The possessive Case of the Nouns ‘/‘s conveys the following meanings:
- Possession – my elder brother’s car, my friends’ photos;
- Relationship – the chairman’s secretary;
- Measurement - ten days’ vacation.
You can form the possessive case using ‘/ ‘s depending on each particular case. Study the rules in the table below to form possessives correctly.
| Add‘s |
Add' |
| For nouns in singular: the manager’s papers; |
For nouns ending in –s Dickens’ novels (though ‘s is also possible: Dickens’s). But for nouns ending in –ss apostrophe s is more common to avoid confusion in pronunciation – boss’s car ) |
| For irregular plural nouns not ending in –s: children’s toys |
For plural nouns ending in –s: my parents’ house |
In compound nouns the apostrophe s is added to the last word: my mother-in-law's present.
To indicate joint ownership add 's to the last noun: Bill and Steve’s music store.
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