English Possessive ’s

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Possessive ’s

When we want to show that something belongs to somebody or something, we usually add ’s to a singular noun and an apostrophe ‘ to a plural noun, for example:

the boy’s ball (one boy)
the boys’ ball (two or more boys)

Notice that the number of balls does not matter. The structure is influenced by the possessor and not the possessed.

	one ball	more than one ball
one boy	the boy’s ball	the boy’s balls
more than one boy	the boys’ ball	the boys’ balls

The structure can be used for a whole phrase:

the man next door’s mother (the mother of the man next door)
the Queen of England’s poodles (the poodles of the Queen of England)

Although we can use of to show possession, it is more usual to use possessive ’s. The following phrases have the same meaning, but #2 is more usual and natural:

the boyfriend of my sister
my sister’s boyfriend

Proper Nouns (Names)

We very often use possessive ’s with names:

This is Mary’s car.
Where is Ram’s telephone?
Who took Anthony’s pen?
I like Tara’s hair.

When a name ends in s, we usually treat it like any other singular noun, and add ’s:

This is Charles’s chair.

But it is possible (especially with older, classical names) to just add the apostrophe ‘:

Who was Jesus’ father?

Irregular Plurals

Some nouns have irregular plural forms without s (man > men). To show possession, we usually add ’s to the plural form of these nouns:

singular noun	plural noun
my child’s dog	my children’s dog
the man’s work	the men’s work
the mouse’s cage	the mice’s cage
a person’s clothes	people’s clothes

POSSESSIVE

The general rules concerning the possessive form of words, abbreviations, and phrases appear below. For exceptions and rules applicable to specialized cases, such as biblical names, consult an English grammar text.

Common Nouns

Create the possessive form of a singular or plural noun, which does not end in s, by adding an apostrophe and an s.

the child’s ball
the people’s choice
the car’s color
the books’ covers

In instances involving compound nouns, the ’s is added to the element nearest to that which is possessed.

the auditor general’s report
the attorney at law’s address

In instances of joint possession, placing the apostrophe on the last element of a series.

Barton & Henderson’s store
Eisenhower and Nixon’s administration

However, in instances of individual or alternative possession, use an apostrophe for each element of the series.

men’s and women’s clothing
bachelor’s and master’s degrees
New York’s or New Jersey’s governor

Create the possessive form of a singular or plural noun, which ends with an s sound, by adding only an apostrophe.

the players’ equipment
Tom Jones’ television special
the cars’ tires
the man’s coat

Proper Names

Create the possessive form of a proper noun in the same manner as for a common noun. For singular proper names, add ’s. For plural names, and some singular names, which end in an s, add only an apostrophe.

Canada’s resources
United States’ budget deficit
New Orleans’ restaurants
the Whites’ cottage
Jones’ skates
Dickens’ writings

Create the possessive form of a name, which ends in a silent s, z, or x, by adding ’s.

Perez’s turn at bat
Des Moines’s airport
Guy Marcoux’s reputation

Abbreviations

Create the possessive form of an abbreviation in the same manner as you would for a word or term that was spelled out completely. Add ’s for the singular possessive or an apostrophe only for the plural possessive.

the IRS’s district offices
AT&T’s 1-800-telephone number
NBC’s newscast
IBM Corp.’s district sales office

Numerals

Create the possessive form of a noun that is composed of numerals in the same manner as you would for other nouns. Add ’s for the singular possessive or an apostrophe only for the plural possessive.

1995’s convocation ceremony
the 1930s’ economic reversals

Phrases

Create the possessive form of a phrase by adding an ’s or apostrophe to the last word of the phrase.

his brother-in-law’s house
board of trustees’ meeting
a month or two’s work

Indefinite Pronouns

Create the possessive form of indefinite pronouns by adding ’s.

one’s rights
anyone’s decision
someone’s hat
somebody’s purse
everybody’s efforts
somebody else’s problem
each other’s gifts
either’s choice

For some indefinite pronouns, it is preferable to indicate possession by using an “of” phrase.

the responsibility of each
the benefit of many
the safety of all

Possessive Pronouns

For possessive pronouns, do not use apostrophes.

his
hers
mine
ours
theirs
its

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English Possessive ’s

Possessive ’s

Proper Nouns (Names)

Irregular Plurals

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