SEAGReady
PunctuationP6 level15 questions in the full course

ApostrophesSEAG Practice Questions

Using apostrophes for contraction (don't, could've) and possession (singular and plural owners), including the its/it's distinction.

Where your child meets this in real life: Apostrophes make shortened forms and ownership clear in everyday writing, and pupils must check those uses accurately in official-style proofreading.

What your child needs to know

SEAGReady breaks apostrophes into 3 steps, taught in order so each skill builds on the last.

  1. 1

    Contractions

    Form and check the regular contractions directly practised here by expanding them and locating omitted letters (do not → don't, we are → we're, we will → we'll, could not → couldn't, could have → could've).

  2. 2

    Singular Possession

    Show that something belongs to one owner by adding apostrophe + s to the owner's name (Ben's bike, the dog's bowl).

  3. 3

    Plural Owners and its/it's

    Place the apostrophe after the s for plural owners ending in s (the girls' changing room), handle irregular plurals (the children's coats), and distinguish its from it's.

Try these SEAG-style questions

Three free sample questions from our apostrophes course. Every question comes with a full explanation, and hints that guide without giving the answer away.

Question 1Confidence builder
Which section contains the punctuation mistake?
Sentence divided into sections A to D

Section AI do'nt wantSection Bto missSection Cthe busSection Dto school.

Choose A, B, C or D for the section with the mistake. Choose N if there is no mistake.

Question 2Confidence builder
Which section contains the punctuation mistake?
Sentence divided into sections A to D

Section AMy onlySection Bsisters' coatSection Cis hangingSection Dby the door.

Choose A, B, C or D for the section with the mistake. Choose N if there is no mistake.

Question 3Confidence builder
Which section contains the punctuation mistake?
Sentence divided into sections A to D

Section ABefore the performance,Section Bthe dance teacher checkedSection Cthe six girls costumesSection Dbeside the stage.

Choose A, B, C or D for the section with the mistake. Choose N if there is no mistake.

Try the lesson: Contractions

This is the exact interactive worked example your child sees in SEAGReady. Step through it and watch the method build up.

Ellie wrote: 'We do not want to miss the bus to the town centre.' She wants it to sound more natural, the way people speak.

How should she write 'do not' as a contraction?

Squash the two words together
1

Push 'do' and 'not' together. In this contraction, the 'o' of 'not' is the one letter that must go.

Step 1 of 4

Prefer to read? See every step written out

Ellie wrote: 'We do not want to miss the bus to the town centre.' She wants it to sound more natural, the way people speak.

How should she write 'do not' as a contraction?

  1. 1

    Squash the two words together

    • Push 'do' and 'not' together. In this contraction, the 'o' of 'not' is the one letter that must go.
  2. 2

    Find the missing letters

    • When we say it, 'do not' becomes 'don't' - the 'o' of 'not' has been dropped.
    • The apostrophe goes exactly where the missing 'o' was: between the 'n' and the 't'.
  3. 3

    Check with the expand-it test

    • Stretch it back out: don't → do not. It expands correctly, so the apostrophe is in the right place.

The sentence becomes: 'We don't want to miss the bus to the town centre.'

The key insight: In regular contractions such as 'don't' and 'could've', the apostrophe marks the position of omitted letters rather than merely the join between words. A few common contractions, including 'won't' from 'will not', also change spelling and should be checked as whole forms.

Common mix-up: Writing 'could of' instead of 'could've'. 'could've' is short for 'could HAVE'. It sounds like 'could of' when spoken, but 'of' is never correct there.

Mistakes to watch for

These are the misconceptions we see most often in apostrophes, including the ones our practice questions are specifically designed to catch.

  • Placing the contraction apostrophe at the join instead of where letters are missing (do'nt)
  • Writing 'could of' instead of 'could've' (could have)
  • Adding apostrophes to ordinary plurals (the greengrocer's apostrophe: 'apple's for sale')
  • Using it's for possession (the dog wagged it's tail)

Build these skills first

Struggling with apostrophes? The real gap is often in one of these earlier topics.

Capital Letters and End Marks

More punctuation practice

Commas in Lists and SentencesPunctuating SpeechColons, Semicolons, Brackets and HyphensProofreading for Punctuation
15 questions on this topic alone

Master apostrophes and everything it unlocks

SEAGReady finds the exact step where your child gets stuck, teaches it with worked examples like the one above, and brings it back for review so it sticks.

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