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Apostrophes and Commas: Year 8 Review — Answers

Answer sheet with model answers and success criteria for the Year 8 punctuation worksheet.

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Year 8 · English · Punctuation

Apostrophes and Commas: Year 8 Review — Answers

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Part A — Choose the correct version

Circle the correctly punctuated option.

1.Which sentence is correct?
  1. AThe dog wagged it's tail.
  2. BThe dog wagged its tail.
  3. CThe dog wagged its' tail.
  4. DThe dog wagged it is tail.

Answer: The dog wagged its tail.

'Its' (belonging to it) has no apostrophe. 'It's' always means 'it is' or 'it has'. Test by swapping in 'it is'.

2.Which shows that the bags belong to several students?
  1. Athe student's bags
  2. Bthe students bags
  3. Cthe students' bags
  4. Dthe students's bags

Answer: the students' bags

For a regular plural ending in s, the apostrophe goes after the s: students'.

3.Which shows the toys belong to the children?
  1. Athe childrens' toys
  2. Bthe children's toys
  3. Cthe childrens toys
  4. Dthe children toys

Answer: the children's toys

'Children' is already plural, so it takes 's like a singular noun: children's. The same applies to men's, women's, people's.

4.Which sentence uses commas correctly in a list?
  1. AWe bought apples, bread, cheese, and, milk.
  2. BWe bought apples bread cheese and milk.
  3. CWe bought, apples, bread, cheese and milk.
  4. DWe bought apples, bread, cheese and milk.

Answer: We bought apples, bread, cheese and milk.

Commas separate the items; none is needed before the final 'and' in Australian usage (though an Oxford comma is acceptable if used consistently).

5.Which sentence contains a comma splice?
  1. AThe storm passed, and the sun came out.
  2. BThe storm passed, the sun came out.
  3. CAfter the storm passed, the sun came out.
  4. DThe storm passed; the sun came out.

Answer: The storm passed, the sun came out.

Two complete sentences cannot be joined by a comma alone. Use a conjunction, a semicolon or a full stop.

Part B — Fix the sentences

Rewrite each sentence with correct apostrophes and commas.

6.Correct the apostrophes: 'Jess's brother left his book's at the Smiths house.'

Answer: Jess's brother left his books at the Smiths' house. ('books' is a plain plural; the house belongs to the Smith family, a plural.)

7.Correct the apostrophes: 'Its been a long day and the cat wont come inside; its hiding under the car.'

Answer: It's been a long day and the cat won't come inside; it's hiding under the car. (All three are contractions.)

8.Add the missing commas: 'After the final whistle the players shook hands collected their bags and headed for the bus.'

Answer: After the final whistle, the players shook hands, collected their bags and headed for the bus.

9.Add commas around the extra information: 'My cousin who lives in Darwin is visiting next week.'

Answer: My cousin, who lives in Darwin, is visiting next week. (The clause adds extra detail; the sentence makes sense without it.)

10.Fix the comma splice in two different ways: 'The library closes at five, we should leave now.'

Answer: The library closes at five, so we should leave now. / The library closes at five; we should leave now. (A full stop or 'because' also works.)

11.Rewrite correctly: 'The womens change rooms are next to the mens, both are closed for cleaning.'

Answer: The women's change rooms are next to the men's; both are closed for cleaning. (Irregular plural possessives take 's; the comma splice becomes a semicolon or full stop.)

Part C — True or false?

Circle True or False.

12.Apostrophes are used to make ordinary nouns plural, as in 'banana's for sale'.

Answer: False

Plurals never take an apostrophe. 'Bananas for sale.' This is one of the most common errors in signs and student writing.

13.'Who's' means 'who is' or 'who has', while 'whose' shows possession.

Answer: True

'Who's coming?' = who is coming. 'Whose bag is this?' = belonging to whom.

14.A comma should always go before 'and'.

Answer: False

A comma goes before 'and' when it joins two complete sentences, not when it joins two words or phrases: 'fish and chips'.

15.A comma is usually needed after a fronted phrase or clause, as in 'Although it was late, we kept going.'

Answer: True

The comma marks where the introductory part ends and the main clause begins.

Part D — Put it all together

16.Write a short paragraph (5–6 sentences) about a family event. Include: one contraction, one singular possessive, one plural possessive, one list with commas, one fronted phrase followed by a comma, and no comma splices. Underline each feature.

Model answer: Last Saturday, we drove to my grandparents' farm for Nan's eightieth birthday. The boot was packed with folding chairs, a pavlova, two eskies and the dog. By the time we arrived, my uncle's ute was already blocking the driveway. Nan didn't want a fuss, but forty people turned up anyway. The children's games lasted until dark, and nobody wanted to leave.

Success criteria:

  • One contraction with the apostrophe in the right place
  • One singular possessive (Nan's, uncle's)
  • One plural possessive (grandparents', children's)
  • A list of three or more items punctuated with commas
  • A fronted phrase or clause followed by a comma
  • No comma splices; all features underlined
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