Apostrophes: contractions, possession and ordinary plurals
Apostrophes commonly mark missing letters in a contraction or show possession. 'Can't' means 'cannot'. 'The cyclist's helmet' belongs to one cyclist. An ordinary plural such as 'three helmets' does not need an apostrophe.
Before you start
Before placing an apostrophe, decide what the word means in the sentence. Is it a shortened form, an owner or simply more than one thing? The answer determines whether an apostrophe belongs there and where it goes.
Begin with familiar contractions and one owner. Then compare plural owners and possessive forms such as its. A worksheet can give you practice, but apply the same meaning check when editing your own sentences.
Step by step
Check for missing letters
Expand a possible contraction. 'She's ready' means 'she is ready'; 'they've arrived' means 'they have arrived'. The apostrophe marks the omitted letters. Read the expanded words to check that the sentence still makes sense.
Identify the owner
For possession, rewrite the phrase using 'belonging to'. A helmet belonging to one cyclist becomes 'the cyclist's helmet'. With most singular nouns, add apostrophe s to the complete owner word.
Check how the plural is formed
For a plural owner already ending in s, add the apostrophe after s: 'the cyclists' helmets'. For an irregular plural without s, add apostrophe s: 'the children's helmets'. Establish the number of owners first.
Leave ordinary plurals alone
'Three cyclists wore helmets' simply names several cyclists and helmets. Neither word needs an apostrophe. Do not add one just because a word ends in s.
Worked example: equipment at the cycling club
Original sentences. Compare missing letters, one owner and several owners.
A contraction
The cyclists can't leave yet.
One owner
The cyclist's helmet is on the bench.
Several owners
The cyclists' helmets are on the bench.
An ordinary plural
Three cyclists checked their helmets.
Use the expansion test for it's
It's can mean it is or it has: 'It's raining' and 'It's stopped raining'. Its shows possession without an apostrophe: 'The bicycle lost its chain'. If it is or it has does not fit the sentence, do not choose it's.
Other possessive forms without apostrophes include yours, hers, ours and theirs. The noun-possession rule does not apply to these words.
The number of possessions does not choose the apostrophe
'The student's books' has one owner and several books. 'The students' project' has several owners and one shared project. Look at the owner, not the number of objects that follow.
In a sentence with an unclear owner, clarify the intended meaning before editing the punctuation. One misplaced apostrophe can change who owns something.
Try it yourself
Choose the correct form in each original sentence.
- The dog wagged its / it's tail.
- Rewrite 'the lunches belonging to the children' as a possessive phrase.
- Rewrite 'the bags belonging to three swimmers' as a possessive phrase.
- Expand 'We've finished', then explain the apostrophe.
Check your answer
Use its tail, the children's lunches, the swimmers' bags and We have finished. Children is an irregular plural, so it takes apostrophe s. Swimmers is a plural ending in s, so its apostrophe goes after s. We've omits letters from have.
Common questions
Do plural nouns need apostrophes?
Ordinary plurals do not: write 'two dogs'. Add an apostrophe when the noun shows possession, as in 'the dogs' bowls'.
Why does its have no apostrophe?
Its is a possessive form, like hers or theirs. It's is a contraction of it is or it has. Expand the contraction to check which meaning fits.
Where does the apostrophe go in children's?
After the complete word children and before s. Children is already plural and does not end in s, so its possessive form is children's.
Curriculum connection
Year 3 Australian Curriculum English includes apostrophes for contractions and singular and plural possession. These exercises practise those uses and the distinction between possession and an ordinary plural.
QCAA: Australian Curriculum v9.0 Year 3 EnglishSources and further reading
These resources provide background on the skill. The examples and practice tasks above are original.
Choose an apostrophe by checking the meaning
Open language conventions practice in NAPLAN Expert. Expand each contraction or identify the owner before choosing the punctuation answer.
Practise apostrophesFree for every family. No card required. New to NAPLAN Expert? Create a free account.
Examples and activities are NAPLAN Expert teaching material. Sources checked in October 2026.