What this lesson covers
- The three forms and exactly what each one does
- The money beat: "The three scientist's samples were mislabeled" and the fix
- its vs it's: expand it to "it is" and see if the sentence survives
- Never add an apostrophe just to make a plural (photos, the 1990s, hers, theirs)
- Practice: the ____ nests were photographed after the birds migrated
Questions worked in the video
- 0:58The three scientist's samples were mislabeled. Which form is correct?
- 1:40The theory has it's flaws. Is it its or it's?
- 2:12The ____ nests were photographed after the birds migrated. Which form fits?
Chapters
- 0:00Intro
- 0:04Three spellings, one sound
- 0:24The three forms and the two questions
- 0:58The money beat: scientists' samples
- 1:40its vs it's, and plain plurals
- 2:12Practice: birds' nests
- 2:50Three traps
- 3:21Recap
Lesson transcript
The narration of the video, word for word, under its chapter headings.
0:04Three spellings, one sound
Welcome to SAT Climb. Students. Student's. Students'. Three spellings, one sound, and the SAT tests them constantly. The fix takes about two seconds once you ask the right two questions.
0:24The three forms and the two questions
Here are the only rules you need. No apostrophe means more than one. Students. Apostrophe before the s means one owner. The student's laptop, one student. Apostrophe after the s means more than one owner. The students' laptops, a whole class. So ask two questions in order. First, is anything being owned? If nothing is owned, you want the plain plural, no apostrophe at all. Second, if something is owned, how many owners? One owner, apostrophe then s. More than one, s then apostrophe. That is the whole system.
0:58The money beat: scientists' samples
Here is the sentence. The three scientist's samples were mislabeled. Run the questions. Is something owned? Yes, the samples belong to the scientists. So we need a possessive. How many owners? The sentence says three, so more than one, which means the apostrophe goes after the s. Scientists' samples. Now look at the choices. Scientists with no apostrophe is just a plural, and it leaves the samples with no owner. Scientist's is one scientist, but the sentence says three. Scientists's is not a form English uses for a regular plural. The answer is scientists', apostrophe after the s.
1:40its vs it's, and plain plurals
Now the two rules that decide the hardest questions. It's with an apostrophe is always it is. Its with no apostrophe is the possessive. Test it by expanding. The theory has it is flaws is nonsense, so it has to be its flaws. And the second rule. Never use an apostrophe just to make a word plural. Photos, decades, the 1990s. No apostrophes anywhere. Possessive pronouns like hers, theirs, and its never take one either.
2:12Practice: birds' nests
Your turn. Blank nests were photographed after the birds migrated. Choose the right form. Pause and think. Here is the read. The nests belong to the birds, so we need a possessive. How many owners? Birds, plural. So the apostrophe goes after the s. That is choice C, birds'. Choice A is a plain plural with nothing owned, and choice B would mean a single bird.
2:50Three traps
Three traps. One, apostrophes on plain plurals. If nothing is owned, no apostrophe, ever. Two, its versus it's. Expand it to it is. If the sentence breaks, use its with no apostrophe. Three, putting the apostrophe on the wrong side. Before the s is one owner. After the s is more than one. Ask how many owners before you place it.
3:21Recap
Apostrophes, solved. Nothing owned, plain plural. One owner, apostrophe then s. More than one owner, s then apostrophe. And it's with an apostrophe always means it is. Start free at satclimb.com.
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