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Apostrophes - Again Trivia Quiz

Another quiz on apostrophes. I hope you'll find it of some use. :)

A multiple-choice quiz by bloomsby. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
bloomsby

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
148,836

Updated
Jul 23 22

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
3963

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. In English, apostrophes are NEVER used for one of the following. Which is it? Hint

To indicate that a noun is plural

To indicate possession

To indicate a contraction (that is shortening, elision)

In some personal names

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Question 2 of 10

2. Is this sentence correctly written: "It's ours, not yours."?

Yes

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Question 3 of 10

3. "It's" is only correct as a contraction (shortening). There should never be an apostrophe when "its" is a possessive pronoun.

True

False

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Question 4 of 10

4. Which of these statements is INCORRECT? Hint

"Who's" is a contracted (shortened) version of "whose".

"Whose" introduces a question or a subordinate clause.

"Whose" is a pronoun in the series: who - whom - whose.

"Who's" introduces a question or may be found at the beginning of a subordinate clause.

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Question 5 of 10

5. In this sentence, which is an attempt to render speech, is the use of apostrophes correct: "No doubt you're right, m'dear."?

Yes

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Question 6 of 10

6. Which of these is correct? Hint

The ladies' coats are fashionable.

The ladies' coats' are fashionable.

The ladie's coat's are fashionable.

The ladys' coats' are fashionable.

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Question 7 of 10

7. Three of the sentences below are correct; one is not. Which is NOT correct? Hint

The rascals and their practical jokes are driving me crazy.

The rascals' practical jokes are driving me crazy.

The rascal's are driving me crazy with practical joke's.

The rascals are driving me crazy with their practical jokes.

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Question 8 of 10

8. Is this statement correctly written: "Maria's books are on the chair."?

Yes

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Question 9 of 10

9. There's a common, mildly derogatory expression for "acquiring the same consumer goods as the neighbours". What is it, and what is its correct spelling? Hint

Keeping up with the Joneses

Keeping up with the Jones'

Keeping up with the Jones's

Keeping up with the Joneses'

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Question 10 of 10

10. Is this mechanically accurate sentence STYLISTICALLY acceptable in ordinary usage: "The men's uniforms' colors' brightness had faded."?

Yes

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In English, apostrophes are NEVER used for one of the following. Which is it?

Answer: To indicate that a noun is plural

So the plural of "boy" is "boys" and the plural of "girl" is "girls", as in "The boys and girls were playing happily". There's nothing correct, let alone cool, about peppering the plural -s with apostrophes. Common examples of contractions include: "I'll be there". "You shouldn't do that".

It's rare for names to include an apostrophe but they occur, for example, in some family names such as D'Arblay, O'Shea or De'Ath. (In the case of the last of these it's not tactful to ask whether the name was originally "Death".)

2. Is this sentence correctly written: "It's ours, not yours."?

Answer: Yes

"It's" is ONLY correct as a contraction - either of "it is" or "it has". So "it's finally stopped raining" and "it's very puzzling" are correct. "Ours" and "yours" belong to the series "mine" - "yours" - "hers" - "his" - "ours" - "theirs". The form of the pronoun indicates possession and no additional mark of possession is necessary or correct.

3. "It's" is only correct as a contraction (shortening). There should never be an apostrophe when "its" is a possessive pronoun.

Answer: True

"Its" is a possessive pronoun and is part of a series: it - its (as in the "The dog was chasing its own tail"). Compare with: (1) I - me - my/mine, (2) you - your/yours, (3) he - him - his, (4) she - her - hers, (5) we - us - our/ours, (6) they - them - their/theirs.

Its (possessive) belongs to this kind of series and so it never takes an apostrophe, just as yours, his, hers, ours and theirs don't do so.

4. Which of these statements is INCORRECT?

Answer: "Who's" is a contracted (shortened) version of "whose".

"Who's" is ONLY correct as a contraction of "who is" or "who has", for example, "Who's there?" and "The girl who's just arrived ..."

5. In this sentence, which is an attempt to render speech, is the use of apostrophes correct: "No doubt you're right, m'dear."?

Answer: Yes

Obviously, whether you like this kind of style isn't a grammatical matter.

6. Which of these is correct?

Answer: The ladies' coats are fashionable.

If a plural noun ends in -s and is possessive, then the correct ending is -s'. If the plural of a noun isn't formed with -s but only adds an -s to indicate possession one uses -'s, as in "the men's jackets" and "the women's jobs". If an irregular plural ends in an /s/ *sound*, such as geese or mice, use "of ...". Note also that nouns ending in a consonant followed by -y form the plural with the ending -ies, for example, "country - countries", "baby - babies".
(However, if the -y is preceded by a vowel, one simply adds -s, as for example, "day - days" and "key - keys".

7. Three of the sentences below are correct; one is not. Which is NOT correct?

Answer: The rascal's are driving me crazy with practical joke's.

Remember never to use an apostrophe simply because a noun is plural. "The rascals' practical jokes ..." is correct as it means "the practical jokes of the rascals ..." and is therefore possessive, though the rascals are playing the pranks rather than in possession of them.

8. Is this statement correctly written: "Maria's books are on the chair."?

Answer: Yes

"Maria's" is possessive. There's obviously no question here of any contraction.

9. There's a common, mildly derogatory expression for "acquiring the same consumer goods as the neighbours". What is it, and what is its correct spelling?

Answer: Keeping up with the Joneses

If a family name - or any other noun ends in -s in the singular, the rule about not using an apostrophe to form the plural holds.

10. Is this mechanically accurate sentence STYLISTICALLY acceptable in ordinary usage: "The men's uniforms' colors' brightness had faded."?

Answer: No

It is poor style to create a string of possessives and is unhelpful for the reader or listener. (There may be a few instances where a creative writer may use such devices in order to achieve a particular effect, but it's not recommended for everyday use).

Source: Author bloomsby

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor spanishliz before going online.
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