Apostrophes - Contractions and Possessive Nouns

What do all contractions have in common?

• They all contain apostrophes

• They all combine more than two words

• All are used only in speech, never in writing

• They all look very similar to the words that make them up

What's the difference between a contraction and a possessive noun?

• Possessive nouns don't contain apostrophes; contractions do

• Possessive nouns indicate ownership; contractions combine two words

• Possessive nouns are nouns; contractions are adjectives

• Possessive nouns are extremely formal; contractions are informal

Which of the following sentences contains a contraction?

• Emery's favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate chip.

• Cassie's school is one kilometer from her house

• Tim's mom just got a new job.

• Sami's going to the store.

When are contractions used most often?

• In formal essays

• In conversation

• In business letters

• In scholarly books

Which of the following is spelled properly?

• Ha'vent

• Haven't

• Hav'ent

• Have'nt

How can you tell the difference between a possessive noun and a contraction?

• Look for the apostrophe

• Substitute the word "is" for the apostrophe-s and see if the sentence still works

• Check to see whether the word that follows is a noun or a verb

• There is no way to tell the difference

Which of the following is the correct possessive form for:

the laughs of the child

• the children's laughs

• the child's laugh

• the childs' laugh

Which of the following is the correct possessive form for:

the history of Texas

• Texas's history

• Texases history

• Texas' history

• Texas history

Singular or plural?
boys'

• singular possessive
• plural possessive

Choose the correct possessive form of the noun. 
runners

• runner's
• runners'