. men’s
18. man’s
19. Mr. Jones’s
20. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s
21. women’s
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- Apostrophe + s (’s): Singular possessives
- Apostrophe (’): Plural possessives ending in -s
- No apostrophe: Pronouns like *its*, *hers*, *theirs*
- Joint vs. Individual: Shared possession = last noun gets ’s; separate = both get ’s
Let me know if you'd like this printed out or formatted!
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🔹 Rules for Possessive Nouns:
1. Singular nouns: Add ’s
→ *the dog’s tail*
2. Plural nouns ending in -s: Add ’
→ *the girls’ room*
3. Plural nouns not ending in -s: Add ’s
→ *the children’s books*
4. Joint possession: Use ’s only on the last noun
→ *Jim and Mike’s room*
5. Individual possession: Add ’s to both
→ *Jim’s and Mike’s rooms*
6. Names ending in -s: Usually add ’s (e.g., *James’s*) unless it sounds awkward, then just ’
7. Pronouns (like *its*, *hers*, *theirs*) do not use apostrophes
---
Now, let’s go through each sentence:
---
1. For dinner, we had monkeys_ brains.
→ "monkeys" is plural and not possessive; "brains" belongs to the monkeys → monkeys’
✔ monkeys’
2. He ran to close his_ windows.
→ "his" is a possessive pronoun → no apostrophe
✔ his
3. I cleaned Jim_ and Mike_ room.
→ One room shared by both → joint possession → Jim and Mike’s
✔ Jim and Mike’s
4. I cleaned Jenna_ and Pamela_ rooms.
→ Two separate rooms → individual possession → Jenna’s and Pamela’s
✔ Jenna’s and Pamela’s
5. I visited Rachel_ and Joe_ house.
→ Likely one house they both own? Or two houses?
But “house” is singular → probably Rachel and Joe’s house (shared)
✔ Rachel and Joe’s
6. I visited Jason_ and Joshua_ houses.
→ Plural: multiple houses → individual → Jason’s and Joshua’s
✔ Jason’s and Joshua’s
7. It wasn’t as nice as the Joneses_ car.
→ "Joneses" is plural family name → Joneses’
✔ Joneses’
8. Put the book in Ella_ room.
→ Singular person → Ella’s
✔ Ella’s
9. Put the book in the children_ room.
→ "children" is plural → children’s
✔ children’s
10. She had to go to the bosses_ meeting.
→ "bosses" is plural → bosses’
✔ bosses’
11. The dog raised its_ head.
→ "its" is a possessive pronoun → no apostrophe
✔ its
12. The door hung on its_ hinges.
→ Again, "its" is possessive pronoun → no apostrophe
✔ its
13. The Kings_ house is very beautiful.
→ Family name, plural → Kings’
✔ Kings’
14. The US_ and the UK_ contract was signed.
→ "US" and "UK" are abbreviations → treat as singular → US’s and UK’s
But often written as US and UK contracts, but since it says "contract" (singular), it’s likely referring to one contract from each. So:
→ US’s and UK’s
✔ US’s and UK’s
15. The US_ and the UK_ contracts were signed.
→ Now plural → US’s and UK’s
✔ US’s and UK’s
16. This bag is hers_.
→ "hers" is a possessive pronoun → no apostrophe
✔ hers
17. This is a men_ bathroom.
→ "men" is plural → men’s
✔ men’s
18. This is a man_ bicycle.
→ Singular → man’s
✔ man’s
19. We had dinner at Mr. Jones_ house.
→ "Mr. Jones" is singular → Mr. Jones’s
✔ Mr. Jones’s
20. We read Martin Luther King, Jr._ book.
→ Name ending in "Jr." – still singular → Martin Luther King, Jr.’s
✔ Martin Luther King, Jr.’s
21. Women_ clothing is hard to find here.
→ "women" is plural → women’s
✔ women’s
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✔ Final Answers:
1. monkeys’
2. his
3. Jim and Mike’s
4. Jenna’s and Pamela’s
5. Rachel and Joe’s
6. Jason’s and Joshua’s
7. Joneses’
8. Ella’s
9. children’s
10. bosses’
11. its
12. its
13. Kings’
14. US’s and UK’s
15. US’s and UK’s
16. hers
17. men’s
18. man’s
19. Mr. Jones’s
20. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s
21. women’s
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📝 Summary of Key Concepts:
- Apostrophe + s (’s): Singular possessives
- Apostrophe (’): Plural possessives ending in -s
- No apostrophe: Pronouns like *its*, *hers*, *theirs*
- Joint vs. Individual: Shared possession = last noun gets ’s; separate = both get ’s
Let me know if you'd like this printed out or formatted!
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of apostrophe worksheets.
