English · Stage 5
Whose Is It?
Grammar & Punctuation — 's for one owner, s' for many, and when its needs no apostrophe at all
✦ English📘 Stage 5 · S5⏱ ~11 min🧒 Ages 9–10★ Free to start
I can use an apostrophe for possession.
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Kavi's Name Tags
"Whose bone is this?" asked Kavi, holding up a little tag. "One dog? Then it's the dog's bone — the 's shows it belongs to one owner. A whole pack? Then it's the dogs' bones, and the apostrophe hops to after the s. And when it owns something, its tail wags with no apostrophe at all!"
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What your child will learn
1An apostrophe can show who something belongs toA possessive apostrophe shows belonging. WHERE it sits depends on how many owners there are — and the word its is a special case with no apostrophe at all.
2Where does the apostrophe go?
3its or it's?
4Spot the ownerTap each line to hear it. For every apostrophe, ask: one owner ('s), many owners (s'), or belonging (its)?
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A peek inside
Write 'the bone belonging to one dog' using an apostrophe.
one owner → add 's after dog → dog's
Try this at home: One owner — the bag belonging to one girl: the girl___ bag
Ready to play and learn?
Start the free interactive lesson, or print the handout for screen-free play.
Part of English · Stage 5 · S5 on KAVI Academy — a secular, whole-child learning platform for ages 5–12.