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Bernadett Pogácsás-Simon/Alamy Stock Photo (Camel); huafeng207/Shutterstock.com (Desert)
Grammar Bot,

Fun Facts About Deserts

Discover some surprising desert facts as you practice using apostrophes correctly.

From the September 2019 Issue
Featured Skill: Vocabulary and Grammar, Writing and Editing,
Common Core Standards
  • Anchor Standards
    L.2
  • Grade 4
    L.4.2
  • Grade 5
    L.5.2
  • Grade 6
    L.6.2
TEKS Standards
  • Grade 4
    4.11d
  • Grade 5
    5.11d
  • Grade 6
    6.10d

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Grammar Cop’s Rules:

1. Add an apostrophe to a noun to show possession:

  • For a singular noun or a plural noun that doesn’t end in s (like children), add ’s.
  • For a plural noun ending in s (like dogs), just add an apostrophe after the s.

2. Use an apostrophe to replace missing letters in a contraction (like don’t for do not). 

Directions: Add 13 missing apostrophes in the sentences below.

1. Deserts are our planets driest places—they get almost no rain. Sometimes theyre so sizzling hot that raindrops dry up before hitting the ground.

2. Deserts arent always hot and sandy! Icy-cold Antarctica is actually the worlds biggest desert. Some say it hasnt rained in parts of the continent for more than two million years!

3. Hills of sand, called sand dunes, can grow to be 4,000 feet tall. Thats taller than two Empire State Buildings stacked on top of each other.

oksana2010/Shutterstock.com

4. Scientists have studied ancient rat poop from Chiles Atacama Desert to figure out how much its rained there over time. In years with more rainfall, the rats pellets were bigger. 

5. Hoping to explore the desert but don't want to leave home? Now you can—thanks to Raffia the camel. Google hired the talented camel to snap pictures of an Asian desert.

Nerthuz/Shutterstock.com 

6. The dry, dusty land on Mars is similar to some of Earths deserts. In fact, NASA has used our deserts to practice for future missions to Mars.  

Nerthuz/Shutterstock.com 

7. Whats that mysterious humming noise? “Singing sand” is a sound caused by sand rolling down a dune. Watch out, Beyoncé! 

8. Do you miss snowboarding when the weather is warm? Try sandboarding! Instead of going down snowy trails, sandboarders ride down sand dunes smooth sides.

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