Apostrophes for singular possession and for plural possession
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can use an apostrophe accurately to signal singular possession or plural possession.
Key learning points
- An apostrophe has more than one purpose.
- An apostrophe can show if a noun belongs to another singular noun.
- An apostrophe can show if a noun belongs to another plural noun.
- There are rules for where to place the apostrophe for possession depending on if the noun is singular or plural.
- Apostrophes for singular possession or for plural possession are useful to make our meaning clear.
Keywords
Apostrophe for possession - a punctuation mark that can be used to show if a noun belongs to another singular or plural noun
Singular - only one
Plural - more than one
Common misconception
Pupils incorrectly place the apostrophe in the singular or plural noun that possesses the second noun.
An apostrophe is placed before the s at the end of the first noun when it is a singular noun that owns the second noun. An apostrophe is placed after the s at the end of the first noun when it is a plural noun that owns the second noun.
Teacher tip
Repeated and consistent practice will help to embed this punctuation rule. Try starting each morning that you are working on this unit with a five-minute review task in which pupils practise the rules. Have a display board in the classroom with many examples of singular and plural possession too.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What does 'plural' mean?
Q2.What does 'singular' mean?
Q3.Which of these are plural nouns that do not end in s?
Q4.What belongs to Sofia in the following sentence? 'Sofia's sticker chart was on the desk and Ms Douglas found it for her.'
Q5.What belongs to the children in the following sentence? 'We saw the children's school when we were on the bus going to the theatre.'
Q6.Why is there no s after the apostrophe in the following sentence? 'All the teachers' jeans had grass stains on them after Sports Day.'
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What does 'possess' mean?
Q2.What belongs to Lucas in the following sentence? 'I went to Lucas' home at the weekend and we played a lot of games.'
Q3.Who possesses the diary in the following sentence? 'Aisha's diary was safely stored in her cupboard and Izzy had seen it.'
Q4.What is the pair of words that signals that something belongs to a plural noun in the following sentence? 'The books' pages had all been torn by the naughty toddler'.
Q5.What belongs to the people in the following sentence? 'The people's votes had been counted and verified and the result was clear.'
Q6.Match the nouns to their correct tags.
plural common noun
singular common noun
singular proper noun
To help you plan your 3 English lesson on: Apostrophes for singular possession and for plural possession, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 3 English lesson on: Apostrophes for singular possession and for plural possession, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 English lessons from the Speech first punctuation and apostrophes unit, dive into the full primary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.