Is whose/who's really a sixth grade issue?

It is the last pair to settle, because whose looks like it should take an apostrophe. Expansion (who is, or who has) rules it exactly like the others.

What does finished look like?

Clean drafts without thinking about it. This is one of the few grammar skills that can be permanently completed, and that is worth telling a kid.

6th grade contractions or possessives?

6th grade contractions or possessives? worksheets

Sixth graders are done being fooled: the expansion test runs automatically, and the famous pairs stop appearing in their corrections at all.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core L.5.2.

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) welcome to borrow the ladder anytime.
Fixed: You’re welcome to borrow the ladder anytime.
(Its / It’s) cage door was open, and the classroom knew fear.
(Its / It’s) thunder arrived a full minute after the flash.

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 6th grade sheet

6th 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:

Leave the microscopes there until Ms. Odom checks them.
Its handle broke, but Grandpa’s mug survived the fall.
Their goalie hasn’t allowed a goal all tournament.

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

Retire the skill ceremonially: when a month of writing shows no pair errors, say so. Mastery acknowledged out loud tends to stay mastered.

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 6th grade contractions or possessives

Is whose/who's really a sixth grade issue?: It is the last pair to settle, because whose looks like it should take an apostrophe. Expansion (who is, or who has) rules it exactly like the others.
What does finished look like?: Clean drafts without thinking about it. This is one of the few grammar skills that can be permanently completed, and that is worth telling a kid.

Related worksheets

Ready to print one?

Need a fresh set of sentences? Download another copy.

Aligned to Common Core L.5.2. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated October 2026.

Spot a mistake on this sheet? Tell us. · About these worksheets