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Possessive Nouns and Apostrophes Worksheets

Apostrophes cause more written errors than any other punctuation mark. The rule is short; applying it to a plural that already ends in s is what takes practice.

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6th Grade Possessives and Apostrophes Practice

Possessives and Apostrophes

Circle the correct answer.

  1. 1.

    Which is a standard way to write the bike belonging to Chris?

    Chris's bikeChris bikeChriss bike
  2. 2.

    Which shows that several girls share the locker room?

    the girl's locker roomthe girls locker roomthe girls' locker room
  3. 3.

    Which shows that one girl owns the bike?

    the girls bikethe girl's bikethe girls' bike
  4. 4.

    The cat licked blank paw.

    its'itsit's

Write the correct word on each line.

  1. 5.

    the shoes that belong to the men = the blank shoes

  2. 6.

    the locker room used by the players = the blank locker room

  3. 7.

    the roof of the house = the blank roof

  4. 8.

    the coats that belong to the children = the blank coats

Rewrite each sentence following the directions in brackets.

  1. 9.

    The lunches of the students were left on the bus. (rewrite using an apostrophe)

  2. 10.

    The bedroom of my brother is upstairs. (rewrite using an apostrophe)

Each sentence has at least one mistake. Write the sentence correctly.

  1. 11.

    That seat is her's.

  2. 12.

    The bikes tire was flat.

  3. 13.

    We bought fresh apple's at the market.

  4. 14.

    Both teams uniforms are blue.

  5. 15.

    The bird built it's nest in the hedge.

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Possessives and Apostrophes: the rules these questions test

Singular nouns add 's
Ana's backpack, the dog's collar, the house's roof — even when the noun already ends in s: Chris's bike is the most common style.
Plurals that end in s add just the apostrophe
the players' locker room, the babies' toys, both teams' uniforms. The apostrophe sits after the s that was already there.
Irregular plurals add 's
children's, men's, women's, geese's. These plurals do not end in s, so they follow the singular rule.
A plain plural takes no apostrophe
"The three cats were sleeping." Nothing belongs to anything, so nothing gets an apostrophe. Greengrocer's apostrophes like "fresh apple's" come from this confusion.
Possessive pronouns never take one
hers, ours, yours, theirs, its. If you wrote it's, read it as it is and see whether the sentence survives.

Questions parents and teachers ask

Is it James' or James's?
Both are used. Adding 's (James's) follows the Chicago Manual and most US school texts; AP style drops the s for singular names ending in s. The answer key here uses 's and notes the alternative.
How do I explain the plural possessive to a child?
Two steps, always in the same order. First make the noun plural (player becomes players), then add the apostrophe where it lands (players'). Doing it in that order prevents "player's" for a group.
What grade covers possessive nouns?
Apostrophes for possession start in second grade with singular nouns, and plural possessives are usually third and fourth grade. The distinction between plural and possessive is corrected well into middle school.

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