Worksheet 1: Basic Apostrophe Rules

Practice the two main jobs of the apostrophe: showing possession and forming contractions. Click below to print or save as a PDF.

Worksheet 1: Basic Apostrophe Rules

Name: _________________________   Date: _________________________

1. Showing Singular Possession

Rewrite each phrase to show possession using an apostrophe + s ('s).

Original: The toy belonging to the cat.

Corrected:

Original: The car of my friend.

Corrected:

Original: The house owned by the Smiths.

Corrected:

Original: The tail of the dog.

Corrected:

2. Forming Contractions

Write the contraction for each pair of words.

1. is not: __________________
2. I am: __________________
3. you are: __________________
4. do not: __________________
5. it is: __________________
6. we will: __________________

3. Plurals vs. Possessives

Choose the correct word to complete each sentence. Remember, apostrophes are not used for simple plurals.

1. The (cats/cat's) are sleeping in the sun.
2. My (sisters/sister's) name is Emily.
3. I bought three (apples/apple's) from the store.
4. The (student's/students) books were left on the table. (referring to one student)

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