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 appear everywhere from shop signs to text messages - spotting a wrongly placed one is a classic SEAG proofreading question
SEAGReady breaks apostrophes into 3 steps, taught in order so each skill builds on the last.
Form and check contractions by placing the apostrophe exactly where letters have been removed (do not → don't, could have → could've).
Show that something belongs to one owner by adding apostrophe + s to the owner's name (Padraig's bike, the dog's bowl).
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.
Three free sample questions from our apostrophes course. Every question comes with a full explanation, and hints that guide without giving the answer away.
Choose the section that contains a punctuation mistake, or 'No mistake'. [A] I do'nt want [B] to miss [C] the bus [D] to school.
Answer: A. I do'nt want
Section A has 'do'nt', with the apostrophe at the join between the words. It should sit where the missing 'o' of 'not' was: 'don't'.
Stuck? Start here: Say the two words in full first: 'do not'. Which letter disappears when they squash together?
Choose the section that contains a punctuation mistake, or 'No mistake'. [A] Ethans bike is [B] parked outside [C] the shop [D] on Main Street.
Answer: A. Ethans bike is
Section A has 'Ethans bike', with no apostrophe to show the bike belongs to Ethan. It should read 'Ethan's bike'.
Stuck? Start here: Find the owner first: who does the bike belong to?
Choose the section that contains a punctuation mistake, or 'No mistake'. [A] The girl's changing [B] room at the [C] leisure centre [D] in Newry was busy.
Answer: A. The girl's changing
Section A has 'girl's changing', with the apostrophe before the s, showing one girl owns the room. Since the room is shared by all the girls, it should read 'girls' changing'.
Stuck? Start here: Count the owners: does the room belong to one girl or to all of them?
This is the exact interactive worked example your child sees in SEAGReady. Step through it and watch the method build up.
Caoimhe wrote: 'We do not want to miss the bus to Belfast.' She wants it to sound more natural, the way people speak.
How should she write 'do not' as a contraction?
Step 1 of 4
Caoimhe wrote: 'We do not want to miss the bus to Belfast.' She wants it to sound more natural, the way people speak.
How should she write 'do not' as a contraction?
The sentence becomes: 'We don't want to miss the bus to Belfast.'
The key insight: The apostrophe is a placeholder for missing letters - it always sits exactly where the letters fell out, not where the two words join.
Watch out: 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.
These are the misconceptions we see most often in apostrophes, including the ones our practice questions are specifically designed to catch.
Struggling with apostrophes? The real gap is often in one of these earlier topics.
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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