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Difficulty: MediumApostrophes for Possessives and Contractions

Although the two marine biologists documented the migration pattern, the biologists' primary focus was its deviations from previous years.

Which choice best completes the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. NO CHANGEAnswer
  2. B
    biologist's primary focus was its'
  3. C
    biologists' primary focus was it's
  4. D
    biologists primary focus was its

Answer

The correct option is the one that contains 'biologists' primary focus was its', which correctly uses the plural possessive form 'biologists'' to indicate the focus belonging to the two biologists, and the possessive pronoun 'its' to show that the deviations belong to the migration pattern.
The correct option is the one that contains 'biologists' primary focus was its' because it correctly implements the plural possessive noun 'biologists'' to refer to the two marine biologists and correctly uses the possessive pronoun 'its' to modify 'deviations' without an apostrophe.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine if the noun referring to the biologists should be singular or plural, and possessive or not.
The phrase 'two marine biologists' establishes that there are multiple biologists, requiring a plural noun. The phrase 'biologists' primary focus' shows that the focus belongs to the biologists, requiring the possessive form.
Determining noun plurality and possession dictates the correct spelling and apostrophe placement.
2
Determine the correct spelling of the plural possessive noun.
For regular plural nouns ending in -s, the possessive is formed by adding an apostrophe after the -s, resulting in 'biologists'.'
This rules out options with incorrect noun punctuation.
3
Determine whether to use 'its' or 'it's' to modify the noun 'deviations'.
The pronoun must show that the deviations belong to the singular 'migration pattern', which requires the possessive pronoun 'its' (without an apostrophe). The contraction 'it's' (it is) is incorrect in this context.
Selecting the grammatically correct pronoun form prevents homophone confusion.

Key Concept

Apostrophes are used to show possession for plural nouns (typically by adding an apostrophe after the final 's') and must be distinguished from possessive pronouns like 'its', which do not contain apostrophes.
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Topics

Apostrophes for Possessives and Contractions

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