Possessive 's

1. What Is Possessive ’s?

You use possessive ’s to show who something belongs to.

We usually use ’s:

• things people have: Maria’s bag
• family and friends: Adam’s sister
• animals: The dog’s tail
• places (homes/shops) / names: I’m at Lina’s.

We often don’t say house because it is understood: I’m at Lina’s (= Lina’s house).

With many things, we often use of instead of ’s:

• the cover of the book
• the door of the car

2. How Possessive ’s Works in Sentences

You use ’s after a person, animal, or sometimes a place/name to show ownership or connection.

Structure:

• Owner (name) / animal + ’s + thing

Examples:

• “Anna’s book”
• “Tom’s phone”
• “The cat’s paw”
• “This is Sarah’s bag.”
• “I like my brother’s car.”
• “That is the teacher’s desk.”

First we say the owner, then the thing: Sarah’s bag, the teacher’s desk.
You are telling who owns the thing.

3. Singular and Plural Owners

With most names, add ’s. For names ending in -s, you may see James’s or James’ (both are used). It does not matter if the name ends in a vowel or consonant.

For learners, James’s is a good form to use.

Examples:

• “John’s jacket”
• “Lisa’s shoes”
• “James’s room”

For one person/animal, use ’s:

• the boy’s hat
• the woman’s bag

For plural owners, use ’:

• the parents’ house
• the girls’ bags

If the plural does not end in -s (for example, children, men), use ’s:

• children’s books
• men’s shoes

4. Possessive ’s is NOT the same as “is”

This is very important. The same ’s can mean two different things:

• Ownership → “Tom’s bag” (the bag belongs to Tom)
• “is” → “Tom’s happy” (Tom is happy)

Tip: Look at the next word.

• If the next word is a noun (a thing) → possession (Tom’s bag).
• If the next word is an adjective or -ing → is (Tom’s happy / Tom’s sleeping).
• If the next words are a/an + noun, it can mean is: Tom’s a teacher.