u his. The hairpiece belongs to Neil, so her, a feminine pronoun, is out. The last choice is a contraction
of he is.
v its. The first choice isn’t possessive, so you can rule it out easily. The second choice is plural,
but the pronoun refers to poodle, a singular noun. Bingo: The last choice, a singular possessive,
is correct.
w his. No possessive pronoun ever contains an apostrophe, so the first choice is the only possibility.
He’s, by the way, means he is.
x its. Did I catch you here? In everyday speech, people often refer to stores and businesses as
“they,” with the possessive form “their.” However, a store or a business is properly referred to
with a singular pronoun. The logic is easy to figure out. One store = singular. So Matthews
Department Store is singular, and the possessive pronoun that refers to it is its.
y my. The pronoun mine stands alone and doesn’t precede what is owned. My, on the other hand,
is a pronoun that can’t stand being alone. A true party animal, it must precede what is being
owned (in this sentence, actions).
A yours. In contrast to sentence 25, this sentence needs a pronoun that stands alone. Your must
be placed in front of whatever is being possessed — not a possibility in this sentence. All the
choices with apostrophes are out because possessive pronouns don’t have apostrophes. The
only thing left is yours, which is the correct choice.
B his. The contraction he’s means he is. That choice doesn’t make sense. The second choice is
wrong because possessive pronouns don’t have apostrophes.
C ours. Okay, first dump all the apostrophe choices, because apostrophes and possessive pronouns
don’t mix. You’re left with two choices — our and ours. The second is best because our
needs to precede the thing that is possessed, and ours can stand alone.
D his. The possessive pronoun his, like all possessive pronouns, has no apostrophe. The last
choice, he’s, means he is and isn’t possessive at all.
E mine. The pronoun mine works alone (it secretly wants to be a private detective, operating
solo). In this sentence it has a slot for itself after the preposition of. Perfect!
F my. The form that attaches to the front of a noun is my. In this sentence, my precedes and is
linked to dead body.
G your. The possessive pronoun your has no apostrophe. The second choice, yours, doesn’t
attach to a noun, so you have to rule it out in this sentence.The last choice, you’re, is short for
you are.
H her. Right away you can dump the last choice, her’s, because possessive pronouns are allergic
to apostrophes. The pronoun hers works alone, but here the blank precedes the item possessed,
fingers. Her is the possessive you want.
I their. Because you’re talking about both Jessica and Neil, go for their, the plural.
J our. In this sentence the possessive pronoun has to include me, so our is the winner. Ours isn’t
appropriate because you need a pronoun to precede what is being possessed (hairpieces). As
always, apostrophes and possessive pronouns don’t mix.
K they’re. The sentence tells you that they are always late, and the short form of they are is
they’re.
44 Part I: Laying Out the Concrete Slab: Grammar Basics
L it’s. The meaning needed here: it is too expensive. No possessive is called for.
M its. The band belongs to the watch, so possession is indicated. The possessive pronoun its does
the job.
N your. The contraction you’re is short for you are, clearly not right for this context.
O Whose. The sentence doesn’t say, “Who is watch is this?” so go for the possessive whose.
P You’re, it’s. Two pronouns, neither possessive. The sentence really means “You are sure that it
is not Jessica’s?”
Q there. The meaning of the sentence calls for a location, so there is the one you want.
R Their. The security cameras belong to them, so their is needed to show possession.
S It’s. The sentence should begin with “It is impossible” and it’s = it is.
T Your. A possessive is called for here, not a contraction (You’re = You are).
U Who’s. The sentence should begin with Who is, and who’s = who is.
V You’re. Here you want the contraction you’re = you are.
W Their. The funds belong to them, so their is needed to show possession.
X whose, their. Both spots require a possessive, showing that the fuzzy ideas belong to George
and that the campaign belongs to both George and his more honest brother Josh.
Y You’re. The joking isn’t a possession. The sentence calls for the contraction you’re = you are.
z Who’s. You need Who is in this sentence, so go for the contraction.
Z its. The battery belongs to the watch, so the possessive pronoun its fits well here. The contraction
(it’s, for it is), doesn’t belong here at all.
1 It’s. In this sentence you want the contraction of it is.
2 Your. Here the possessive pronoun is called for, to show that the battery belongs to you.
3 They’re. The contraction They are makes sense in this sentence, not the possessive their or the
location word there.
4 correct. Chad is male and his sister is female, so she may refer only to one person, Chad’s
sister. No double meanings, so no corrections.
5 Chad sent a donation to Mr. Hobson in hope of furthering Chad’s cause. Or, Chad sent a present
to Mr. Hobson in hope of furthering Mr. Hobson’s cause. The problem with the original
is the his. Does his mean Chad’s or Mr. Hobson’s? The way the original reads, either answer is
possible.
6 If Chad wins an Oscar, he will place the statue on his desk, next to his Emmy, Tony, Obie,
and Best-