Why does it's mean it is when apostrophes usually own things?

Two different apostrophe jobs collide here: contraction (letters missing) and possession. For these pronoun pairs, the apostrophe ALWAYS means contraction, and possession goes bare: its, your, their, whose.

What is the expansion test?

Read the sentence with the contraction spelled out: it is or it has, you are, they are, who is or who has. Who's got the map? works as who has got the map. If the sentence still works, the apostrophe version is right. If it doesn't, the answer is a word without an apostrophe, and the meaning tells you which one: belonging (its, your, their, whose) or, for there, a place.

3rd grade contractions or possessives?

3rd grade contractions or possessives? worksheets

Third graders choose between the famous pairs, its/it's, your/you're, their/they're/there, using the expansion test on every blank.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core L.4.1.g.

Each print is a different sheet with its own answer key. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of sentences you'll fix

Try the two-word test, choose your answer, and write it on the line.

(Your / You’re) going to want a jacket tonight.
Fixed: You’re going to want a jacket tonight.
Put the bases over (their / there / they’re), past the sandbox.
(Your / You’re) fort, your rules; my fort, my rules.

Every print pulls a new set of sentences at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different mix.

What's on a 3rd grade sheet

3rd grade sheets draw from 40 sentences, 8 to a page. 3rd to 6th grade print from the same 40 sentences. The teaching notes below are written for this grade.

A few of the sentences, as the answer key corrects them:

Whose turn is it to hide?
It’s your move, and the clock is ticking.
Their porch swing squeaks a friendly warning.

Fix it. Try the two-word test, choose your answer, and write it on the line. 8 sentences to fix per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

Drill the expansion test as a spoken reflex: every time one of these words comes up, say the two-word version aloud and rule on whether the sentence survived. Funny failures (the dog wagged it is tail) are the best teachers.

Watch for: The apostrophe here means letters are missing, not ownership: it's = it is or it has. This runs exactly opposite to possessive nouns, which is why the pairs tangle. The expansion test finds the contractions: read the sentence with the two full words, trying both it is and it has (who is and who has). If one works, use the apostrophe. If neither works, you need a word without one, and the meaning picks it: its, your, or whose for belonging, their for belonging and there for a place.

Common questions about 3rd grade contractions or possessives

Why does it's mean it is when apostrophes usually own things?: Two different apostrophe jobs collide here: contraction (letters missing) and possession. For these pronoun pairs, the apostrophe ALWAYS means contraction, and possession goes bare: its, your, their, whose.
What is the expansion test?: Read the sentence with the contraction spelled out: it is or it has, you are, they are, who is or who has. Who's got the map? works as who has got the map. If the sentence still works, the apostrophe version is right. If it doesn't, the answer is a word without an apostrophe, and the meaning tells you which one: belonging (its, your, their, whose) or, for there, a place.

Related worksheets

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Aligned to Common Core L.4.1.g. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated October 2026.

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