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Question

Difficulty: EasyApostrophes for Possessives and Contractions

The two guitarist's instruments were carefully tuned before the concert began.

Which of the following is the correct spelling and punctuation of the underlined word in the sentence above?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. guitarists'Answer
  3. C
    guitarists
  4. D
    guitarists's

Answer

The correct option is the plural possessive form 'guitarists''.
The correct answer is the plural possessive form 'guitarists''. Since the sentence describes two individuals who own the instruments, a plural possessive is required. For regular plural nouns ending in 's', possession is shown by adding an apostrophe after the 's'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine if the noun should be singular or plural based on context clues.
The sentence contains the number 'two' right before the noun, indicating that there is more than one guitarist. Thus, a plural noun is needed.
The modifier 'two' establishes that the noun represents multiple entities.
2
Determine if the noun needs to be possessive.
The instruments belong to the guitarists, meaning a possessive form is necessary.
Possession must be marked to connect the owners (guitarists) to the owned objects (instruments).
3
Apply the punctuation rule for forming plural possessives for nouns ending in 's'.
The plural of 'guitarist' is 'guitarists'. To make a regular plural noun ending in 's' possessive, add an apostrophe at the end of the word, resulting in 'guitarists''.
Following standard punctuation rules ensures grammatical correctness.

Key Concept

Forming plural possessives for regular nouns ending in 's'.
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Apostrophes for Possessives and Contractions

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