Singular Nouns
The (chef) hat was perfectly white.
chef's
The (teachers) lounge was recently renovated.
teachers'
The teachers' lounge was recently renovated.
The (mens) softball team won the championship.
men's
The men's softball team won the championship.
My (neighbor) dog barks every morning.
neighbor's
The (drivers) licenses were checked by the officer.
drivers'
The drivers' licenses were checked by the officer.
The (women) restroom was busy during intermission.
women's
(Mr. Smith) office is on the third floor.
Mr. Smith's
We listened to the (birds) morning song.
birds'
We listened to the birds' morning song.
We need to look into the (person) complaints about the new policy.
Plural+Possessive
people's
We need to look into the people's complaints about the new policy.
The (boss) decision was final.
The boss's decision was final.
All the (guest) coats are in the cloakroom.
guests'
All the guests' coats are in the cloakroom.
The (goose) migration pattern shifted due to the early cold.
Plural+Possessive
geese's
The geese's migration pattern shifted due to the early cold.
Earth is not a perfect sphere. Due to the ______ gravitational pull, Earth bulges out on the sides closest to and farthest from the Moon. This distorting pull is known as a tidal force, and it is responsible for the changes in water levels that are called high and low tides.
A. Moon’s
B. Moons
C. Moons’
D. Moon
Correct Answer: A
The convention being tested is the use of possessive nouns. The singular possessive noun "Moon’s" correctly indicates that there is only one Moon, and it has a gravitational pull.
The (witness) testimony was crucial to the case.
witness's
The (company) profits were higher this quarter.
companies'
The companies' profits were higher this quarter.
The (child) artwork was displayed on the refrigerator.
Plural+Possessive
children's
The children's artwork was displayed on the refrigerator.
Cheng Dang and her colleagues at the University of Washington recently ran simulations to determine the extent to which individual snow ______affect the amount of light reflecting off a snowy surface.
A. grain’s physical properties’
B. grains’ physical properties
C. grains’ physical property’s
D. grains physical properties
Correct Answer: B
The plural possessive noun “grains’” and the plural noun “properties” correctly indicate that the simulations involved multiple snow grains and that those snow grains had several properties.