Hi, I'm Alex 👋
This one is under a minute, so watch it a few times! Then see if you can spot IS and HAS in the exercises.
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, Hermione says: “The Order’s put protective charms on the Burrow.” 🧙 Is that ’s short for is or has? It’s a classic trap for learners, and the answer tells you which tense she’s using.
Tap the lines of the interactive script to hear each moment, then try the exercises. My tip: look at the word after the ’s.
▶️ Watch and read along
The Order’s put protective charms
- Hermione: And <mark>the Order’s put</mark> <mark>protective charms</mark> on the Burrow.
- Alex: What about the <mark>apostrophe S</mark>? What does it stand for? Does it stand for <mark>is</mark>, the verb to be?
- Alex: As in “it’s all right”: that’s the contraction of the verb to be. <mark>It is</mark> all right.
It’s HAS: the present perfect
- Alex: But what about when Hermione says “and the Order’s put protective charms”?
- Alex: That’s actually “the Order <mark>has put</mark> protective charms on the Burrow”.
- Alex: That’s the <mark>present perfect</mark>. It’s the <mark>auxiliary verb</mark> <i>has</i> being contracted.
- Alex: She’s using the present perfect because the focus of that sentence is the <mark>result</mark>.
- Alex: They’re interested in the result of that action, because what they’re interested in is being <mark>safe from</mark> Voldemort.
🃏 Words from this episode
- ’s = is: Before an adjective, a noun, -ing or a past participle used as an adjective: it’s all right, she’s tired, he’s coming.
- ’s = has: Before a past participle (put, gone, done) in the present perfect, or before got.
- protective charms: spells that keep a place or person safe
- auxiliary verb: a helping verb (be, have, do) used with a main verb to make tenses, questions and negatives
- present perfect: have / has + past participle. We use it when the result now is what matters.
- safe from: protected from danger or harm
🔗 Exercise 1: Match the contraction to its full form
- The Order’s put charms on the Burrow.
- It’s all right.
- She’s gone to Hogwarts.
- He’s very brave.
- Harry’s got a scar.
🔽 Exercise 2: IS or HAS?
- The Order’s put protective charms on the Burrow. ’s = ___
- It’s all right. ’s = ___
- Ron’s eaten all the sweets. ’s = ___
- Hermione’s reading in the library. ’s = ___
- Hagrid’s got a dragon. ’s = ___
- Voldemort’s back. ’s = ___
- Dumbledore’s been very kind to Harry. ’s = ___
✍️ Exercise 3: Write the full form
- The Order ___ put protective charms on the Burrow.
- It ___ all right.
- Harry ___ lost his wand.
- The Burrow ___ safe now.
- Hermione ___ found the answer.
🧠 Exercise 4: Quick quiz
- Why does Hermione use the present perfect?
- What follows ’s when it means HAS in the present perfect?
- What does “protective charms” mean?
🧙 More from the Harry Potter series
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (PS1), Part 1
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (PS1), Part 2
- ’S = is or has? (Deathly Hallows) (you are here)
- LIVE: Hogwarts Legacy, Part 1
- Hogwarts Mystery: First Gameplay
- Silent Letters, Idioms and Hogwarts Mystery Chapter 4 (Live)
- The Tale of the Three Brothers (Deathly Hallows)
All my game episodes are on the Learn English with Games page.
Now make your own sentence with ’s = has, like My friend’s just finished the game, and share it in the comments on YouTube. I’ll tell you if it’s right! ⚡
Alex