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Possessive Case

The document discusses the use of the apostrophe s ('s) to show possession or relationships between nouns. It provides the following rules for using the apostrophe s: 1) Add 's to singular nouns to show possession (e.g. "my mother's house"). 2) For plural nouns ending in s, add only an apostrophe to show possession (e.g. "the sisters' house"). 3) For plural nouns not ending in s, add 's to show possession (e.g. "the children's toys"). 4) For most singular nouns ending in s, add 's to show possession (e.g. "James's barbecue").

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542 views9 pages

Possessive Case

The document discusses the use of the apostrophe s ('s) to show possession or relationships between nouns. It provides the following rules for using the apostrophe s: 1) Add 's to singular nouns to show possession (e.g. "my mother's house"). 2) For plural nouns ending in s, add only an apostrophe to show possession (e.g. "the sisters' house"). 3) For plural nouns not ending in s, add 's to show possession (e.g. "the children's toys"). 4) For most singular nouns ending in s, add 's to show possession (e.g. "James's barbecue").

Uploaded by

eupatty
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The Apostrophe S - ('S)

when we add apostrophe S (s) to


show possession, that something
belongs to another or a type of
relationship between things.
My mothers house.
Your brothers friend

We normally use the s with people, animals though it can also be used with
places, organizations and companies (which suggest a group of people).

1. Singular nouns
add 's (apostrophe S)
My mothers house is next to the beach. (= the house of my mother)
Jasons car was stolen last night. (= the car of Jason)
Tomorrow, were all going to see the museums new art exhibit.

2. Plural nouns ending in s


only add the apostrophe ' (without the S)
The two sisters house is next to mine. (= the house of the two sisters)
The plumbers tools were rusty. (= the tools of the plumbers)
The players boots were dirty and smelly after the game. (= the boots of the
players)
Notice that the pronunciation is the same for certain possessives:
My friends house = the house of my friend = 1 friend
My friends house = the house of my friends = 2 or more friends

3. Plural nouns not ending in s:


add 's
Be careful not to trip over the childrens toys. (= the toys of the children)
The womens bathroom is currently flooded with water.
The presidential candidate is often called the peoples favorite politician.

4. Singular noun ending in s:


Most names: add 's (apostrophe S)

They had a really good time at Jamess barbecue last Friday.


We spent the day admiring Francess new car.

5. Possessive nouns as part of a phrase


Sometimes more than one word/noun is a possessive.
If there are two owners of something, we add 's to the final name:
Rick and Steves car is quite old.
But, if each person owns a car, then add 's to both names:
Ricks and Steves cars are quite old.
Notice how the verb is in plural form.

6. No Noun
If the meaning is clear, we can use the possessive without a noun after it.

Her hair is longer than Jills. (= Jills hair)


We ate at Billys last night. (= Billys Diner or Billys house)
Whose bag is this? Its Janes. (= Janes bag)

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