Here are the answers to the Apostrophes Practice activity you just did. [You can read about apostrophes by clicking this link.]
1. My boss said we will probably get a raise in a few months. [no “of” idea]
2. I always enjoy Mr. Brown’s class. [class of Mr. Brown]
3. Babies’ toys are on sale this week. [toys of babies]
4. Last summer James went to Europe with a church group. [no “of” idea]
5. Both girls’ poems were printed in the school magazine. [poems of girls]
6. Miss Jones’ account was closed yesterday. [account of Miss Jones]
7. Our community is looking for ways to provide support for needy families. [no “of” idea]
8. Both schools’ problems would be solved if they had new principals. [problems of both schools]
9. My best friend’s birthday is tomorrow. [birthday of best friend]
10. That song’s lyrics always make me smile. [lyrics of that song]
Dear Jean,
I hope you can help me out with a couple questions.
4. Last summer James went to Europe with a church group. [no “of” idea]
Why is there no “of” idea? The group belongs to the church. You can rearrange the sentence: Last summer James went to Europe with a group of the church.
5. Both girls’ poems were printed in the school magazine. [poems of girls]
Same thought process here. The magazine belongs to the school: Both girls’ poems were printed in the magazine of the school.
Don’t get it…
Cheers.
I’m happy to help!
Nouns can often become adjectives. Church is usually a noun. But it can also be an adjective: a church steeple.
Both church’s group and church group are correct. So are church hat, church window, church donation.
Similarly school’s magazine is correct. It’s usually a noun, but it can also be an adjective: a school building.