LESSON 1.11
Determiners: Nouns + Apostrophes
As you have learned, determiners are servants. They help the king.
| a | an | the |
my | our | your | every |
| his | its | their |
Class Activity
Sing: a, an, the
a, an, the
my, our, your, every, my, our, your, every
Have you ever seen such a sight in your life,
As … his, its, their. his, its, their.
Class Activity
Name the part of speech for the three sentences below. Feel free to use the list of determiners.
Noun = N
Verb = V
Servant = D
Example: Our squirrel loves peanut butter.
D N V N N
Our squirrel loves peanut butter.
- Her rabbit sings opera.
2. The gorilla holds a banana.
3. Their emojis show emotion.
Nouns + Apostrophes
The 11th determiner is a noun + an apostrophe.
For example, What part of speech is Alice’s in Alice’s Restaurant?
- Try the noun test. Can we say The Alice’s? or The females named Alice’s?
- Try the verb tests. Can we say She Alice’s or They Alice’s?
We have eliminated the noun and verb. Alice is a noun (The female named Alice) plus an apostrophe.
What About Plurals?
But can’t you say—
My rabbits’ sing opera?
The gorillas’ hold banana?
The emoji’s show emotion?
Spelling
We don’t spell rabbits with an apostrophe.
My rabbits sing opera. Not: My rabbits’ sing opera.
The gorillas hold banana. Not: The gorillas’ hold bananas.
The emojis show emotion. Not: The emoji’s show emotion.
Class Activity
Name the part of speech for the three sentences below. Feel free to use the list of determiners.
Noun = N
Verb = V
Servant = D Remember to watch for apostrophes!
- Judy’s father raises Christmas trees.
- My dad’s pet skunk likes carrots.
- Pedro’s dolphin ate his brother’s ice cream cone.
Individual or Small Group Activity:
Complete at least one of these exercises: Faroe Islands
North Pole