SAT Grammar Strategy

Possessive Determiners on the SAT

Turn Tricky Homophones into Easy Points

Master sentence structure, punctuation, and clarity with repeatable rules.

4 Min Read

Grammar Rule

Clarity Focus

5 Practice Qs

Identify the subject and verb, then make sure punctuation does not split them or add extra ideas.

Find the subject + verb first. That is the sentence core.
Only add commas around extra information, never inside the core.
Re-read the sentence without the modifier to test clarity.

Possessive determiner questions on the SAT Reading and Writing section follow nearly the same pattern every time, which should give you confidence going in. The test presents a sentence with a blank or an underlined word, and the answer choices are sound-alike words: its vs. it's, their vs. they're vs. there, whose vs. who's. Most students stumble on these not because the grammar itself is difficult, but because they have not practiced distinguishing these words under pressure.

That changes today. By the end of this post, you'll have one simple trick that resolves nearly every possessive determiner question in seconds, plus five practice questions to lock in the skill. These are genuinely easy points once you know what to look for.

What Is a Possessive Determiner?

A possessive determiner is a small but important word that sits right before a noun to show ownership. The complete list is short:

my, your, his, her
its, our, their

You'll also see whose, which is the possessive form of "who." These words answer one question: whose is it? That's all they do, point to an owner.

The reason the SAT tests these so frequently is that English has an unfortunate set of homophones, words that sound identical but mean completely different things:

its (possessive) vs. it's (it is)
their (possessive) vs. they're (they are) vs. there (location)
your (possessive) vs. you're (you are)
whose (possessive) vs. who's (who is)

Notice a pattern? Every possessive determiner is written without an apostrophe. Every contraction uses an apostrophe. This is the single most important rule for these questions:

No possessive determiner ever uses an apostrophe. If you see an apostrophe, you're looking at a contraction, not a possessive.

See it's? Read the sentence as "it is." Does that work? If yes, keep the contraction. If no, you need its (the possessive).
See they're? Read it as "they are." Sounds wrong? You probably need their.
See who's? Read it as "who is." Doesn't fit? Go with whose.

This takes about three seconds and works on virtually every question of this type. It's not a shortcut that sacrifices accuracy, it's the actual grammatical test, just phrased in a way that's fast to apply under time pressure.

Expansion test. If the word can become "it is" or "they are", it's a contraction. If not, you need the possessive.
Agreement check. Match the possessive determiner to the antecedent: singular nouns take its, plural nouns take their, and people take his, her, or their.

This two-step check covers everything the SAT will throw at you on this topic. Confirm possessive vs. contraction, then confirm agreement.

Practice Possessive Determiners with SAT-Style Questions

Try these five questions, arranged from straightforward to slightly trickier. Use the expansion trick on each one, the goal is to make it automatic before test day.

Passage

The city council voted to increase _____ annual budget for public transportation.

easy

Which choice completes the sentence correctly?

Passage

Each student must submit _____ research proposal by Friday.

easy

Which choice completes the sentence correctly?

Passage

The oak tree, _____ roots had buckled the sidewalk, was scheduled for removal by the parks department.

medium

Which choice completes the sentence correctly?

Passage

Although the two companies merged last year, _____ still operating under separate brand names in most markets.

medium

Which choice completes the sentence correctly?

Passage

The research team published _____ findings in a peer-reviewed journal, and the university praised the group for _____ contribution to the field.

medium

Which choice correctly completes both blanks in the sentence?

Key Takeaways for Possessive Determiners

No possessive determiner uses an apostrophe. If you see an apostrophe, it's a contraction (it is, they are, who is), not a possessive. This single rule eliminates wrong answers fast.
Expand every contraction. Substitute "it is," "they are," "you are," or "who is" into the sentence. If the expanded version sounds wrong, pick the possessive form. This test takes seconds and is nearly foolproof.
Check agreement with the antecedent. After confirming you need a possessive, find the noun it refers to. Is it singular or plural? A person or a thing? The possessive determiner must match.
These are fast points. The pattern is predictable, the trick is mechanical, and the SAT reuses the same confusable pairs every time. Don't overthink, trust the method.

Conclusion: The Core Rule for Possessive Determiners

Possessive determiner questions reward preparation more than instinct. The pairs are always the same (its/it's, their/they're/there, whose/who's), the trick is always the same (expand the contraction), and the check is always the same (match the antecedent). Practice these five questions until the process feels automatic, and you'll handle this question type confidently on test day, turning what trips up many students into reliable points for you.

Remember: expand the contraction, check the antecedent, and move on. These points are yours for the taking.

About the Instructor

Thomas Meli

Founder, Deep Test Prep

"Viewing the SAT as a transformative rite of passage, my approach builds self-awareness, sharpens critical thinking, and fosters a love of learning that supports students far beyond test day."

With over 20 years of teaching and 500+ hours of training in compassionate communication, Thomas uses scientifically proven methods to help students target and achieve their SAT goals.