English for CS II
Apostrophes
Exercise 1
1. Whos the partys candidate for vice president this year?
2. The fox had its right foreleg caught securely in the traps jaws.
3. Our neighbors car is an old Chrysler, and its just about to fall apart.
4. In three weeks time well have to begin school again.
5. Didnt you hear that theyre leaving tomorrow?
6. Whenever I think of the stories I read as a child, I remember Cinderellas glass slipper and
Snow Whites wicked stepmother.
7. We claimed the picnic table was ours, but the Smiths children looked so disappointed
that we found another spot.
8. Its important that the kitten learns to find its way home.
9. She did not hear her childrens cries.
10. My address has three 7s, and Tims phone number has four 2s.
11. Didnt he say when he would arrive at Arnies house?
12. Its such a beautiful day that Ive decided to take a sun bath.
13. She said the watch Jack found was hers, but she couldnt identify the manufacturers
name on it.
14. Little girls clothing is on the first floor, and the mens department is on the second.
15. The dogs bark was far worse than its bite.
16. The moons rays shone feebly on the path, and I heard the insects chirpings and
whistlings.
17. Theyre not afraid to go ahead with the plans, though the choice is not theirs.
18. The man whose face was tan said that he had spent his two weeks vacation in the
mountains.
19. I found myself constantly putting two cs in the word process.
20. Johns 69 Ford is his proudest possession.
Source: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print/grammar/g_apostEX1.html
Exercise 2
In each question, only one of the sentences has all the apostrophes correctly placed. Click
next to the correct sentence.
1.
a. Bristol's harbour is one of the countrys most beautiful.
b. Bristols harbour is one of the country's most beautiful.
c. Bristol's harbour is one of the country's most beautiful.
d. Bristols' harbour is one of the countrys' most beautiful.
2.
a. The two boy's bags were lying at the river's edge.
b. The two boys bag's were lying at the rivers' edge.
c. The two boys' bags were lying at the river's edge.
d. The two boys' bags' were lying at the rivers edge.
3.
a. My parent's flat is in one of the city's finest areas.
b. My parents' flat is in one of the citys finest areas'.
c. My parents' flat is in one of the citys' finest areas.
d. My parents' flat is in one of the city's finest areas.
4.
a. The world's experts were quick to praise the two girls' courage.
b. The world's experts were quick to praise the two girl's courage.
c. The worlds expert's were quick to praise the two girls' courage.
d. The worlds' experts were quick to praise the two girls' courage.
5.
a. Steve's mothers house is right next to his only sister's flat.
b. Steves mother's house is right next to his only sister's flat.
c. Steve's mothers' house is right next to his only sisters' flat.
d. Steve's mother's house is right next to his only sister's flat.
6.
a. The two buildings doors' and windows' were damaged in the blast.
b. The two buildings door's and window's were damaged in the blast.
c. The two buildings' doors and windows were damaged in the blast.
d. The two building's doors and windows were damaged in the blast.
7.
a. The cat's illness was making its paws sore.
b. The cat's illness was making it's paws sore.
c. The cats' illness was making its paws sore.
d. The cats' illness' was making its paws sore.
8.
a. The teams manager's attitude was affecting all the player's performance.
b. The team's manager's attitude was affecting all the players' performance.
c. The teams manager's attitude was affecting all the players' performance.
d. The team's manager's attitude was affecting all the player's performance.
9.
a. It's owners made Ted the cat's life very comfortable.
b. It's owners' made Ted the cats life very comfortable.
c. Its owners made Ted the cats' life very comfortable.
d. Its owners made Ted the cat's life very comfortable.
10.
a. The Roman's bridges and roads were vital for moving the troops' supplies.
b. The Romans' bridges and roads were vital for moving the troops' supplies.
c. The Romans' bridges and roads were vital for moving the troop's supplies.
d. The Romans bridge's and road's were vital for moving the troops supplies.
