Use these Apostrophe practice questions to review contractions, possessive nouns, possessive pronouns, plural numbers, abbreviated years, and joint possession. After answering each question, open the explanation to see the rule behind the correct answer.
Apostrophe Topics Covered
- Contractions
- Its vs. it’s
- Your vs. you’re
- Who’s vs. whose
- Singular and plural possessive nouns
- Possessive pronouns
- Apostrophes with letters
- Plural years and abbreviated decades
- Joint and separate possession
Apostrophe Practice Questions
- its
- its’
- it
- No error
Show Answer
Answer: D. No error
The word it’s is correct because it is a contraction of it is.
The sentence means, Hurry; it is time to go!
Its is possessive, its’ is not a standard form, and it would leave the sentence without the verb is.
- Marcus’s
- Marcuses
- Marcuses’
- No error
Show Answer
Answer: C. Marcuses’
The phrase the Marcus refers to the Marcus family, so the name should first be made plural: Marcuses.
Because Marcuses is a plural noun ending in s, the possessive form adds only an apostrophe: Marcuses’.
Marcus’s would refer to one person named Marcus, not the whole family.
- it
- its
- its’
- No error
Show Answer
Answer: B. its
The sentence needs the possessive form of it.
Its means belonging to it. It’s means it is, which would not make sense here.
Its’ is not a standard form.
- hers
- hers’s
- his
- No error
Show Answer
Answer: A. hers
The possessive pronoun hers does not use an apostrophe.
Possessive pronouns, such as hers, his, ours, yours, and theirs, already show ownership.
Her’s is incorrect.
- you’re
- youre
- you
- No error
Show Answer
Answer: A. you’re
The sentence means you are right, so the correct word is you’re.
Your is possessive, as in your book. Youre is not a standard word, and you alone would leave out the verb.
- Whos’
- Whose
- Who’se
- No error
Show Answer
Answer: B. Whose
The sentence asks who owns the hat, so it needs the possessive form whose.
Who’s is a contraction of who is or who has. It does not show possession.
Whos’ and who’se are not standard forms.
- is
- Is
- I’s
- No error
Show Answer
Answer: D. No error
The apostrophe in i’s helps prevent confusion.
Without the apostrophe, is would look like the verb is instead of the plural form of the letter i.
Apostrophes can be used with lowercase letters when they are needed for clarity.
- 19’90’s
- 19’90s
- 1990s
- No error
Show Answer
Answer: C. 1990s
Plural numbers do not usually need apostrophes.
The correct form is 1990s, not 1990’s.
An apostrophe may be used at the beginning of an abbreviated decade, as in ’90s, but it should not be used before the plural s.
- 70s
- 70’s
- ’70’s
- No error
Show Answer
Answer: D. No error
The apostrophe before 70s shows that part of the number has been left out.
’70s is a shortened form of 1970s.
The plural s does not need an apostrophe, so 70’s and ’70’s are incorrect.
- Dennis and Pam’s; Dennis’s and Pam’s
- Dennis’s and Pam’s; Dennis’s and Pam’s
- Dennis’s and Pam; Dennis’s and Pam’s
- No error
Show Answer
Answer: A. Dennis and Pam’s; Dennis’s and Pam’s
When two people share ownership of one thing, only the second name takes the apostrophe.
Because Dennis and Pam share one house, the correct phrase is Dennis and Pam’s new house.
When two people own separate things, each name should show possession. Since Dennis and Pam have separate jobs, the correct phrase is Dennis’s and Pam’s jobs.
How to Use These Apostrophe Practice Questions
Answer each question before opening the explanation. Then compare your answer with the apostrophe rule described in the solution.
If you miss a question, check whether the word is a contraction, a possessive noun, a possessive pronoun, or a plural form. Apostrophe errors often happen when two of those categories look similar.