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Question

Difficulty: EasyApostrophes for Possessives and Contractions

Although the two local businesses shared a downtown office building, each company's employees were proud of its modern workspace.

Which of the following is the correct form of the underlined portion?

  1. company's employees were proud of itsAnswer
  2. B
    companies' employees were proud of its
  3. C
    company's employees were proud of it's
  4. D
    companies' employees were proud of it's

Answer

company's employees were proud of its
The noun modified by the word 'each' must be singular, so the singular possessive form 'company's' is correct. The pronoun referring back to 'each company' must be the possessive pronoun 'its' (without an apostrophe). The contraction 'it's' (meaning 'it is') is incorrect in this context.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine whether the noun following 'each' should be singular or plural.
The word 'each' requires a singular noun, so we must use 'company' instead of 'companies'.
Correct grammatical agreement with the modifier 'each'.
2
Determine the correct possessive form for the singular noun 'company'.
The singular possessive form is 'company's'.
To show ownership by a single company.
3
Determine whether to use the possessive pronoun 'its' or the contraction 'it's'.
The context requires the possessive pronoun 'its' to refer to the company's workspace.
'it's' is a contraction for 'it is', which does not make sense in the phrase 'it is modern workspace'.

Key Concept

Distinguishing between singular and plural possessives, and between the possessive pronoun 'its' and the contraction 'it's'.
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Apostrophes for Possessives and Contractions

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