Year 6 English: Identifying Plurals, Singular & Plural Possessives

📚 Detailed Explanation of Identifying Plurals, Singular Possessives and Plural Possessives

When learning about plurals, singular possessives and plural possessives in Year 6 English, it’s important to understand what each one means and how to spot them in writing. These are key skills in the National Curriculum that help you write correctly and clearly. Let’s look at each one with clear definitions, rules and examples.

❓ What is a Plural?

A plural is when there is more than one of something. Usually, we add -s or -es to a noun to make it plural.

Rules for plurals:

• For most words, add -s:
  e.g. cat → cats
  dog → dogs
• For words ending in -ch, -sh, -x, -s, or -z, add -es:
  e.g. box → boxes
  brush → brushes
• For some words ending in a consonant + y, change y to i and add -es:
  e.g. baby → babies

Examples of plurals:

• One book → two books
• One fox → three foxes
• One baby → five babies

🧑‍⚖️ What is a Singular Possessive?

A singular possessive shows that one person or thing owns or has something. To make a singular noun possessive, you add an apostrophe + s (’s).

Rules for singular possessive:

• Add ’s to the end of the singular noun:
  e.g. the boy’s hat (the hat belongs to one boy)
  the cat’s collar (the collar belongs to one cat)
• Even if the singular noun ends in s, usually add ’s:
  Chris’s bike, James’s book

Examples of singular possessives:

• The girl’s bag (belongs to one girl)
• The dog’s bone (belongs to one dog)

👥 What is a Plural Possessive?

A plural possessive shows that more than one person or thing owns something. To make a plural noun possessive, first put the noun in the plural form, then add an apostrophe (’).

Rules for plural possessive:

• If the plural ends in s, just add an apostrophe at the end:
  e.g. the girls’ room (room belongs to several girls)
  the cats’ toys (toys belong to several cats)
• If the plural does not end in s, add apostrophe + s:
  e.g. children → children’s books (books belong to children)
  men → men’s coats (coats belong to men)

Examples of plural possessives:

• The dogs’ owner (owner of several dogs)
• The teachers’ lounge (a lounge for all the teachers)

📊 Quick Summary Table

🔍 How to Identify

• If it shows more than one, it’s plural (cats, dogs).
• If it shows one owns something, and ends with ’s, it’s singular possessive (dog’s).
• If it shows more than one owns something, and plural ends in s plus apostrophe (’), it’s plural possessive (dogs’).
• If plural doesn’t end in s but shows ownership, it’s plural possessive with ’s (children’s).

Remember, practising with sentences and spotting these different forms will help you get confident in your grammar skills!

📝 20 Examination-Style Questions on Plurals, Singular Possessives, and Plural Possessives for Year 6

Here are 20 questions to help you practise identifying plurals, singular possessives, and plural possessives. Each question is followed by the correct answer so you can check your work.

❓ Questions

1. Identify whether the word is plural, singular possessive, or plural possessive:
   cats’
2. Identify the type of word:
   dog’s
3. What type of word is:
   houses
4. Which type is this word?
   children’s
5. Decide if the following word is plural, singular possessive, or plural possessive:
   book’s
6. What is the form of this word?
   foxes
7. Choose the correct label for this word:
   teachers’
8. Find out whether this word shows plural, singular possession, or plural possession:
   car’s
9. What type of word is this?
   pens
10. Label this word correctly:
    mice
11. What type of word is this?
    lady’s
12. Decide if the word is plural, singular possessive, or plural possessive:
    boys’
13. What is the form of the word:
    girl
14. Identify the word type:
    cities
15. What type of word is this?
    men’s
16. Choose the correct label for the word:
    teacher’s
17. Decide the type of this word:
    rats
18. Find out if this is plural, singular possessive, or plural possessive:
    boss’s
19. What type of word is this?
    friends’
20. What is the form of the word:
    child

✅ Answers

1. cats’ – Plural possessive (more than one cat owning something)
2. dog’s – Singular possessive (one dog owning something)
3. houses – Plural (more than one house)
4. children’s – Plural possessive (more than one child owning something)
5. book’s – Singular possessive (one book owning something)
6. foxes – Plural (more than one fox)
7. teachers’ – Plural possessive (more than one teacher owning something)
8. car’s – Singular possessive (one car owning something)
9. pens – Plural (more than one pen)
10. mice – Plural (more than one mouse)
11. lady’s – Singular possessive (one lady owning something)
12. boys’ – Plural possessive (more than one boy owning something)
13. girl – Singular (one girl)
14. cities – Plural (more than one city)
15. men’s – Plural possessive (more than one man owning something)
16. teacher’s – Singular possessive (one teacher owning something)
17. rats – Plural (more than one rat)
18. boss’s – Singular possessive (one boss owning something)
19. friends’ – Plural possessive (more than one friend owning something)
20. child – Singular (one child)

📖 Study Tips

• Singular possessives always have an apostrophe followed by an “s” (e.g. dog’s).
• Plural possessives have an apostrophe after the plural “s” when the word ends in “s” (e.g. cats’).
• For irregular plurals that don’t end in “s,” add apostrophe + “s” for the possessive (e.g. children’s).
• Practise by spotting the apostrophes and checking if the word before it is singular or plural.

Keep practising these different word forms to improve your understanding of plurals and possessives!