Which sentence uses the possessive apostrophe correctly for a plural noun ending in s?

Which sentence uses the possessive apostrophe correctly for a plural noun ending in s?

• A. The cat's tails are long.
• B. The cats paw's are long.
• C. The cats' tails are long.
• D. The cats tails are long.

Answer: (C)

When a plural noun ends in s, show possession by adding an apostrophe after the s. The sentence The cats' tails are long means the tails belong to several cats, which is the correct way to form the possessive for a plural noun ending in s. This matches the rule: add only the apostrophe after the final s to indicate ownership by multiple cats. The other sentences miss the mark: The cat's tails are long uses a singular possessive, implying one cat owns the tails; The cats paw's are long misuses the possessive by applying a singular form to a plural subject and would be corrected as The cats' paws are long if you mean the paws of the cats; The cats tails are long leaves out the possessive marker entirely.

When a plural noun ends in s, show possession by adding an apostrophe after the s. The sentence The cats' tails are long means the tails belong to several cats, which is the correct way to form the possessive for a plural noun ending in s.

This matches the rule: add only the apostrophe after the final s to indicate ownership by multiple cats. The other sentences miss the mark: The cat's tails are long uses a singular possessive, implying one cat owns the tails; The cats paw's are long misuses the possessive by applying a singular form to a plural subject and would be corrected as The cats' paws are long if you mean the paws of the cats; The cats tails are long leaves out the possessive marker entirely.