Understanding Correct Grammatical Form for 'small business owner'

The question asks us to identify the correct grammatical structure for the phrase "small business owner" in the given sentence:

"Two out of every fifteen college students who major in computer science will go on to become small business owner at some point in their lives."

We need to determine the correct form of the noun phrase describing what the students become.

Analyzing the Noun Phrase 'small business owner'

The sentence structure indicates that the college students (a plural group) will become something. The role they will take on is related to owning a small business.

• The word "small business" functions as a compound adjective modifying the noun that follows. It describes the *type* of business.
• The subject of the sentence related to this phrase is "Two out of every fifteen college students," which is plural.
• Therefore, the noun that follows "small business" should also be plural, indicating multiple owners.

Evaluating the Options

Let's examine each option to see which fits grammatically and contextually:

• Option 1: $small businesses owner$
  This suggests one owner ("owner") for multiple businesses ("businesses"). While grammatically possible in other contexts, it doesn't fit the likely meaning here, which is multiple students becoming owners. Also, "businesses" should likely be singular when used attributively (like an adjective).
• Option 2: $small business owners$
  Here, "small business" acts as a compound adjective modifying the plural noun "owners". This means multiple people who own small businesses. This is grammatically correct and fits the context perfectly, as multiple students become owners.
• Option 3: $small business's owners$
  The singular possessive "business's" is incorrect here. "Small business" is acting descriptively, not possessively. This phrasing implies owners belonging to the possessive form of a single small business, which is awkward and incorrect.
• Option 4: $small business's owner$
  Similar to Option 3, the singular possessive "business's" is incorrect. Furthermore, "owner" is singular, which contradicts the plural subject "Two students".

Conclusion on Correct Form

The phrase "small business owners" correctly uses "small business" as a modifier for the plural noun "owners". This accurately reflects that multiple students will become individuals who own small businesses.