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The kite belongs to both boys. It is the boys' kite.

Apostrophes - Plural Possessive (to Proper Nouns and Nouns)

Learn how apostrophes show when things belong to more than one person, like the teachers’ room or the dogs’ bowls, using clear KS1 examples.

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Fascinating Fact:

Use “the teachers’ room” to show the room belongs to all the teachers, not just one.

In KS1 English, children learn that when something belongs to more than one person or thing, we usually add an apostrophe after the s, like “the girls’ coats” or “the cats’ bowls”.

Key Terms

Plural noun: A word that means more than one person or thing, like teachers, cats or books.
Plural possessive apostrophe: An apostrophe after s to show something belongs to a group, like “the teachers’ room”.
Proper noun: The name of a particular person, place or thing, starting with a capital letter, like India or James.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What is a plural possessive apostrophe in KS1 English?

A plural possessive apostrophe shows that something belongs to more than one person or thing. It usually goes after the s, like “the dogs’ kennel”.

Where does the apostrophe go in words like teachers’ and boys’?

If the plural already ends in s, put the apostrophe after the s. For example, “teachers’ room” and “boys’ toilets” show belonging to many teachers or many boys.

How can I help children remember plural possessive apostrophes?

Ask “Who owns it?” If the answer is more than one and the word ends in s, add an apostrophe after the s, like “the cats’ food” or “the players’ boots”.

Try These Related Quizzes

To see a larger image, click on the picture.

1 .

Which sentence is perfect?

The tennis players' outfits matched.

Sams tennis racket broke.

Andys' tennis shoes were stuck in her locker.

The girls' beat the boys.

A tennis ball is only in play for about twenty minutes during an average two-and-a-half-hour tennis match.

2 .

The boy's hair was blond. Why is the apostrophe in the correct place?

Because there is more than one boy.

Because they both have hair.

Because we are only talking about one boy.

Because we left a letter out.

An apostrophe can be used to show that one boy owns something and also shows that many boys own something. If you know the boy's name then you would write 's.

3 .

Which sentence is perfect?

Emmas dance shoes were pink. Her friends loved their dance lesson.

Emma's dance shoes were pink. Her friend's loved their dance lesson.

Emma's dance shoes were pink. Her friends loved their dance lesson.

Emma's dance shoes were pink. Her friends' loved their dance lesson.

The word following 'friends' isn't anything that can be owned and so won't have an apostrophe.

4 .

Which sentence is not correct?

The girl's braces were helping to straighten her teeth.

The boy's hair was brown.

The girls' braces were helping to straighten her teeth.

Jamie's top was pink.

The third answer suggests there was more than one girl.

5 .

Which sentence is not correct?

The dog's hat matched his owners.

Ellas dog was well behaved.

The girl's dog wore a hat.

Woof's hat was too big for him.

There are over 400 million dogs in the world.

6 .

Which sentence isn't correct?

The donkeys ears were large.

The donkey's ears were large.

The donkeys' ears were large.

The donkey's teeth were large.

Donkeys' ears are much larger than horses and they can hear another donkey call from over sixty miles away.

7 .

Which answer is correct?

The sharks teeth were strong, white and pointy.

The sharks' teeth were strong, white and pointy.

The Sharks teeth were strong, white and pointy.

The shark's teeth were strong, white and pointy.

Sharks have the most powerful jaws on the planet. Here I am talking about sharks in general, whereas above, I'm talking about that specific shark.

8 .

Which of these sentences is not correct?

The girls' tops were pink.

Tommy's daughters were having fun on the beach.

The girl's top was dirty.

Sarahs' dad was strong.

There is only one Sarah and that's why the apostrophe would go before the 's'. Also, we know we are talking about two people in the first answer because it says 'tops' not 'top'.

9 .

The boys' bags were heavy. Why is the apostrophe in the correct place?