Possessive Nouns

Mastering ownership and relationships in English grammar

A possessive noun shows ownership or a close relationship between two things. It answers the question "Whose is it?" by modifying another noun with an apostrophe and sometimes an "s".

Key Characteristics of Possessive Nouns

Core Features:
  • Always uses apostrophes: Either 's or ' (never just s)
  • Modifies another noun: Always appears before the noun it possesses
  • Multiple functions: Can show ownership, origin, measurement, or relationship
  • Replaces "of" phrases: "The car of John" → "John's car"
  • Different forms: Changes based on whether the noun is singular or plural

Forming Possessive Nouns

1. Singular Possessive Nouns

Add 's to singular nouns:

Examples:
  • dog → dog's (The dog's collar)
  • Maria → Maria's (Maria's notebook)
  • boss → boss's (The boss's decision)

Note: For classical names ending in s (Jesus, Socrates), you can use just an apostrophe: Jesus' teachings, Socrates' philosophy.

2. Plural Possessive Nouns

Regular Plurals (ending in s)

Add only an apostrophe after the existing s:

Examples:
  • students → students' (The students' projects)
  • teachers → teachers' (The teachers' lounge)

Irregular Plurals (not ending in s)

Add 's like singular nouns:

Examples:
  • children → children's (The children's playground)
  • women → women's (The women's soccer team)

3. Compound and Hyphenated Nouns

Add 's to the last word only:

Examples:
  • mother-in-law → mother-in-law's (My mother-in-law's recipe)
  • attorney general → attorney general's (The attorney general's statement)

4. Joint vs. Separate Possession

Key Difference:
  • Joint possession (one thing):
    "John and Mary's house" (they share one house)
  • Separate possession (individual things):
    "John's and Mary's cars" (they each own a car)

Special Cases

1. Nouns Ending in S

Both forms are correct:
  • Charles's car or Charles' car
  • The bus's route or the bus' route

Style guides differ: AP Style prefers Jones', while Chicago Style prefers Jones's.

2. Time and Measurement

Common expressions:
  • a day's work
  • two weeks' notice
  • a pound's worth

3. Inanimate Objects

Natural usage:
  • The car's engine
  • The book's cover

When in doubt: "The bottom of the page" sounds better than "The page's bottom."

Common Mistakes

Avoid these errors:
  • Its vs. It's:
    Correct: The dog wagged its tail. (possessive)
    Correct: It's raining. (contraction for "it is")
  • Plural nouns with apostrophes:
    Incorrect: I have two cat's.
    Correct: I have two cats.
  • Possessives vs. contractions:
    Incorrect: Who's book is this?
    Correct: Whose book is this?

Practice Exercises

1. Correct the Errors

  • The childrens' toys → The children's toys
  • The womens' locker room → The women's locker room

2. Rewrite Using Possessives

  • the bicycle of my sister → my sister's bicycle
  • the meeting of the teachers → the teachers' meeting

3. Explain the Difference

  • "Tom and Jerry's house" → They share one house
  • "Tom's and Jerry's houses" → Each owns a separate house