Which sentence uses an apostrophe to show possession correctly?

Which sentence uses an apostrophe to show possession correctly?

• A. The nurses stethoscope belongs to the nurse.
• B. The nurses' stethoscope belongs to the nurse.
• C. The nurse's stethoscope belongs to the nurse.
• D. The nurse stethoscope belongs to the nurse.

Answer: (C)

Showing possession with apostrophes means adding 's to a singular owner. Here, the owner is one nurse, so the correct form is nurse's. That makes the sentence clearly indicate that the stethoscope belongs to that nurse. The version without an apostrophe fails to mark ownership. The version with nurses' would imply multiple nurses own the stethoscope, which doesn’t match that it belongs to the nurse (singular). The version with nurse stethoscope treats stethoscope as a compound noun rather than showing ownership, which is not standard for indicating possession.

Showing possession with apostrophes means adding 's to a singular owner. Here, the owner is one nurse, so the correct form is nurse's. That makes the sentence clearly indicate that the stethoscope belongs to that nurse. The version without an apostrophe fails to mark ownership. The version with nurses' would imply multiple nurses own the stethoscope, which doesn’t match that it belongs to the nurse (singular). The version with nurse stethoscope treats stethoscope as a compound noun rather than showing ownership, which is not standard for indicating possession.