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Question

Difficulty: MediumApostrophes for Possessives and Contractions

In the sentence below, a portion is underlined:

A standard violin consists of dozens of wood pieces, and the quality of each instrument's soundboard has it's own profound effect on the overall tone.

Which of the following is the correct spelling and punctuation of the underlined portion?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. instrument's soundboard has itsAnswer
  3. C
    instruments' soundboard has its
  4. D
    instruments' soundboard has it's

Answer

The correct option is the one that uses the singular possessive 'instrument's' and the possessive adjective 'its'.
The correct choice uses the singular possessive form 'instrument's' because it is preceded by the singular determiner 'each'. It also uses the possessive pronoun 'its' to modify 'own profound effect', avoiding the contraction 'it's' (it is/has).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine if the noun 'instrument' should be singular or plural possessive.
The word 'each' modifies a singular noun. Therefore, the singular possessive form 'instrument's' is correct.
We are referring to one instrument at a time, so we need the singular possessive form, not the plural possessive 'instruments'.
2
Determine whether the contraction 'it's' or the possessive adjective 'its' is appropriate in this context.
The sentence requires a possessive adjective to modify 'own profound effect'. Therefore, 'its' is correct.
'it's' is a contraction for 'it is' or 'it has', which does not make sense in 'has it is own profound effect'.

Key Concept

Distinguishing between singular and plural possessives, and between possessive pronouns and contractions.
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Topics

Apostrophes for Possessives and Contractions

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