Source: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/exercises/grammar/grammar_tutorial/page_52.htm#apostrex1
Exercise 3
In this exercise, you will be shown an incorrectly punctuated sentence. Select which of the
options given is correct.
1. The two boy's rucksacks were found at the water's edge.
a. There are two boys, the sentence should read "boys' rucksacks".
b. The apostrophe in "water's edge" should not be there.
c. The rucksacks belong to the boys and need an apostrophe, "rucksack's".
2. The building had lost all its window's and door's.
a. Its is a possessive form and needs an apostrophe.
b. The doors and windows are plural and need the apostrophe after the final 's'.
c. The doors and windows do not need an apostrophe.
3. New York's skyline has lost two of it's most famous buildings.
a. New York is a proper noun and does not need an apostrophe.
b. 'It's' should not have an apostrophe as it's possessive.
c. The buildings belong to the skyline and need an apostrophe.
4. Whos taken Paul's shoes?
a. There should be an apostrophe in who's as it is short for who has.
b. The shoes are plural and so Paul's should be Pauls'.
c. The shoes belong to Paul, so they should have an apostrophe.
5. The three car's tyres were found in the only suspect's flat.
a. The suspect does not need an apostrophe.
b. The apostrophe in car's is incorrectly placed.
c. The tyres belong to the car and need an apostrophe.
6. The children's books and pencils were put in their bags.
a. Children is plural and so the apostrophe should come after the 's'.
b. The bags belong to the children, so they should have an apostrophe.
c. The books and pencils end in an 's', so they need an apostrophe.
7. I would like to see all those actor's together on that theatres famous stage.
a. The theatre owns the stage and so it needs an apostrophe.
b. The apostrophe in actor's is not needed.
c. There are lots of actors, so the apostrophe should come after the 's'.
8. The singer's voice was considered one of the world's best; his' dancing was among the
worst.
a. There is no need for an apostrophe in world's.
b. His is a possessive form; it needs no apostrophe.
c. There is no need for an apostrophe in singer's.
9. All those people's car's make the shop keeper's lives much more difficult.
a. People are plural and so the apostrophe should come after the 's'.
b. There is no need for an apostrophe in car's.
c. The shop keepers are plural and so the apostrophe should come after the 's'.
10. All the children's books and their parent's coats' were put in the school's lost property
bag's.
a. The bags are possessions of the school, so they don't need an apostrophe.
b. The parents are plural and so the apostrophe should come after the final 's'.
c. The coats are possessions and do not need an apostrophe.
Source: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/exercises/grammar/grammar_tutorial/page_53.htm
Exercise 4
Tick or cross
The family reunion
My friend's
, the Rodriguez's
, had a big family reunion last summer. They
hadn't been together since the late 1980's
were many cousins
, according to Carmen, and there
she hadn't seen since then and some new baby's
she'd
never met before. "Aunt Flo
and Uncle Silvio's
family had really grown,"
she said. Flo, who already had five kids of her own, had divorced and remarried and
Flo's
and Silvio's
two taxis
kids -- like a bunch of elves
. Fortunately, Flo and Silvio have PhD's
incomes to match. "We should've leased busses
-- filled a minivan and
in psychology with good
for everyone," Carmen added.
They had their big dinner down at that place owned by Joe Pagani, Paganis
Ristorante, Illinois's
jammed and familys
sitting on box's
with the order's
most popular and expensive restaurant. It was
kept arriving in bunch's
and benches
until some people ended up
. The waitresses
went crazy keeping up
, especially with kids ordering from the childrens'
When it came time to pay the bill, they couldn't find Agnes's
collected all the money. They had a lot of laughes
menu.
purse, and she had
about washing all those dish's
until Uncle Antony found his baby girl, Eutrusca, curled up under his chair,
sound asleep, using Agneses'
grandpas
bag for a pillow. Eutrusca hadn't waited for her
long after-dinner speech to put her to sleep.
Source: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/cgi-shl/par_numberless_quiz.pl/plurals_quiz.htm
Exercise 5
An online quiz:
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/apostrophe_quiz2.htm