To not understand this homework! Please help!

[ThatEdgyHedgehog]

Please help, I am trying to help (or at least I was last night) with this apostrophe task. I thought I understood. It seems I do not.

In the forest, the wolves' howls’ echoed as the trees' branches’ swayed in the wind. Underground, in the foxes' home, they huddled together to get warm. In the trees’, the squirrel’s feet pattered as they scrambled up and down the branches’ looking for food.

Is that correct? Why does branches have an apostrophe? Howls'?

Squirrel's should be squirrels' - it's more than one squirrel.

Oh I see, I have misunderstood the answer sheet. The answer sheet I have look different to that one and the incorrect apostrophes have remained.

There’s no way of knowing if it should be squirrel’s or squirrels’ because the ‘they’ could indicate plural squirrels or an unspecified gender squirrel! So both would be right.

Thank you so much for clarifying!

You don't know this for sure, 'as they pattered' could refer to the multiple feet of one squirrel.

But “they scrambled up and down” would indicate more than one squirrel scrambling up and down the trees, yes? Not that a single squirrel has feet that are scrambling up and down independent of one other. So “squirrels’ feet” would be correct and “squirrel’s feet” would not.

Not necessarily, 'they' could be a natural choice instead of he, she or it.

Really? Do squirrels now have the ability to express preferred pronouns? Until they do, I think we should reinforce correct grammar. To do otherwise underserves our children.

Nah. Way too many apostrophes where not needed.

In the forest, the wolves' howls echoed as the trees' branches swayed in the wind. Underground, in the foxes' home, they huddled together to get warm. In the trees, the squirrels' feet pattered as they scrambled up and down the branches looking for food.

Be careful with Twinkl, they often make mistakes. My son was given a piece of homework in Y2 where he had to identify the correct word in a few sentences, two of which were, "The food was too spisy/spicey." Also, "The ball was very bounsy/bouncey."

Another vote for this one

Another thread full of people correcting the OP's use of apostrophes instead of actually offering any advice. Mumsnet used to be such a kind place. Shame

Also the squirrels, referred to as they, so presumably plural squirrels so apostrophe after the s?

I think you've misunderstood. The homework was to correctly place the apostrophes. Which people have done.

Or were you being "funny?"

They are in possession of the branches so the apostrophe on trees (trees’) is correct.

The first occurrence of trees should - trees' branches.

Haha
Hope this is a joke.

Twink answer sheet downloaded 1 minute ago

They doesn’t refer to one squirrel. It refers to more than one.

In which case the feet themselves would have ‘scrambled up and down the branches looking for food’

Little squirrelly feet looking for their own food. 😀

Not a joke! ‘They’ existed as a neutral singular pronoun way before any trans malarkey. E.g.

When a new employee joins the company, they should be entered onto the payroll system.

I'm enjoying the squirrel discussion. Thanks everyone, the answer sheet I found online was incorrect and I had assumed it was my dodgy understanding!

I stand corrected. Thank you.
There must be grammatical rules for this use of ‘they’.
Just gone down a fascinating rabbit hole re pronouns. The reflexive pronoun ‘themself’ can, arguably but not definitively be used as the singular of ‘themselves’. This dates back 600.
Going back to google some more.