Possessive 's
Look at these examples to see how we use possessive 's.
Mohammed is my brother's son.
My grandpa's beard is white.
This is my grandparents' house.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
We can use possessive 's to talk about the relationship between people or to say who owns something. Possessive 's always comes after a noun or a name.
We often use possessive 's or s' when we talk about family and friends.
Grandma and Grandpa are my mum's parents.
Maria's best friend is Juanita.
My cousins' birthdays are both in January.
We can also use it to say that something belongs to someone.
That's Roberto's flat. He's got a flat in the city centre.
Kim's hair is very long. She's got long, black hair.
My parents' garden is beautiful. They grow a lot of flowers.
When it is one person who owns something, we usually use 's.
Our friend's car is red. She loves it.
Simon's phone is new. He bought it yesterday.
Can you see Amira's keys? She can't find them.
It is possible to use more than one possessive in a phrase.
We had lunch at my friend's father's house.
If a name or noun ends in s, we can add either ' or 's. The pronunciation can be /zɪz/ or /sɪz/.
Is that James' bag?
That's my boss's office.
If the thing belongs to more than one person, we usually add ' after the s of the plural noun.
Our friends' house is in the mountains. They moved there last year.
My grandparents' dog is called Bertie.
The twins' school is closed today.
If the plural noun is irregular and doesn't end in s, we add 's.
This is our children's school.
The women's clothes are on the second floor.
A lot of people's eyes are brown.
If something belongs to more than one person, and we give a list of names, the 's comes after the last name in the list.
Liam is Anne and Gary's son.
Remember that s at the end of a word without an apostrophe (') can make it plural, but this doesn't show possession.
I've got two brothers.
Are those your keys?
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
Nice
If something belongs to more than one person, and we give a list of names, the 's comes after the last name in the list.
What about when two or more things are differently possessed by two or more people?
EXAMPLE:
Please, is the above also correct?
Once, I met a beautiful British girl named Sarah. Sarah's her is black and their eyes're blue. She had come as a tourist to France. We got to know each other, and I spoke with Sarah's mother. I invited them to visit my parents' house, which is located on the banks of the Allier River in the countryside.
my parents' house in Southern Vietnam and grandparents' house in the North of Vietnam
My father's dog is called Rock.
Possesssive 's can only be used with people not things, e.g. my "school's name" isn't ccorrect. It's my "school name" is correct as the word school here plays the role of an adjective.
What do you think?
Hello Bulbul,
It's perfectly fine to use 's to denote possession with things as well as people.You can say my school's name (possession) or my school name (a compound noun); the choice is one of style in this case.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Is it princess' or princess's?