students / student's / students': picking the right apostrophe
When three of the four answer choices are the same word with the apostrophe in different places, the question is not about vocabulary. It is about two yes/no questions.
Why it happens
All three forms sound identical when read aloud, so there is no sound to check against. Students then pick by feel, which is a coin flip among three options.
See the trap
"The ___ proposals were reviewed by a panel of six ___"
✗ The trap: "student's proposals ... teacher's" — singular owner, and a possessive with nothing owned.
✓ The fix: "students' proposals ... teachers" — plural students each owning a proposal; plural teachers owning nothing.
How to actually fix it
- Question one: is the owner one or more than one?
- Question two: is the next word a thing the owner possesses? If not, use no apostrophe at all.
- Plural owner + something owned = apostrophe after the s.
Made this mistake on a real question?
Practice Standard English Conventions questions here. Miss one and it is logged with the exact error, then brought back until you beat it.
Practice Standard English Conventions →FAQ
What about irregular plurals like children?
They form the possessive like a singular: children's. The apostrophe goes after the s only when the plural itself ends in s.
How do I stop repeating this mistake?
Reading the explanation isn't enough — your brain needs to beat the trap on a fresh question. Practice the skill in the kaoshen.co question bank: miss one and it is logged with the exact error, then brought back to you three days later and again after fourteen.