THE POSSESSIVE FORM OF NOUNS
THE POSSESSIVE FORM OF NOUNS
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 :
ü John
owns a car. ('John' is the possessor or owner)
ü It is John's car.
It can also express
other relationships, for example:
where
someone works or studies or spends time:
ü John
goes to this school. This is John's school.
ü
John sleeps in this room. This is John's room.
a
family relationship:
ü John's mother
ü
The Queen's daughter
qualities:
ü John's patience.
ü 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 's or just '. The 's form is more common. e.g. Thomas's book, James's shop.
Examples
ü The
car of John = John's car.
ü The
room of the girls = The
girls' room.
ü Clothes
for men = Men's clothes.
ü The
sister of Charles = Charles' sister.
ü The
boat of the sailors = The
sailors' boat.
There are also some fixed
expressions where the possessive form is used:
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Other expressions
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a day's work
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For God's sake!
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a fortnight's holiday
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a pound's worth of apples.
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a month's pay
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the water's edge
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today's newspaper
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a stone's throw away (= very near)
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in a year's time
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at death's door (= very ill)
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in my mind's eye (= in my imagination)
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The possessive is also used
to refer to shops, restaurants, churches and colleges, using the name or job
title of the owner.
Examples:
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the grocer's
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the doctor's
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the vet's
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the newsagent's
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the chemist's
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Smith's
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the dentist's
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Tommy Tucker's
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Luigi's
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Saint Mary's
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Saint James's
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1. Shall
we go to Luigi's for lunch?
2. I've
got an appointment at the
dentist's at eleven
o'clock.
3. Is Saint Mary's an all-girls school?
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