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Question

Difficulty: HardApostrophes for Possessives and Contractions

When analyzing the blueprints for the new library, the head architect noticed that the two consultants' proposal had its own set of structural flaws.

Which of the following is the best replacement for the underlined portion?

  1. NO CHANGEAnswer
  2. B
    consultant's proposal had its
  3. C
    consultants' proposal had it's
  4. D
    consultant's proposal had it's

Answer

The correct option is 'NO CHANGE' because it correctly uses the plural possessive 'consultants\'' to show that the proposal belongs to two consultants, and the possessive pronoun 'its' to modify 'own set of structural flaws'.
The sentence correctly uses the plural possessive 'consultants\'' to indicate that the proposal belongs to two individuals, and the possessive pronoun 'its' (without an apostrophe) to show that the structural flaws belong to the proposal.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine if the noun 'consultants' should be singular or plural, and possessive or not.
The sentence specifies 'two consultants,' indicating a plural noun. Since they possess the proposal, we need the plural possessive form, which is written as 'consultants\'' with the apostrophe after the 's'.
Using 'consultant's' would incorrectly indicate that only one consultant is involved.
2
Determine if a contraction or possessive pronoun is needed before 'own set'.
We need to show that the flaws belong to the singular proposal, which requires the possessive pronoun 'its'.
The contraction 'it's' stands for 'it is' or 'it has,' which would result in 'had it is own set,' which is grammatically incorrect. There is no such word as 'its\''.
3
Compare these findings to the original underlined text.
The original underlined text matches the correct grammatical choices: 'consultants' proposal had its'.
Since the original phrasing is correct, 'NO CHANGE' is the correct selection.

Key Concept

Possessive apostrophe placement for plural nouns and distinguishing possessive pronouns from contractions.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Apostrophes for Possessives and Contractions

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