An apostrophe question tests whether nouns show ownership or name more than one thing. With two nouns together, test each noun on its own, reading through the word after the blank. Flip the nouns with of between them and ask whether that says what the sentence means. One owner takes ’s; several owners ending in s take an apostrophe after the s. A noun that owns nothing takes no apostrophe, even if another noun follows.
Hints
- Hint 1
Start with the sentence containing the blank. What is being counted, and who is doing the buying?
- Hint 2
Try the of test on the first noun. Does flipping it with the next noun still say what this sentence means?
- Hint 3
Then check the word after the second noun. Is make naming something that belongs to it, or telling what someone does?
Step-by-step
Test ownership, then count
Step 1Test the first noun
Read total number of _____ make was the same. as a whole phrase, because we need to test both nouns for ownership. Does the first noun own the customers? The of test would turn the pair into the customers of the purchase, which isn’t what this sentence means. It’s counting purchases that customers make, not customers belonging to a purchase. The first noun names what is bought, not an owner, so putting a noun after it doesn’t call for an apostrophe.
- Step 2
Read past the second noun
Now look beyond the second noun: make is the word right after the blank. What are the customers doing? They make the purchases, so that word is their verb, the word that tells what they do. An apostrophe on a noun shows that it owns something; a verb isn’t a thing to own. The second noun is doing the buying, not owning the next word.
- Step 3
Check the plural forms
The card offers a free drink after ten purchases. How many purchases and customers does the text describe? That number calls for the plural purchases, and coffee-shop customers names more than one customer, so the second noun is plural too. The passage calls for two plain plurals. The option purchases customers gives those forms without adding ownership. Choice C.