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Question

Difficulty: MediumApostrophes for Possessives and Contractions

During the excavation, the team discovered a well-preserved *Triceratops* skeleton, but the fossils' tail was missing it's unique defensive spikes.

Which choice most effectively corrects the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. B
    fossils' tail was missing its
  3. fossil's tail was missing itsAnswer
  4. D
    fossil's tail was missing it's

Answer

fossil's tail was missing its
The sentence describes a single skeleton ('a well-preserved Triceratops skeleton'), which means the singular possessive form 'fossil's' is required. Additionally, the sentence needs the possessive pronoun 'its' to show ownership of the defensive spikes. The option 'fossil's tail was missing its' is correct because it satisfies both of these conditions.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine if the noun 'fossil' should be singular or plural, and possessive or not.
The sentence mentions 'a well-preserved Triceratops skeleton', which indicates a single fossil. The tail belongs to this fossil, so we need the singular possessive form 'fossil's'.
Establishing the singular versus plural context determines where the apostrophe belongs.
2
Determine if the pronoun referring to the fossil should be a contraction or a possessive.
The sentence refers to the fossil's own defensive spikes, which requires the possessive pronoun 'its'. The contraction 'it's' (short for 'it is' or 'it has') does not make sense in this context.
Differentiating between the homophones 'its' and 'it's' is necessary for proper grammatical conventions.
3
Identify the option that correctly combines both grammatical forms.
The choice containing 'fossil's tail was missing its' is correct.
This option contains both 'fossil's' and 'its' correctly.

Key Concept

Apostrophes for Possessives and Contractions
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Topics

Apostrophes for Possessives and Contractions

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