The … toys have all been stolen.

Analyze the question: The sentence is "The ____ toys have all been stolen." The blank needs a word showing that the toys belong to the children. That means we need a possessive form.

Concept: Possessive of plural nouns

• Regular plurals (ending in -s) take just an apostrophe: boys → boys' books
• Irregular plurals (not ending in -s) take apostrophe + s: children → children's toys, men → men's shoes, women → women's bags

Step-by-step:

1. The singular is child; the plural is children (irregular).
2. Since children does not end in -s, we add 's to show possession: children's.

Checking each option:

• A. children: This is only the plural noun and doesn't show possession. "The children toys" is incorrect.
• B. childrens: There is no such word, and it has no apostrophe.
• C. childerns': This is a misspelling, and childern does not exist.
• D. children's: This is correct. It is the proper possessive plural form.

Correct sentence: The children's toys have all been stolen.

Answer: D

Exam tip: Ask yourself, "Is the plural word ending in -s?"

• If yes, add only an apostrophe (girls').
• If no, add 's (children's, people's, women's).

Also, remember that "childrens" and "childrens'" are never correct in standard English.