it is advisable to mind your own business and not …

Analyze the question The sentence is: "It is advisable to mind your own business and not __." The blank needs a word that means "someone else's business" (the word "business" is understood, so it is not repeated).

Explain the concept In English, when we use indefinite pronouns like somebody, anybody, someone, nobody with else, the possessive 's is added to else, not to the pronoun.

• Correct: somebody else's book, anyone else's idea, nobody else's fault
• Incorrect: somebody's else book

Solution

1. "Mind your own business" is balanced against "not mind somebody else's business."
2. The possessive is needed because we are talking about whose business it is. This rules out D (somebody else), which has no possessive.
3. The 's must attach to else, so A (somebody's else) is wrong.
4. C (somebody's else's) has a double possessive, which is also wrong.
5. B (somebody else's) is correct. The word "business" is understood, so the sentence reads: "...and not [mind] somebody else's [business]."

Answer: B. somebody else's

Exam tip Remember the rule: the 's always goes on "else". Whenever you see somebody/anyone/someone + else, choose the option ending in else's. Eliminate any option with the 's on the pronoun itself or with two apostrophes.