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Question

Difficulty: Very hardApostrophes for Possessives and Contractions

Although the university's department of chemistry boasts a state-of-the-art laboratory for its dozens of scientists, its' researchers' publication rates have declined since the funding cut.

Which of the following choices is the most grammatically correct replacement for the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. B
    it's researchers'
  3. its researchers'Answer
  4. D
    its researcher's

Answer

its researchers'
The correct choice is 'its researchers''. The possessive pronoun 'its' correctly refers to the singular noun 'department of chemistry' without an apostrophe. The plural possessive noun 'researchers'' correctly places the apostrophe after the 's' to indicate ownership by multiple researchers, consistent with the reference to 'dozens of scientists'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the correct pronoun to refer to the antecedent.
The antecedent is 'department of chemistry', which is singular and neuter. The possessive pronoun must be 'its'. The spelling 'its'' is not a valid word, and 'it's' is a contraction for 'it is', which does not fit the possessive structure.
To eliminate options containing incorrect pronoun forms.
2
Determine the number and case of the noun modifying 'publication rates'.
The context mentions 'dozens of scientists' and plural 'publication rates', indicating that the noun 'researchers' must be plural. Since they own the publication rates, it must also be possessive. The plural possessive form is written with the apostrophe after the 's' as 'researchers''.
To identify the correct apostrophe placement for plural possession.
3
Combine the correct pronoun and possessive noun forms.
Combining 'its' and 'researchers'' yields the correct answer: 'its researchers''.
To select the choice that maintains correct grammar and punctuation.

Key Concept

Possessive Pronouns vs. Contractions and Plural Possessive Nouns
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Topics

Apostrophes for Possessives and Contractions

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