Possessive nouns are used to indicate ownership.
Possessive nouns usually are formed by adding an apostrophe (‘) and s.
- John’s book
- Kerry’s car
- Grandma’s mirror
When a noun is plural and ends in s, just add an apostrophe (‘).
- The kids’ toys
- My parents’ house
- The teachers’ lounge
If two people own one thing, add the apostrophe and s to the second person only.
- John and Mary’s new house
- David and Sue’s wedding
- Tom and Doug’s car
If two people own separate things, add the apostrophe and s for each person.
- Susan’s and Beth’s books
- Jean’s and Dan’s pants
- Ben’s and Jim’s offices
Singular Possessives
Add ‘s to singular words to show possession.
| Dog’s collar | sister’s backpack | car’s engine |
| (dog + ‘s) | (sister + ‘s) | (car + ‘s) |
If a singular word ends in s, it is still necessary to add ‘s.
| Charles’s sneakers | Bess’s dresses | bus’s tires |
| (Charles + ‘s) | (Bess + ‘s) | (bus + ‘s) |
Plural Possessives
If you have added an s to make a word plural (for example, cat ⇒ cats), adding ‘s will sound ridiculous (cats’s). In that case, add only the apostrophe to the end of the word.
| Dogs’ collars | sisters’ backpacks | cars’ engines |
| (dogs + ‘) | (sisters + ‘) | (cars + ‘) |
Just like singular possessives, plural possessives that don’t end in s add ‘s.
| Children’s homework | fish’s bowls | octopi’s tentacles |
| (children + ‘s) | (fish + ‘s) | (octopi + ‘s) |
[Quiz 3.1] ( Possessive Nouns )
Which of the following is not correct?
1)Dr. Hunts has a new computer.
2)Dr. Hunts’s new computer is working well.
3)Dr. Hunts’ computer is new.
Both 2 and 3 are the correct answers. In your writing, you should be consistent. If you choose to leave the final ‘s’ out, then leave it out throughout your writing.