English Language Arts
Grade 4
15 min
Form the singular or plural possessive
Form the singular or plural possessive
What you'll learn
- Identify at least three possible antecedents for a given pronoun in a sentence with 80% accuracy.
- Explain the grammatical relationship between a pronoun and its antecedent using appropriate terminology (e.g., agreement, reference) in at least two sentences.
- Analyze a complex sentence containing multiple pronouns and identify all possible antecedents for each pronoun with 75% accuracy.
- Apply the rules of pronoun-antecedent agreement to correctly identify the intended antecedent in ambiguous sentences and justify their choice in writing.
Tutorial Preview
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Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Identify the 'owner' noun and the 'owned' object in a sentence.
Correctly form the possessive of a singular noun by adding an apostrophe and an 's' ('s).
Correctly form the possessive of a plural noun that ends in 's' by adding only an apostrophe (s').
Correctly form the possessive of an irregular plural noun (e.g., children, men) by adding an apostrophe and an 's' ('s).
Differentiate between a plural noun (dogs) and a singular possessive noun (dog's).
Rewrite a sentence to include a singular or plural possessive noun.
Choose the correct possessive form to complete a sentence.
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
NounA word that names a person, place, thing, or idea.teacher, school, desk, happiness
Possessive NounA noun that shows ownership or belonging. It answers the question 'Whose?'.the student's book (The book belongs to the student.)
ApostropheA punctuation mark (') used to show that a noun is possessive.The cat's toy.
Singular NounA noun that names only one person, place, thing, or idea.one girl, one city, one leaf
Plural NounA noun that names more than one person, place, thing, or idea.many girls, two cities, a pile of leaves
Irregular Plural NounA plural noun that does not end in -s or -es.children (not childs), mice (not mouses), people (not persons)
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Key Rules & Conventions
Singular Possessive Rule
Noun + 's
To show that one person, place, or thing owns something, add an apostrophe and an 's' to the end of the noun.
Plural Possessive Rule (ending in -s)
Noun + '
To show that more than one person, place, or thing owns something, and the plural noun already ends in 's', just add an apostrophe after the 's'.
Irregular Plural Possessive Rule
Noun + 's
To show ownership for a plural noun that does NOT end in 's' (like children or men), add an apostrophe and an 's', just like you do for singular nouns.
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Challenging
Combine these two sentences into one using a plural possessive: 'The parents came to the meeting. Their questions were very thoughtful.'
A.The parent's questions at the meeting were very thoughtful.
B.The parents' questions at the meeting were very thoughtful.
C.The parents questions' at the meeting were very thoughtful.
D.The parents questions at the meeting were very thoughtful.
Challenging
Read the sentence with figurative language: 'The moon's smile was a silver sliver in the dark night.' What does the possessive noun 'moon's' tell us?
A.That there are many moons in the sky.
B.That the moon is actually smiling at the narrator.
C.That the smile belongs to the sliver.
D.That the smile is a quality being given to the moon.
Challenging
Read the short paragraph. Which sentence needs to be corrected to properly show possession? (1) My family went to the city last weekend. (2) We saw all the tall buildings. (3) My brothers favorite part was the giant toy store. (4) I liked the pretzel stands on every corner.
A.Sentence 1
B.Sentence 2
C.Sentence 3
D.Sentence 4
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Frequently asked questions
What grade level is "Form the singular or plural possessive"?
Form the singular or plural possessive is a Grade 4 English Language Arts lesson on ExcelOS.
What will I learn in Form the singular or plural possessive?
You'll be able to: Identify at least three possible antecedents for a given pronoun in a sentence with 80% accuracy; Explain the grammatical relationship between a pronoun and its antecedent using appropriate terminology (e.g., agreement….
Is "Form the singular or plural possessive" free to practice?
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How many practice questions are included with Form the singular or plural possessive?
This lesson includes 25 practice questions across multiple difficulty levels, each with instant feedback and explanations.