1. The car’s brakes failed to operate on the snowy mountain road.
Explain why your answer is correct: “car’s” is correct because the sentence refers to the brakes belonging to one car, so the singular possessive form is needed.
2. On weekends, students love to sleep in.
Explain why your answer is correct: “students” is correct because the sentence describes a general habit of multiple students, requiring the plural form without possession.
3. Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity changed our understanding of time.
Explain why your answer is correct: “Albert Einstein’s” is correct because the theory belongs to one person, Albert Einstein, so the singular possessive form is required.
4. Civil liberties were bought with blood.
Explain why your answer is correct: “Civil liberties” is correct because the sentence refers to the concept of multiple rights or freedoms as a plural noun, not indicating possession.
5. Today’s lesson taught us how to indicate possession.
Explain why your answer is correct: “Today’s” is correct because the lesson belongs to today, so the singular possessive form is needed.
6. Fast food has its downsides.
Explain why your answer is correct: “its” is correct because it is the possessive pronoun showing that the downsides belong to fast food; “it’s” is a contraction for “it is” and does not show possession.
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of possessive nouns worksheet 4th grade.
