Possessives
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's patience.
·
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:
·
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.
Teacher: Anna