Some possessives require an added s; some don't. Some require an apostrophe; some don't. Challenge your possessive-formation skills with this fun 10-question quiz!

My ______ (boss', boss's) daughter is visiting the office today.

boss'

boss's

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

With common nouns ending in s, add an s to singular possessives. You will sometimes see possessives of singular proper nouns without an added s—e.g., Charles'—but don't do that with common nouns. Keep the s.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

You have two dogs, and they have hidden their favorite dog bowls. What is the correct way to describe this unfortunate situation?

The dogs's bowls are missing.

The dog's bowls are missing.

The dogs' bowls are missing.

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

Form the plural possessive by adding an s, then sticking an apostrophe on the end.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

Form the plural possessive by adding an s, then sticking an apostrophe on the end.

The kitten lay gleefully on ____ (it's, its) back surrounded by shredded toilet tissue.

it's

its

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

None of the following possessive forms contain apostrophes: "its," "hers," "ours," "yours," and "theirs." "It's" with that apostrophe means "it is" or "it has."

That’s correct! Here’s why:

None of the following possessive forms contain apostrophes: "its," "hers," "ours," "yours," and "theirs." "It's" with that apostrophe means "it is" or "it has."

The _______ (womens', women's, womens) room needs to be cleaned.

womens'

women's

womens

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

"Women" is already plural. To form the possessive of a plural that does not end in s, add an apostrophe plus an s: "women's." The following two forms are never correct in any circumstance:

womens'
womens

That’s correct! Here’s why:

"Women" is already plural. To form the possessive of a plural that does not end in s, add an apostrophe plus an s: "women's." The following two forms are never correct in any circumstance:

womens'
womens

______ (Tess's, Tess') phone fell into the pool at 3 p.m.

Tess's

Tess'

Both options are broadly in use and accepted by large numbers of people.

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal do Tess's. Associated Press style is Tess'.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal do Tess's. Associated Press style is Tess'.

_______________ (Terry and Jerry's, Terry's and Jerry's) nutcracker collection is in the trunk of their car.

Terry and Jerry's

Terry's and Jerry's

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

In cases of joint ownership, only the second name takes the possessive ending.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

In cases of joint ownership, only the second name takes the possessive ending.

Is this an acceptable use of "whose"?

I noticed a tree whose roots had split open the sidewalk.

yes

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

Absolutely. Many excellent writers in English have used "whose" to refer back to things. People sometimes think, because you don't use "who" with objects, that "whose" is similarly off limits, but there is no other possessive form available in English to do this job. "Whose" it is!

That’s correct! Here’s why:

What is the plural possessive of the surname Boss?

The _______ house is the tallest on the block.

Boss'

Boss's

Bosses'

Bosses's

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

To form the plural possessive of Boss, first make it plural—Bosses—and then add an apostrophe at the end.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

To form the plural possessive of Boss, first make it plural—Bosses—and then add an apostrophe at the end.

________________ (Eric and Derek's, Eric's and Derek's) baseball uniforms are in the wash.

Eric and Derek's

Eric's and Derek's

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

Each has his own baseball uniform, so each gets his own apostrophe + s.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

Each has his own baseball uniform, so each gets his own apostrophe + s.

The _______ (chair's, chairs') legs are painted purple.

chair's

chairs'

not enough information to know

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

You can't tell from this sentence whether there is one chair or multiple chairs. You need more information.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

You can't tell from this sentence whether there is one chair or multiple chairs. You need more information.

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