Possessive Nouns

Possessive Nouns: Claiming Ownership

Possessive nouns are like little signs that something belongs to someone or something. They’re how we show ownership or belonging in English, turning "the book of Emma" into "Emma’s book." It's all about making things personal.

How to Form Possessive Nouns

• For most singular nouns, add 's to the end (e.g., the dog's leash).
• For plural nouns that end in s, just add an ' at the end (e.g., the dogs' leashes).
• For plural nouns not ending in s, treat them like singular nouns and add 's (e.g., the children's toys).

Examples That Show It Off

• Singular: The cat’s whiskers are long.
• Plural: The cats’ owner is away.
• Irregular plural: The men’s shoes are on sale.

Putting Possessive Nouns to Use

We use possessive nouns all the time in conversation and writing, to point out who owns what. "Jenny’s pizza is ready" is way cooler than saying "The pizza that belongs to Jenny is ready," right?

Spotting and Fixing Common Slip-ups

Even the pros can stumble when it comes to possessive nouns, so here are some tips to keep your writing smooth:

✅ Perfect: The teacher’s book was left on the desk.

❌ Oops: The teachers book was left on the desk. (Missing the apostrophe makes it unclear)

✅ Just right: The children’s playground is new.

❌ Not quite: The childrens' playground is new. (Children is already plural, so children’s is the way to go)

✅ Spot on: The boss’s instructions were clear.

❌ A bit off: The boss’ instructions were clear. (Both boss’s and boss’ are accepted, but consistency is key)