Possessive 's/s'

In this lesson, you will learn the main rules for using ’s and s’ to show possession. You will also see some useful extra cases.

1. Core Rules

Possessive forms show the relationship between an owner and something connected with that owner. They are common with people, animals, organisations, time, and measures.

Owner	Form	Example
singular noun	’s	Maria’s bag
plural noun ending in -s	s’	the teachers’ lounge
irregular plural noun	’s	the children’s books

Use ’s with a singular noun and with an irregular plural that does not end in -s. Use s’ with a plural noun ending in -s.

• “Maria’s bag is on the table.”
• “The teachers’ lounge is very comfortable.”
• “The men’s coats are by the door.”

2. Two Owners

Two Owners, One Thing

If two or more people share one thing, add the ’s to the second name only.

Examples:

• “Anna and Ben’s car is parked outside.” → The car belongs to both Anna and Ben.
• “Susan and Adam’s house is down the road.” → The house belongs to both Susan and Adam.

Two Owners, Two Things

If each person owns separate things, add ’s to each name.

Examples:

• “Tom’s and Jerry’s houses are on the same street.” → Tom has one house, Jerry has another.
• “Anna’s and Ben’s cars are both red.” → Anna has a red car, Ben has a red car too.

3. Names Ending in S

When a name ends in s, this lesson uses the common British style James’s bike, Chris’s dog. You may also see James’ or Chris’ in other styles.

Examples:

• “James’s bike is new.” / “James’ bike is new.” → Both spellings are correct.
• “Chris’s dog is very friendly.” / “Chris’ dog is very friendly.” → Both spellings are correct.

4. Optional Preview: Pronunciation and Longer Phrases

Pronunciation

You do not need this for the core A2 rule, but possessive ’s can sound different in different words:

• s sound: Jack’s coat, the cat’s bed
• z sound: Maria’s bag, the dog’s ball
• iz sound: James’s bike, the boss’s office

With a regular plural ending in -s, the possessive apostrophe adds no extra sound: the teachers’ room and the teachers end with the same sound.

Compound Nouns and Phrases

For a compound noun such as sister-in-law, add ’s to the last part. For a whole phrase, add ’s at the end of the phrase.

Examples:

• “My sister-in-law’s house is very big.” → The house of my sister-in-law.
• “The man next door’s car is blue.” → The car of the man next door.

5. Possessive ’s and Of

Use ’s most often with people, animals, organisations, time, and measures: “the teacher’s desk,” “the company’s rules,” “a day’s work,” “an hour’s wait,” and “two weeks’ holiday.”

For a singular time or measure, use ’s: a day’s work. For a plural time or measure ending in -s, use s’: two weeks’ holiday.

Use of often with inanimate things, especially longer noun phrases: “the door of the building.” Both forms are possible with many things, but of can sound clearer.

6. Its and It’s

its is possessive: “The dog wagged its tail.” it’s means it is or it has: “It’s raining.”

Use this test: if you can replace the word with it is or it has, write it’s. If not, use its.

Incorrect	Correct
The dog wagged it’s tail.	The dog wagged its tail.
Its raining.	It’s raining. (= It is raining.)

7. Possessives Without a Repeated Noun

We can omit a repeated noun after a possessive: “My bag is at Anna’s.” We also use this for places: “I’m going to the dentist’s.” / “The butcher’s is closed.”

8. Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

1. Don’t confuse possessive ’s with plural s
   • Plural: “The dogs are outside.”
   • Possessive: “The dog’s ball is outside.”
2. Be careful with names ending in s
   • “Jess’s book” → Correct
   • “Jess book” → Incorrect
3. Remember that ’s can also mean ‘is’ as a contraction
   • “Tom’s happy today.” → Tom is happy today.
   • “Tom’s bag.” → the bag belongs to Tom.
4. Don’t confuse its and it’s
   • “The dog wagged its tail.” Use it’s only when you can say it is or it has.

9. Summary and Key Rules

The possessive ’s is very common. It can show:

• Ownership (Anna’s book)
• Plural owner (teachers’ lounge)
• Shared items (Tom and Jerry’s house)