Forming the possessive
The possessive form is used with nouns referring to people, groups of people, countries, and animals. 'Belonging to' or 'ownership' is one of the relationships it expresses :
- John owns a car. ('John' is the possessor or owner)
- It is John's car.
- America has some gold reserves. ('America' is the owner)
- They are America's gold reserves.
It can also express other relationships, for example:
where someone works or studies or spends time:
- John goes to this school. This is John's school.
- John sleeps in this room. This is John's room.
a family relationship:
- John's mother
- The Queen's daughter
qualities:
- John'spatience.
- The politician's hypocrisy.
Form
To form the possessive, add 's('apostrophe -s') to the noun.
If the noun is plural, or already ends in -s, just add:' (an apostrophe).
For names ending in -s:
In speaking we add the sound /z/ to the name, but in writing it is possible to use either 'sor just '. The 's form is more common. e.g. Thomas's book, James's shop.
Examples
- The car of John = John's car.
- The room of the girls = The girls' room.
- Clothes for men = Men's clothes.
- The sister of Charles = Charles' sister.
- The boat of the sailors = The sailors' boat.
There are also some fixed expressions where the possessive form is used:
| Time expressions | Other expressions |
| a day's work | For God's sake! |
| a fortnight's holiday | a pound's worth of apples. |
| a month's pay | the water's edge |
| today's newspaper | a stone's throw away (= very near) |
| in a year'stime | at death's door (= very ill) |
| in my mind's eye (= in my imagination) |
The possessive is also used to refer to shops, restaurants, churches and colleges, using the name or job title of the owner.
Examples
| the grocer's | the doctor's | the vet's |
| the newsagent's | the chemist's | Smith's |
| the dentist's | Tommy Tucker's | Luigi's |
| Saint Mary's | Saint James's |
- Shall we go to Luigi's for lunch?
- I've got an appointment at the dentist's at eleven o'clock.
- Is Saint Mary's an all-girls school?
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