Possessive Nouns. Definition, Examples and Exercise

Definition: Possessive nouns show ownership. Possessive comes from the same root as possession, something you own.

Singular Possessives

Add ‘s to singular words to show possession.

t-shirt’s logo             moon’s brightness                class’s income

(t-shirt + ‘s)              (moon + ‘s)                      (class + ‘s)

If a singular word ends in s, it is still necessary to add ‘s.

Book’s cover              Goddess’s beauty                 Victor’s spoils

(book + ‘s)                              (Goddess + ‘s)                       (Victor + ‘s)

Plural Possessives

If you have added an s to make a word plural (for example, cat ⇒ cats), adding ‘s will sound ridiculous (cat’s). In that case, add only the apostrophe to the end of the word.

Eggs’ colour                            Frogs’ croaking                    Owls’ eyes

(eggs + ‘)                               (frogs + ‘)                              (owls + ‘)

Just like singular possessives, plural possessives that don’t end in s add ‘s.

Die’s roll                                 Feet’s toenails                       Lice’s size

(die + ‘s)                                 (feet + ‘s)                                (lice + ‘s)

Hint:  Look at the ending in front of the apostrophe to see if the word is singular or plural.

One dog’s tail	(One dog has one tail.)
Two dogs|’ tails	(Two dogs have two tails.)

Find Out Possessive Nouns From examples For exercise:

• Rogar and Susan’s backpacks are in the car.
• The gerbil’s cage needed cleaning.
• The girl’s toys were lined up neatly on the shelf.
• The dog’s bowls are filled with hotdogs.
• The car’s bumpers were locked in the traffic jam.
• Jennifer’s new handbag matches her shoes perfectly.
• The cat’s fur is a matted mess.
• The cat’s bowl is filled with cheeseburgers.
• The doctor’s white coat was hanging in his office.
• Carol and John’s new car is the latest model.