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Difficulty: MediumApostrophes for Possessives and Contractions

Although the research team tracked only one migratory flock, they noticed that the flocks' leader had lost it's tracking collar during the storm.

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

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. B
    flocks' leader had lost its
  3. flock's leader had lost itsAnswer
  4. D
    flock's leader had lost it's

Answer

flock's leader had lost its
The correct option correctly uses 'flock's' as a singular possessive noun because the context specifies 'only one migratory flock.' It also correctly uses 'its' as a possessive pronoun indicating that the tracking collar belongs to the leader. Unlike contractions, possessive pronouns do not take apostrophes.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the correct number and possessive form for the noun 'flock'.
The phrase 'only one migratory flock' indicates the singular noun 'flock'. Since the leader belongs to the flock, the singular possessive form 'flock's' is required.
Identifying the noun context prevents using the plural possessive form.
2
Determine the correct word for showing possession of the tracking collar.
The tracking collar belongs to the leader, so the possessive pronoun 'its' is correct. The contraction 'it's' stands for 'it is' or 'it has', which is incorrect here.
Differentiating between the possessive pronoun and the contraction prevents homophone confusion.
3
Combine these findings to select the correct phrase.
The combined correct forms yield 'flock's leader had lost its'.
This is the only choice that resolves both grammatical errors.

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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