Year 4 · English

Plural possessive apostrophes

7 checked activities 5 video matches

Where does the apostrophe go in plural possession?

First identify the owner and decide whether it is singular or plural. A singular noun takes 's. A regular plural that already ends in s takes an apostrophe after that s. An irregular plural that does not end in s takes 's.

Possessive-apostrophe rules
Owner	Rule	Example
Singular noun	Add 's	the dog's collar
Regular plural already ending in s	Add an apostrophe after the s	the girls' coats
Irregular plural not ending in s	Add 's	the children's toys

Keep practising: Use the Year 4 English checklist

Understand the key idea

Possessive apostrophes show that something belongs to a noun. Add 's to a singular noun, place the apostrophe after the s in a regular plural that already ends in s, and add 's to an irregular plural that does not end in s.

Six possessive-apostrophe questions

Rewrite 'the collar belonging to the dog'. Answer: the dog's collar — dog is singular, so add 's.
Rewrite 'the playground belonging to the school'. Answer: the school's playground — school is singular, so add 's.
Rewrite 'the coats belonging to the girls'. Answer: the girls' coats — girls is a regular plural ending in s, so place the apostrophe after the s.
Rewrite 'the changing room belonging to the players'. Answer: the players' changing room — players already ends in s.
Rewrite 'the toys belonging to the children'. Answer: the children's toys — children is an irregular plural not ending in s, so add 's.
Rewrite 'the nest belonging to the geese'. Answer: the geese's nest — geese is an irregular plural not ending in s, so add 's.

Common mix-up

Do not add another s after a regular plural that already ends in s: the girls' coats means coats belonging to several girls.

Try this first

Decide whether the owner is singular or plural.
If it is plural, check whether the plural already ends in s.
Place the apostrophe using the matching rule, then read the phrase as 'belonging to'.

Ask: Who owns the object, and is that owner singular or plural?

Curriculum check: DfE English Appendix 2: vocabulary, grammar and punctuation

Year 4 learners practise apostrophes for possession with plural words.

The activities include Add Apostrophes to Show Possession, Practise Using Apostrophes for Possession with Tricky Plural Words, Practise Using Apostrophes for Possession with Irregular Plural Words, and related practice. The checked support below includes video, teaching-practice, interactive, teaching. Open a resource in its provider's website and choose the format that best helps the learner explain the idea independently.

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Activities covered

Add Apostrophes to Show Possession
Practise Using Apostrophes for Possession with Tricky Plural Words
Practise Using Apostrophes for Possession with Irregular Plural Words
Use Apostrophes for Possession with Plural Words
Use Apostrophes for Possession with Tricky Plural Words
Use Apostrophes to Show Ownership with Irregular Plurals
Use the Apostrophe to Show Possession with Plural Nouns

Learning path

These same-subject links were reviewed as the foundations for this topic and the learning it directly unlocks.

Learn this first

Year 2Use Possessive Apostrophes
Introduces apostrophe plus s for singular possession before the plural forms are distinguished.
Year 2Spell Contracted Words
Distinguishing omitted-letter apostrophes from possession prevents the two uses being confused.

Where this leads next

Year 6Grammar And Punctuation Practice Papers
Applies singular and plural possession accurately within mixed upper-KS2 grammar and punctuation questions.

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