Possessive Nouns

Showing ownership with 's and of: John's book, the leg of the table

beginner

When to Use

•'s for people and animals: John's car, the dog's tail.
•'s for time expressions: today's news, a week's holiday.
•Of for things/objects: the leg of the table, the end of the road.
•Either for organizations: the company's policy / the policy of the company.
•Double possessive: a friend of John's, that idea of yours.

How to Form

Affirmative (+)

Singular: noun + 's. Plural ending in s: noun + '. Plural not ending in s: noun + 's

Negative (-)

Same rules apply

Question (?)

Whose book is this? (possessive question)

💡 Names ending in s: James's or James' (both acceptable).

Examples

✓The children's toys are everywhere.

✗The childrens toys are everywhere.

Irregular plural + 's.

✓The roof of the house needs repair.

✗The house's roof needs repair.

Of is preferred for things (though 's is sometimes used).

✓I met a colleague of Sarah's.

✗I met a colleague of Sarah.

Double possessive with a/an.

Common Mistakes

💡 Practice Tips

• People/animals: use 's (Mary's, the cat's).
• Things: prefer of (the top of the mountain).
• Time: use 's (yesterday's meeting, two weeks' notice).
• Plural ending in s: just add ' (the teachers' room).

apostrophe-rules possessive-pronouns plural-irregular 📝 nouns-beginner 📝 possessive-nouns-quiz

Possessive Nouns

Showing ownership with 's and of: John's book, the leg of the table

beginner

When to Use

•'s for people and animals: John's car, the dog's tail.
•'s for time expressions: today's news, a week's holiday.
•Of for things/objects: the leg of the table, the end of the road.
•Either for organizations: the company's policy / the policy of the company.
•Double possessive: a friend of John's, that idea of yours.

How to Form

Affirmative (+)

Singular: noun + 's. Plural ending in s: noun + '. Plural not ending in s: noun + 's

Negative (-)

Same rules apply

Question (?)

Whose book is this? (possessive question)

💡 Names ending in s: James's or James' (both acceptable).

Examples

✓The children's toys are everywhere.

✗The childrens toys are everywhere.

Irregular plural + 's.

✓The roof of the house needs repair.

✗The house's roof needs repair.

Of is preferred for things (though 's is sometimes used).

✓I met a colleague of Sarah's.

✗I met a colleague of Sarah.

Double possessive with a/an.

Common Mistakes

💡 Practice Tips

• People/animals: use 's (Mary's, the cat's).
• Things: prefer of (the top of the mountain).
• Time: use 's (yesterday's meeting, two weeks' notice).
• Plural ending in s: just add ' (the teachers' room).

apostrophe-rules possessive-pronouns plural-irregular 📝 nouns-beginner 📝 possessive-nouns-quiz

Possessive Nouns

When to Use

How to Form

Examples

Common Mistakes

💡 Practice Tips

Related

Possessive Nouns

When to Use

How to Form

Examples

Common Mistakes

💡 Practice Tips

Related

When to Use

How to Form

Examples

Common Mistakes

✗The boy's are playing.

✗The womens' room.

✗It's color is blue.

💡 Practice Tips

Related

When to Use

How to Form

Examples

Common Mistakes

✗The boy's are playing.

✗The womens' room.

✗It's color is blue.

💡 Practice Tips

Related