Yishun English Tuition Sembawang Primary School is rebuilt as a Primary English guide to apostrophes, possession and contractions for families searching for Primary English tuition in Yishun, small-group English tuition, MOE English syllabus support, PSLE English grammar, editing, composition and situational writing. Its distinct learning job is to help pupils decide whether an apostrophe is marking omitted letters, possession or nothing at all.
Apostrophe errors are common because one small mark performs more than one job. “It’s” means “it is” or “it has”; “its” shows possession. “The girl’s bag” belongs to one girl; “the girls’ bags” belong to several girls. “Books” is simply plural and needs no apostrophe. Strong control comes from identifying the grammatical job before adding the mark.
The practical method is identify whether the word is a contraction or possessive → if contraction, expand it fully → if possession, identify the owner → decide whether the owner is singular, regular plural or irregular plural → place the apostrophe accordingly → reject apostrophes used only to form ordinary plurals → reread for meaning. Apostrophes are signals of structure, not decoration.
1. Contractions replace missing letters
“It’s” = “it is” or “it has”.
“Don’t” = “do not”.
“We’re” = “we are”.
2. Expand the contraction to test it
Sentence:
“It’s raining.”
Expansion:
“It is raining.”
The sentence works.
3. “Its” is possessive
“The dog wagged its tail.”
No apostrophe is used.
4. “It’s” and “its” are therefore different
If “it is” or “it has” works, use it’s.
If meaning is possession, use its.
5. Singular possession usually takes apostrophe + s
“The girl’s bag.”
One girl owns or is associated with the bag.
6. Regular plural possession usually takes apostrophe after s
“The girls’ bags.”
Several girls are the owners.
7. Irregular plurals take apostrophe + s
“The children’s books.”
Children does not end in s.
8. Plural alone does not require an apostrophe
Correct:
“Three books.”
Incorrect:
“Three book’s.”
9. Apostrophes do not make verbs third-person singular
Correct:
“She runs.”
Incorrect:
“She run’s.”
10. Joint possession can use one possessive ending
“Mei and Hana’s project.”
They share one project.
11. Separate possession can mark each owner
“Mei’s and Hana’s bags.”
Each owns a different bag.
12. Possession is broader than ownership
“The school’s principal.”
“Singapore’s climate.”
“A day’s journey.”
The relationship may be association, measure or attribute.
13. Time expressions can use possessive structure
“One week’s notice.”
“Two weeks’ notice.”
14. Indefinite pronouns can take possessive apostrophes
“Someone’s bag.”
“Everybody’s responsibility.”
15. Personal possessive pronouns do not take apostrophes
Correct:
- yours;
- hers;
- ours;
- theirs.
Not: “your’s”.
16. “Whose” and “who’s” differ
Who’s = who is / who has.
Whose = possessive.
17. Use expansion to test “who’s”
“Who’s coming?” → “Who is coming?”
18. “Whose bag is this?” is possessive
No apostrophe.
19. “They’re,” “their” and “there” are different
They’re = they are.
Their = possessive.
There = place/existence marker.
20. “You’re” and “your” follow the same principle
You’re = you are.
Your = possessive determiner.
21. Contractions affect register
They are common in speech and informal writing.
Whether they fit formal situational writing depends on tone and task.
22. Do not ban contractions mechanically
Teach pupils to choose according to audience and register.
23. Dialogue often uses contractions naturally
“I can’t believe it,” Mei said.
Full forms may sound unusually formal in casual speech.
24. Formal notices may prefer full forms
“Participants must not enter before registration.”
Context determines naturalness.
25. Possession can be rewritten with “of”
“The roof of the building.”
“The building’s roof.”
Both can be grammatical, but style and noun type affect preference.
26. Inanimate possessives are common in modern English
“The company’s policy.”
“The book’s cover.”
Pupils should not apply simplistic rules that only people can take apostrophe-s.
27. Names ending in s require style awareness
Conventions can vary. Pupils should follow the style taught in school and apply it consistently.
28. The apostrophe belongs to the possessor
Find who owns/relates first.
Then decide singular or plural.
29. Example
“The teachers room” is ambiguous and incorrect if possession is intended.
One teacher: “the teacher’s room”.
Several teachers: “the teachers’ room”.
30. Apostrophe placement changes number
“The boy’s shoes” = one boy.
“The boys’ shoes” = several boys.
31. Editing should separate plural and possession
Ask:
- Is this noun simply plural?
- Does it own or relate to something?
- Is it both plural and possessive?
32. Use owner-first diagrams
Write:
owner → thing owned
Then mark number on the owner.
33. Use contraction expansion drills
For every apostrophe contraction, expand it.
If expansion fails, the form may be wrong.
34. Use plural/possessive sorting
Examples:
- cats;
- cat’s;
- cats’.
Ask pupils to explain each.
35. Use homophone contrast tasks
Compare:
- its / it’s;
- whose / who’s;
- your / you’re;
- their / they’re / there.
36. Build an apostrophe error ledger
| Error | Future rule |
|---|---|
| book’s for plural | Plural does not need apostrophe |
| its/it’s confused | Expand “it is/has” |
| girls bag | Identify owner number |
| your’s | Possessive pronouns no apostrophe |
37. Apostrophes should transfer into composition
Pupils should audit one paragraph for:
- contractions;
- singular possession;
- plural possession;
- ordinary plurals.
38. Apostrophes should transfer into situational writing
Check school names, event titles, possessives and contractions for register.
39. Apostrophes should transfer into comprehension
Possessive marking can help identify relationships between people and objects.
40. Small-group comparison can expose number meaning
Compare:
“The pupil’s bags.”
“The pupils’ bags.”
Ask what each sentence implies.
41. A 90-minute apostrophe lesson
- 10 min: contraction expansion.
- 15 min: singular possession.
- 15 min: plural and irregular plural possession.
- 15 min: its/it’s and whose/who’s.
- 15 min: mixed editing.
- 15 min: own-writing transfer.
- 5 min: future rule.
42. What progress looks like
- apostrophes disappear from ordinary plurals;
- its/it’s errors decrease;
- singular/plural possession becomes accurate;
- contractions fit register more naturally;
- pupils explain placement through ownership and number.
43. Questions to ask an English tutor
- How do you teach possession through owner number?
- How do pupils distinguish plural from possessive?
- How do you teach its/it’s and whose/who’s?
- How do contractions connect to register?
- How is apostrophe control transferred into writing?
- How are errors retested in mixed editing?
44. Red flags
- apostrophes taught as “put one before s”;
- ordinary plurals not distinguished from possession;
- possessive pronouns incorrectly taught with apostrophes;
- contractions banned without context;
- no transfer into authentic writing.
School-name disclaimer
This is independent educational content. The school name remains because of the historical title and search route. It does not imply endorsement, partnership, affiliation or access to internal school materials.
The durable skill
Apostrophes work when pupils know the job first.
Is the mark replacing letters? Is it showing a relationship of possession? Or is the word simply plural? Once that question is clear, placement becomes far more reliable.
Current eduKate routes
Archive note: old 6–8 student class claims, tutor promotion and gallery-heavy legacy copy have been removed. The original title, URL, publication date and featured image are preserved.
Properly taught kids shine a bright light into the future.
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