Free Year 3 Apostrophes in contractions Practice | Skillo

Year 3 students sitting their first NAPLAN need to be confident with apostrophes in contractions. Apostrophes signal missing letters in contractions (don't, won't, isn't, can't). Skillo has targeted practice questions for this exact skill, mapped to the Australian Curriculum v9.0, free and ready to go.

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What is tested: Apostrophes in contractions

  • Apostrophes signal missing letters in contractions (don't, won't, isn't, can't).
  • Questions test identification and correction of errors
  • Both Australian English conventions and sentence structure are assessed

Sample questions

Question 1Easy

Priya said she _____ coming to the school carnival because she has a swimming lesson.

A) is'nt
B) isnt
C) isn't
D) i'snt

Answer: The contraction 'isn't' is formed by joining 'is' and 'not', with an apostrophe replacing the missing letter 'o'. Option C places the apostrophe correctly between 'n' and 't'. Options A and D place the apostrophe in the wrong position, and option B has no apostrophe at all.

Question 2Medium

Read this sentence. Tom said, "I ca'nt find my lunch box before the bell rings." Which part of the sentence has an error?

A) ca'nt
B) find my
C) before the
D) bell rings

Answer: The contraction 'can't' is formed from 'cannot', with the apostrophe replacing the missing letters 'no'. The apostrophe must sit between 'n' and 't', making the correct spelling 'can't', not 'ca'nt'. The other parts of the sentence contain no errors.

Question 3Hard

Zac told Mei, "We _____ have enough time to feed the kangaroos at the wildlife park."

A) wo'nt
B) wont
C) won't
D) wont'

Answer: 'Won't' is the contraction of 'will not', and the apostrophe replaces the missing letters. It is spelled 'won't' with the apostrophe between 'n' and 't'. Options A and D misplace the apostrophe, and option B omits it entirely — note that 'wont' without an apostrophe is a completely different word.

How to use Skillo for Year 3 Grammar

  1. Select Year 3 and Grammar on the home screen
  2. Use Quick Practice — questions on apostrophes in contractions will appear as part of the session
  3. Check the Skill Breakdown on your profile to track your accuracy on apostrophes in contractions specifically
  4. Review explanations after each question to understand the reasoning behind correct answers

Skillo is free, requires no email or account details, and is built specifically for Australian students. Every question is mapped to the Australian Curriculum v9.0 and filtered by skill so your child practises exactly what they need.

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