Question

(A) NO CHANGE (B) days’ (C) day’s (D) days’s

Short answer

(B) days’

Step-by-step solution

- Understand the Sentence

Read the sentence to understand the context in which the word is used. Determine if possession needs to be indicated.

- Identify Possession

Determine if the noun 'days' needs to show possession. For example, if the sentence is ‘The journey of seven days’, the phrase should be ‘seven days’ journey’.

- Apply the Correct Form

If the noun 'days' shows possession, use an apostrophe. For singular possession, use 'day's'. For plural possession, use 'days’.'

- Choose the Correct Option

Select the option that correctly reflects the necessary possession form in the sentence. Based on the explanation, the correct answer would be 'days’'.

Key concepts

Possession in Grammar

In grammar, possession is used to show that something belongs to someone or something. We can do this by adding an apostrophe and sometimes an 's' to a noun. When reading a sentence, it's important to determine if possession is required. This means asking yourself if one noun owns or is related to another noun. For example, in 'the cat's toy', 'cat' possesses the toy.

Singular and Plural Possession

Understanding the difference between singular and plural possession is crucial.
Singular possession is straightforward. For a single noun that owns something, you add an apostrophe followed by an 's'. For example:

• 'dog's leash' (the leash of one dog)
• 'teacher's book' (the book of one teacher)

Things get a bit tricky with plural possession. For plural nouns ending in 's', simply add an apostrophe after the 's'.
Examples include:

• 'dogs' leashes' (the leashes of multiple dogs)
• 'teachers' books' (the books of multiple teachers)

For plural nouns not ending in 's', add apostrophe + 's'.
This can be seen in words like:

• 'children's toys' (the toys of multiple children)
• 'men's room' (the room for multiple men)

Proper Use of Apostrophes

Using apostrophes correctly is key to showing possession. Here are some quick rules to follow:

• For singular possession, always add 's', as in 'dog's collar'.
• For plural possession where the noun ends in 's', add only the apostrophe, like in 'dogs' park'.
• For plural nouns that don't end in 's', add an apostrophe followed by 's', such as 'children's playground'.

Avoid common mistakes. Never use apostrophes for making nouns plural. For instance, 'apple's' should be 'apples' if you mean more than one apple.
Apostrophes are also used in contractions (like 'can't' for 'cannot'), but that's separate from their role in possession.