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Year 3

Apostrophes for singular possession and for plural possession

I can use an apostrophe accurately to signal singular possession or plural possession.

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New
New
Year 3

Apostrophes for singular possession and for plural possession

I can use an apostrophe accurately to signal singular possession or plural possession.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. An apostrophe has more than one purpose.
  2. An apostrophe can show if a noun belongs to another singular noun.
  3. An apostrophe can show if a noun belongs to another plural noun.
  4. There are rules for where to place the apostrophe for possession depending on if the noun is singular or plural.
  5. Apostrophes for singular possession or for plural possession are useful to make our meaning clear.

Common misconception

Pupils incorrectly place the apostrophe in the singular or plural noun that possesses the second noun.

An apostrophe is placed before the s at the end of the first noun when it is a singular noun that owns the second noun. An apostrophe is placed after the s at the end of the first noun when it is a plural noun that owns the second noun.

Keywords

  • Apostrophe for possession - a punctuation mark that can be used to show if a noun belongs to another singular or plural noun

  • Singular - only one

  • Plural - more than one

Repeated and consistent practice will help to embed this punctuation rule. Try starting each morning that you are working on this unit with a five-minute review task in which pupils practise the rules. Have a display board in the classroom with many examples of singular and plural possession too.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What does 'plural' mean?
only one
equal to
Correct answer: more than one
Q2.
What does 'singular' mean?
Correct answer: only one
equal to
more than one
Q3.
Which of these are plural nouns that do not end in s?
Correct answer: geese
buses
Correct answer: teeth
clocks
Correct answer: feet
Q4.
What belongs to Sofia in the following sentence? 'Sofia's sticker chart was on the desk and Ms Douglas found it for her.'
desk
Ms Douglas
Correct answer: sticker chart
Q5.
What belongs to the children in the following sentence? 'We saw the children's school when we were on the bus going to the theatre.'
bus
Correct answer: school
theatre
Q6.
Why is there no s after the apostrophe in the following sentence? 'All the teachers' jeans had grass stains on them after Sports Day.'
The noun 'teachers' is singular.
Nothing belongs to the teachers in this sentence.
Correct answer: The noun 'teachers' is plural.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What does 'possess' mean?
to see
to position
to belong
Correct answer: to own
Q2.
What belongs to Lucas in the following sentence? 'I went to Lucas' home at the weekend and we played a lot of games.'
Correct answer: home
games
weekend
Q3.
Who possesses the diary in the following sentence? 'Aisha's diary was safely stored in her cupboard and Izzy had seen it.'
Correct answer: Aisha
Aisha and Izzy
Izzy
Q4.
What is the pair of words that signals that something belongs to a plural noun in the following sentence? 'The books' pages had all been torn by the naughty toddler'.
been torn
naughty toddler
Correct answer: books' pages
Q5.
What belongs to the people in the following sentence? 'The people's votes had been counted and verified and the result was clear.'
Correct answer: votes
result
clear
Q6.
Match the nouns to their correct tags.
Correct Answer:children,plural common noun

plural common noun

Correct Answer:goose,singular common noun

singular common noun

Correct Answer:Izzy,singular proper noun

singular proper noun