Peter didn't have his textbook with him, so he asked Alice if he could borrow _____ (hers, her's).

hers

her's

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

None of these possessives take apostrophes: "hers," "theirs," "ours," "yours," or "its." It's always "hers," never "her's."

That’s correct! Here’s why:

None of these possessives take apostrophes: "hers," "theirs," "ours," "yours," or "its." It's always "hers," never "her's."

Is the following sentence correct?

Sarah ran through the music center looking for a womens' room.

yes

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

"Womens' room" is incorrect. The apostrophe needs to be relocated:

Sarah ran through the music center looking for a women's room.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

"Womens' room" is incorrect. The apostrophe needs to be relocated:

Sarah ran through the music center looking for a women's room.

How many apostrophes should be removed from the following sentence?

We sell coat's, boot's, bag's, and glove's.

one

two

three

four

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

Don't use apostrophes to form plurals. Remove all apostrophes from the sentence, like this:

We sell coats, boots, bags, and gloves.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

Don't use apostrophes to form plurals. Remove all apostrophes from the sentence, like this:

We sell coats, boots, bags, and gloves.

In the following sentence, where should the apostrophe go in "neighbors"?

My neighbors cats yowl at night.

neighbor's

neighbors'

I need more information.

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

Both of the interpretations below could work, so you need more information:

one neighbor: My neighbor's cats yowl at night.
multiple neighbors: My neighbors' cats yowl at night.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

Both of the interpretations below could work, so you need more information:

one neighbor: My neighbor's cats yowl at night.
multiple neighbors: My neighbors' cats yowl at night.

How many different things can "he's" mean?

one

two

three

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

"He's" can mean "he is" or "he has."

That’s correct! Here’s why:

"He's" can mean "he is" or "he has."

Which of the following sentences contains an incorrectly used apostrophe?

Vince gave two weeks' notice.

To my amazement, the cat seemed to be wagging it's tail.

"Y'all are so cute!" she exclaimed.

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

"It's" is a contraction, not a possessive form. The possessive form is "its."

That’s correct! Here’s why:

"It's" is a contraction, not a possessive form. The possessive form is "its."

The _____ (CEOs, CEO's) gathered in the conference room.

CEOs

CEO's

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

To form the plural of an abbreviation, just add an s.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

To form the plural of an abbreviation, just add an s.

______ (You're, Your) talking too loudly.

You're

Your

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

You need the contraction "you're" here, for "you are."

That’s correct! Here’s why:

You need the contraction "you're" here, for "you are."

The ________ (People's, Peoples') Choice Awards have been held annually since the 1970s.

People's

Peoples'

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

"People" is an irregular plural; it does not end in s. To form the possessive of a plural that does not end in s, treat it as you would a singular possessive: add apostrophe + s.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

"People" is an irregular plural; it does not end in s. To form the possessive of a plural that does not end in s, treat it as you would a singular possessive: add apostrophe + s.

How many ___ (i's, is) are in this sentence?

i's

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

There are a few cases where apostrophes can be used to indicate plurals. It happens if you talk about minding your p's and q's, for example, and also if you talk about letters as letters, as in this example. "Is" doesn't work here, because it will be misread as a form of "to be."

That’s correct! Here’s why: