Showing possession through nouns - Easy Learning Grammar
- The man was mending his car.
- The car was being mended by a man.
- by adding -’s to a singular noun, or an irregular plural noun that does not end in -s.
| one dog | one boy | several children |
| the dog’s bones | the boy’s books | the children’s toys |
- by adding -’ to a plural noun.
| more than one dog | more than one boy |
| the dogs’ bones | the boys’ books |
| the side of the ship | the end of the queue |
| the boy’s pencil | but not the pencil of the boy |
| the driver’s foot | the dog’s nose |
| today’s newspaper | a week’s holiday |
| the leg of the table | the arm of the sofa |
| the wheel of the car | the foot of the bed |
| the world of ideas | the power of thought |
- show possession.
| the boy’s books | the dog’s blanket |
- show a relationship, with a person either as the originator or the user of the thing named.
| her parents’ consent | the student’s letter |
| a women’s club | the children’s park |
- indicate that a place is where someone works or lives.
| a grocer’s | the butcher’s |
| a solicitor’s | my aunt’s |
- show that something is a part of a whole.
| the leg of the table | the dog’s nose |
| the wheel of the car | the girl’s shoulder |
- add a descriptive element which premodifies a noun. It is a type of determiner. See also Determiners.
| writer’s cramp | A Winter’s Tale |
- most singular nouns add an apostrophe + -s.
| a girl’s ring | a cat’s face |
- most plural nouns add an apostrophe after the plural form -s.
| the boys’ football | five young girls’ faces |
- common nouns that end in -s in the singular. When these are made plural the choice of -’s or a simple apostrophe is optional.
| a cactus | the cactus’ spines |
| the cactus’s habitat |
- plural nouns not ending in -s, for example those that that have a plural ending in -en. In this case, add an apostrophe + s.
| children’s | men’s |
- proper nouns and common nouns that end in -s. These usually add -’s in the singular unless the final sound of the basic word is [-iz], in which case, a simple apostrophe is sufficient.
| Mrs Evans’s car | Mr Jones’s fence |
| Keats’s poetry | the Bates’s cat |
| I like Dickens’s novels | |
| Peter Bridges’ car |
| my mother-in-law | my mother-in-law’s car |
| the runner-up | the runner-up’s trophy |
| the fire-fighters | the fire-fighters’ efforts |
- a stock market analyst’s annual income
- the senior hospital consultant’s weekly visit
- the President of Austria’s official car
- the director of marketing’s personal assistant
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