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Question

Difficulty: MediumApostrophes for Possessives and Contractions

Although the restaurant chain launched three new locations last month, the company's primary goal was to maintain it's high standards of service.

Which of the following is the correct form of the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. B
    companies' primary goal was to maintain its
  3. company's primary goal was to maintain itsAnswer
  4. D
    companies' primary goal was to maintain it's

Answer

company's primary goal was to maintain its
The correct answer correctly uses the singular possessive noun 'company's' to modify 'goal', as the sentence refers to a single 'restaurant chain'. It also properly uses the possessive pronoun 'its' to refer back to the company.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine whether the noun modifying 'primary goal' should be singular or plural.
The sentence refers to 'the restaurant chain' (singular), so the possessive noun must be singular ('company's') rather than plural ('companies'').
The plural possessive form 'companies'' would incorrectly imply that multiple independent companies are being discussed.
2
Determine whether the sentence requires the possessive pronoun 'its' or the contraction 'it's'.
The sentence indicates a possessive relationship for the 'high standards of service', requiring 'its'.
The spelling 'it's' represents the contraction 'it is' or 'it has', which is grammatically incorrect in this context.
3
Combine the correct singular possessive noun and the correct possessive pronoun.
The correct phrasing is 'company's primary goal was to maintain its'.
This choice establishes correct punctuation and correct pronoun usage.

Key Concept

Apostrophes for Possessives and Contractions
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Apostrophes for Possessives and Contractions

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