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Play Plural Apostrophe Lab
Choose correct regular and irregular plural possessive forms and distinguish ordinary plurals, singular possessives and plural possessives. Saving is off unless you choose it.
Choose correctly punctuated possessive forms for supplied regular and irregular plurals, and distinguish possession from ordinary plurals. Independent apostrophe insertion and writing are not assessed.
Year 4 · English
Plural possessive apostrophes
Where does the apostrophe go in plural possession?
First identify the owner and decide whether it is singular or plural. A singular noun takes 's. A regular plural that already ends in s takes an apostrophe after that s. An irregular plural that does not end in s takes 's.
| Owner | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Singular noun | Add 's | the dog's collar |
| Regular plural already ending in s | Add an apostrophe after the s | the girls' coats |
| Irregular plural not ending in s | Add 's | the children's toys |
Keep practising: Use the Year 4 English checklist
Understand the key idea
Possessive apostrophes show that something belongs to a noun. Add 's to a singular noun, place the apostrophe after the s in a regular plural that already ends in s, and add 's to an irregular plural that does not end in s.
Six possessive-apostrophe questions
- Rewrite 'the collar belonging to the dog'. Answer: the dog's collar — dog is singular, so add 's.
- Rewrite 'the playground belonging to the school'. Answer: the school's playground — school is singular, so add 's.
- Rewrite 'the coats belonging to the girls'. Answer: the girls' coats — girls is a regular plural ending in s, so place the apostrophe after the s.
- Rewrite 'the changing room belonging to the players'. Answer: the players' changing room — players already ends in s.
- Rewrite 'the toys belonging to the children'. Answer: the children's toys — children is an irregular plural not ending in s, so add 's.
- Rewrite 'the nest belonging to the geese'. Answer: the geese's nest — geese is an irregular plural not ending in s, so add 's.
Common mix-up
Do not add another s after a regular plural that already ends in s: the girls' coats means coats belonging to several girls.
Try this first
- Decide whether the owner is singular or plural.
- If it is plural, check whether the plural already ends in s.
- Place the apostrophe using the matching rule, then read the phrase as 'belonging to'.
Ask: Who owns the object, and is that owner singular or plural?
Curriculum check: DfE English Appendix 2: vocabulary, grammar and punctuation
Year 4 learners practise apostrophes for possession with plural words.
The activities include Add Apostrophes to Show Possession, Practise Using Apostrophes for Possession with Tricky Plural Words, Practise Using Apostrophes for Possession with Irregular Plural Words, and related practice. The checked support below includes video, teaching-practice, interactive, teaching. Open a resource in its provider's website and choose the format that best helps the learner explain the idea independently.
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Activities covered
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- Add Apostrophes to Show Possession — support from Oak National Academy
- Practise Using Apostrophes for Possession with Tricky Plural Words — support from Oak National Academy
- Practise Using Apostrophes for Possession with Irregular Plural Words — support from Oak National Academy
- Use Apostrophes for Possession with Plural Words — support from YouTube — d'Auvergne School
- Use Apostrophes for Possession with Tricky Plural Words — support from YouTube — Discovery Education UK
- Use Apostrophes to Show Ownership with Irregular Plurals — support from Twinkl
- Use the Apostrophe to Show Possession with Plural Nouns — support from YouTube — EasyTeaching
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Watch it explained
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Apostrophes for contraction, singular possession and plural possession
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Year4 Spelling - Possessive apostrophes with plurals
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Punctuation: Using apostrophes to show singular & plural possession (KS2)
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Apostrophes for Possession | KS2 English Concept Video
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Apostrophes for Possession | Possessive Nouns | EasyTeaching
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How to use possessive apostrophes
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PlanIt Year 4 SPaG Lesson Pack: Apostrophes
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PlanIt Y4 Term 2A W6: Plural Possessive Apostrophes with Plural Words Spelling Pack
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