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Possessive nouns show ownership by using an apostrophe mark (').
This section will cover how possessive nouns and possessive pronouns are used and their rules.
Possessive Singular Nouns
Possessive Pronouns
Possessive nouns are often mistaken for being plural when they end in the letter s.
Plural nouns that do end in the letter s:
Possessive Plural Nouns
Those books are mine.
Those books belong to me.
The fuzzy slippers in the back of the closet are hers.
The slippers belong to her.
The basket on the blanket is ours.
The basket belongs to us.
That dog chasing the frisbee is yours.
That dog belongs to you.
That car at the corner is theirs.
That car belongs to them.
Rules for Possessive Pronouns
1.
Somebody's car is parked in the wrong spot.
The car belongs to somebody.
Everyone's score will be posted on the door.
The score belongs to everyone.
Everybody's favorite loveable puppy is starring in a new movie.
The puppy belongs to everybody.
One's nutrition has to be considered when planning the perfect diet.
Nutrition belongs to one.
Possessive Indefinite Pronouns
Megan's shoes are too tight.
The shoes belong to Megan.
Charles's skateboard lost a wheel. / Charles' skateboard lost a wheel.
The skateboard belongs to Charles. Note: (Both are correct.)
The child's book is about rabbits.
The book belongs to the child.
The car's engine sounds muffled.
The engine belongs to the car.
The lion's roar was frightening.
The roar belongs to the lion.
The students' books are brand new.
The books belonged to the group of students.
The players' uniforms were the wrong size.
The uniforms belong to the group of players.
The dogs' collars were diamond studded.
The collars belong to the group of dogs.)
The computers' programs were deleted.
(The programs belong to the computers.)
The women's soccer team was featured on the evening news.
The soccer team belongs to the women.
The children's playground has been closed due to repairs.
The playground belongs to the children.
Those people's homes were remodeled last summer.
The homes belong to the people.
Note: The apostrophe is placed after the plural form of the noun.
Plural nouns that do not end in the letter s:
Things to Remember
Add an ('s) to most singular nouns to show possession or ownership.
Mary's dog
Add an apostrophe after the s if the noun that follows is a plural form or ends in s.
The students' books The horses' hay
If the possessive noun is a plural noun or a collective noun that does not end in the letter s, add an ('s) at the end of the word.
men's socks
crowd's noise
my, mine
your, yours
his, hers, its
our, ours
their, theirs
The store increased its inventory. - correct
The store increased it's inventory. - incorrect
Those magazines on the counter are theirs. - correct
Those magazines on the counter are their's. - incorrect
Possessive pronouns are written without an 's to show ownership.
Pronouns take the place of a noun.
one
anyone
everyone
someone
nobody
anybody
everybody
somebody
nothing
anything
everything
something
each
either
neither
Indefinite pronouns take a singular verb.
To show ownership or possession, place an apostrophe between the pronoun and the letter s.
A collective noun that does not end in s:
Possessive pronouns never use an apostrophe. They are already possessive.
The possessive pronoun mine should not be plural.
That video game is mines. - incorrect
That video game is mine. - correct
The possessive pronoun its is often confused with it's. Remember, it's is the contraction for it is.
Indefinite pronouns use an apostrophe to show possession.
Kelly had to borrow someone's math book for class.
2.
1.
2.
3.
4.
3.
A plural noun that does not end in s:
4.
Language Arts: Possessive Nouns / Pronouns - Tutorial
When there are compound possessive nouns, be mindful of the noun that follows.
Susan and John's science project won the competition.
This example shows that Susan and John share one science project.
Susan's and John's science projects were both in the competition.
This example shows that Susan and John have separate science projects.
Sometimes it may be difficult to decide if a possessive noun should be written with an apostrophe before or after the s.
Here are some ways to decide:
If the possessive noun, the direct object that follows, and the verb that goes with the direct object are singular, most of the time the apostrophe is placed before the s.
The store's door was dented.
(Hint: The dent was on the door belonging to the store.)
If the possessive noun, the direct object that follows, and the verb that goes with the direct object are plural, most of the time the apostrophe is placed after the s.
All of the stores' can goods in the city were dented.
(Hint: The dents were on the can goods in all the stores in the city.)
However, sometimes there are exceptions:
The store's can goods were dented.
(Hint: Here we'll put an apostrophe before the s because there is nothing
to suggest that there isn't but one store.)
5.
