Good morning I found no difference between the foundation , medium and advanced sections, the same explanation and examples, am I right?

Yeap that's right, the explanations are the same and the videos too, the only difference is the quizzes at the end of each lesson

You got this.. it’s okay that you’ll flunk this exercise and your girlfriend will still love you

we are on a break cause she thinks she is distrecting me

So ,I am confused . Okay, let's consider the words witness. Is the possesive of witness " witness's " or " witness' "??

Hey there, the possessive of witness would be " witness's " since witness is a singular noun, but the possessive of witnesses is " witnesses' " since witnesses is a plural noun and also ends in s. Don't get confused, you've got this.

I think in the first text example there's an error, there are two choices with same sentence! C, and D ''poems putatively written by the novels’ '' Or can I get more explanation ?

in option c)poems putatively written by the novels’ {here novel(s) plural.} in option d) poems putatively written by the novel’s {here novel is singular and showing possession}

The striated ______ walls are the result of erosion and frost weathering having exposed layers of multicolored sedimentary rock. The B) is incorrect. This choice illogically indicates that "canyons" is plural, which doesn't agree with the singular article "a". But where is the article "a"?

The 'a' is in the multiple choice options (ie, "a canyon's ... walls"). Canyon must be singular because of this.

Main content

Course: Digital SAT Reading and Writing > Unit 5

Lesson 3: FSS: Plurals and possessives

Grammar guide: Plurals and possessives

Google Classroom

A guide to the Standard English conventions surrounding plural and possessive nouns and pronouns

What are plurals and possessives?

Plurals are nouns and pronouns that refer to more than one thing.

Possessives are nouns and pronouns that show possession.

There are similarities and differences in how plurals and possessives are formed that can cause confusion. In particular, confusion can arise over when to use or not use apostrophes.

Incorrect:

One cannot overstate the importance of bee's to the pollination of Michigans blueberry crop.
"bee's"
This noun should be plural, not possessive, so we shouldn't use an apostrophe.
"Michigans"
This noun should be possessive, not plural, so we should place an apostrophe before the "s".

Correct:

One cannot overstate the importance of bees to the pollination of Michigan's blueberry crop.

The formation of plurals and possessives may be tested in one of the Form, structure, and sense questions that you encounter on test day.

How to form plurals and possessives

To succeed on questions about plural and possessive nouns, you'll need to know the rules for using apostrophes in the following cases:

Plural nouns
Singular possessive nouns
Plural possessive nouns
Pronouns

How to identify questions about plurals and possessives

When we approach form, structure, and sense questions, it's important to identify which Standard English conventions are being tested.

Make sure to look for errors with genitives and plurals if

the choices add or remove apostrophes
the choices change the placement of apostrophes

If you don't see one or both of these features, then the question likely doesn't deal with plurals and possessives.

Let's look at a plurals and possessives question now:

Plurals and possessives example

Slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo’s debut novel The Poet X, winner of the 2018 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, is composed of ______ protagonist, fifteen-year-old Xiomara Batista.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

We should quickly notice that the choices are quite similar: the only difference is the placement of apostrophes. This is a strong indication that the question will require us to avoid an error in plurals and possessives.

There are two words up for debate in the choices:

"poems"
"novels"

Let's take them on one at a time.

"Poems":

Based on the sentence, we're discussing more than one poem, so "poems" must be plural.
What comes after "poems" doesn't belong to the poems, so "poems" should not be possessive.

Since plural, non-possessive nouns don't require an apostrophe, the noun used should be "poems".

"Novels":

Based on the sentence, we're discussion only one novel, so "novels" should not be plural.
What comes after "novels" (the protagonist) does belong to the novel, so "novels" must be possessive.

Since singular possessive nouns require an apostrophe before the "s", the noun used should be "novel's".

Only choice D uses both the nouns "poems" and "novel's". Choice D is the answer.

Top tips

Check all the nouns

SAT questions that ask us about plural and possessive nouns may include two nouns in the underline. The choices will include variations where one, both, or neither of the two are made plural or possessive.

Be sure that the answer you choose uses (or doesn't use) apostrophes correctly in both nouns.

Beware "its" and "their"

"Its" and "their" follow the same rule as other possessive pronouns: they don't require an apostrophe. However, these pronouns are frequently confused with the contractions "it's" and "they're".

Any time you see a form of "it's/its" or "there/their/they're" appear in the choices, double check that you're using the appropriate form.

Use the following tables to keep things straight!

its:

its	belongs to it
it's	"it is"

their:

their	belongs to them
they're	"they are"
there	that place

Note: You may be offered variations of both "they" and "it" in the same question, so you'll also need to pay attention to pronoun agreement.

Is the noun being referred to singular? Use a version of "it".
Is the noun being referred to plural? Use a version of "they".

