Plural and Irregular Possessives: Where Does the Apostrophe Go? — Answers
Answer sheet with model answers and success criteria for the 5th Grade punctuation worksheet.
Success TutoringWorksheetsAnswer sheet5th Grade · English · PunctuationPlural and Irregular Possessives: Where Does the Apostrophe Go? — Answers
Part A: Which one is right?
Step 1: Write the owner, singular or plural. Step 2: If the owner ends in s because it is plural, add only an apostrophe ('). Otherwise, add 's. Circle the right answer.
- Athe student's coats
- Bthe students' coats
- Cthe students's coats
- Dthe students coats
Answer: the students' coats
The owner is students (plural, ends in s), so add only an apostrophe.
- Athe childrens' toys
- Bthe childrens toys
- Cthe children's toys
- Dthe childs' toys
Answer: the children's toys
Children is already plural but does not end in s, so add 's.
- Athe Garza's house
- Bthe Garzas house
- Cthe Garzas' house
- Dthe Garzas's house
Answer: the Garzas' house
First make the family name plural (the Garzas), then add an apostrophe after the s.
- AThe women's team won both games.
- BThe womens' team won both games.
- CThe womens team won both games.
- DThe woman's' team won both games.
Answer: The women's team won both games.
Women is an irregular plural that does not end in s, so add 's.
Part B: Write the possessive
Rewrite each phrase using a possessive noun.
Answer: the coach's whistle
Answer: the coaches' locker room
Answer: the mice's tails
Mice is an irregular plural, so add 's.
Answer: the rabbits' cages
Answer: the men's shoes
Answer: the Nguyens' car
Answer: the bees' hives
Answer: the sheep's wool
Sheep is the same in the singular and the plural, and it does not end in s, so add 's.
Part C: Possessive or plural?
An apostrophe shows ownership, not just more than one.
- AThe three puppies slept in a pile.
- BThe puppies bed was soft.
- COne puppys ear flopped over.
- DThe puppies toys were everywhere.
Answer: The three puppies slept in a pile.
Puppies only means more than one puppy. Nothing belongs to them in this sentence.
Answer: Both of my brothers' bikes have flat tires.
If only one brother owns more than one bike, write my brother's bikes. Both of my brothers means two brothers.
Answer: The players wore their new jerseys.
Players is just a plural here; the jerseys are shown as theirs by the word their.
Part D: Edit the notice
The notice has four missing apostrophes. Rewrite it correctly.
Answer: The Science Club's bake sale will be held in the teachers' lounge. All the money will go toward the club's trip to the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Parents' donations are welcome!
There is one club (Club's, club's). The lounge belongs to many teachers (teachers'), and the donations come from many parents (Parents').
Part E: True or false?
Circle True or False.
Answer: True
Answer: False
People is a plural that does not end in s, so its possessive is people's.
Answer: False
Plurals do not take apostrophes: two bananas.
Part F: Your turn
Model answer: Our principal's speech opened the school carnival. The fifth graders' booth sold lemonade and popcorn. The children's favorite game was the water balloon toss.
Success criteria:
- A singular possessive with 's
- A plural possessive with s' (apostrophe after the s)
- An irregular plural possessive with 's
- No apostrophes on plain plurals
Marking tips
- Give credit for correct method even when the final answer slips — the working shows where the thinking went right.
- For open-ended tasks, use the success criteria as a checklist rather than looking for one "right" answer.
- Celebrate what went well first, then pick one thing to work on next.
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