Walk past any market stall and you will see it: "Fresh Tomato's! Banana's 3 for £1!" This is the greengrocer's apostrophe — the habit of sticking an apostrophe before every s. It is charming on a vegetable crate. In a GCSE exam it costs marks.

Apostrophes have exactly two jobs. Knowing which job is which is a quick, free upgrade to your AO6 band.

This introduction covers ☝️ The Greengrocer's Nightmare within Apostrophe Usage for GCSE English Language. Revise Apostrophe Usage in AO6 Technical Accuracy for GCSE English Language with 10 exam-style questions and 5 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 1 of 5 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.

Practice questions for Apostrophe Usage

Which sentence uses an apostrophe correctly?

A. The singer's voice was incredible.
B. The band's played for three hours.
C. All the guitar's were in tune.
D. Ticket's are available online.

1 markfoundation

Which sentence uses 'its' or 'it's' correctly?

A. The river burst it's banks in the storm.
B. The old town has kept its charm.
C. Its been the wettest summer on record.
D. The bridge lost it's original colour.

1 markfoundation

Quick recall flashcards

What are the two jobs of the apostrophe?

Job 1 — Possession (something belongs to someone): “the dog’s lead” = the lead belonging to the dog “the students’ work” = work belonging to many students Job 2 — Contraction (letters are missing): don’t = do not • it’s = it is • they’re = they are The apostrophe NEVER signals a plural. “The dog’s” = one dog + possession or contraction. “The dogs” = several dogs, no apostrophe needed.

What is the 'greengrocer's apostrophe' and how do you avoid it?

The greengrocer’s apostrophe = putting an apostrophe before the s in a plain plural: “Apple’s 50p” “DVD’s on sale” “The 1990’s” How to avoid it: ask two questions before adding any apostrophe: 1. Is something belonging to someone? → possession apostrophe 2. Are letters missing? → contraction apostrophe If neither — no apostrophe needed. Simple plural = no apostrophe, ever.

🔍 The Two Jobs of the Apostrophe

&#9757;&#65039; The Greengrocer's Nightmare

Practice questions for Apostrophe Usage

Quick recall flashcards

10 questions on Apostrophe Usage: practise free

☝️ The Greengrocer's Nightmare