Your turn

Plurals and possessives

Labor unions are formed in order to protect ______ through collective bargaining, which gives employees greater leverage while ensuring they are treated equally by management.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

Plurals and possessives

The striated ______ walls are the result of erosion and frost weathering having exposed layers of multicolored sedimentary rock.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

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miro.ali80
Posted 8 months ago. Direct link to miro.ali80's post “Good morning I found no d...”
Good morning I found no difference between the foundation , medium and advanced sections, the same explanation and examples, am I right?
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(22 votes)
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- Gianni Leal
  Posted 8 months ago. Direct link to Gianni Leal's post “Yeap that's right, the ex...”
  Yeap that's right, the explanations are the same and the videos too, the only difference is the quizzes at the end of each lesson
  Comment on Gianni Leal's post “Yeap that's right, the ex...”
  (41 votes)
Ezra
Posted a month ago. Direct link to Ezra's post “You got this.. it’s okay ...”
You got this.. it’s okay that you’ll flunk this exercise and your girlfriend will still love you
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(6 votes)
Answer
- victoria james
  Posted a month ago. Direct link to victoria james's post “we are on a break cause s...”
  we are on a break cause she thinks she is distrecting me
  Comment on victoria james's post “we are on a break cause s...”
  (5 votes)
aribug
Posted 17 days ago. Direct link to aribug's post “I love the reading and wr...”
I love the reading and writing SAT comment section more than the math-y'all funny
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(5 votes)
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rewankg
Posted a year ago. Direct link to rewankg's post “I think in the first text...”
I think in the first text example there's an error, there are two choices with same sentence! C, and D
''poems putatively written by the novels’ ''
Or can I get more explanation ?
Button navigates to signup pageComment on rewankg's post “I think in the first text...”
(0 votes)
Answer
- kn39867
  Posted a year ago. Direct link to kn39867's post “in option c)poems putativ...”
  in option c)poems putatively written by the novels’ {here novel(s) plural.}
  in option d) poems putatively written by the novel’s {here novel is singular and showing possession}
  Button navigates to signup page
  (16 votes)
elvis
Posted 3 months ago. Direct link to elvis's post “So ,I am confused . Okay,...”
So ,I am confused .
Okay, let's consider the words witness.
Is the possesive of witness " witness's " or " witness' "??
Button navigates to signup pageComment on elvis's post “So ,I am confused . Okay,...”
(1 vote)
Answer
- Big Wuns
  Posted 3 months ago. Direct link to Big Wuns's post “Hey there, the possessive...”
  Hey there, the possessive of witness would be " witness's " since witness is a singular noun, but the possessive of witnesses is " witnesses' " since witnesses is a plural noun and also ends in s. Don't get confused, you've got this.
  Button navigates to signup page
  (7 votes)
Parneet Kaur
Posted a year ago. Direct link to Parneet Kaur's post “Could someone please tell...”
Could someone please tell me the difference between PLURAL NOUN and PLURAL POSSESIVE NOUN ?
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(3 votes)
Answer
samihatasnimraisa2003
Posted 7 months ago. Direct link to samihatasnimraisa2003's post “Hello, Is the noun being ...”
Hello,
Is the noun being referred to singular? Use a version of "it".
Is the noun being referred to plural? Use a version of "they".
can someone explain these lines to me ? when should we use 'it' and when should we use 'they' ?
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(3 votes)
Answer
- Alpha Spirit
  Posted 7 months ago. Direct link to Alpha Spirit's post “When the noun is about 1 ...”
  When the noun is about 1 item, or 1 only then we use it. otherwise it is they
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  (0 votes)
erkezhankanagatova999
Posted a year ago. Direct link to erkezhankanagatova999's post “The striated ______ walls...”
The striated ____ walls are the result of erosion and frost weathering having exposed layers of multicolored sedimentary rock. The B) is incorrect.
This choice illogically indicates that "canyons" is plural, which doesn't agree with the singular article "a". But where is the article "a"?
Button navigates to signup pageComment on erkezhankanagatova999's post “The striated ______ walls...”
(0 votes)
Answer
- Luke
  Posted a year ago. Direct link to Luke's post “The 'a' is in the multipl...”
  The 'a' is in the multiple choice options (ie, "a canyon's ... walls"). Canyon must be singular because of this.
  Button navigates to signup page
  (4 votes)
Brandon Sanchez
Posted a month ago. Direct link to Brandon Sanchez's post “When the noun is about 1 ...”
When the noun is about 1 item, or 1 only then we use it. otherwise it is they
Button navigates to signup pageButton navigates to signup page
(1 vote)
Answer
jhernandez3451
Posted 16 days ago. Direct link to jhernandez3451's post “why is there so many ques...”
why is there so many questions?
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(1 vote)
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