So, when you’re writing a plural possessive noun, ask yourself if the plural form already ends in an/s/. If so, just add the apostrophe at the end of the plural form. If not, treat it like a singular possessive noun and add an apostrophe plus/s/. It’s easy to slip up and pu...
Using Apostrophes to Form Possessive Nouns Why the Possessive Case Is Important Examples of the Possessive Case I don't have a bank account, because I don't knowmymother'smaiden name. (Comedian Paula Poundstone) (These two are clearly about possession. They mean: "the motherofme" and "the...
Possessive nouns are nouns that show ownership or possession. Normally these words would be a singular or plural noun, but in the possessive form they are used as adjectives to modify another a noun or pronoun. Here the word “cat’s” is a possessive noun. It is letting you know that t...
If you've used an apostrophe, test your apostrophe by expanding your word back into two words. If you can't, the apostrophe version is wrong. (Point 3) There's no gender-neutral singular possessive determiner that can be used for people....
Possessive nouns are followed by the object of the possessive. In this possessive example, the desk is the thing that Kali owns because it comes directly after the possessive noun: Kali’s desk In other words, Kali owns the desk. The object of the possessive is the first noun after the...
can be used if the speaker hasn't specified and doesn't need to specify the identity of the friend. In contrast, the construction with the possessive determiner, in (30b), implies that the speaker and listener both know what friend is intended." (Ron Cowan,The Teacher's Grammar of Englis...
(Ron Cowan,The Teacher's Grammar of English: A Course Book and Reference Guide. Cambridge University Press, 2008) Punctuation With Possessive Pronouns "The wordshers, ours, theirs,andyoursare sometimes termed 'absolute' or 'independent' possessives because they occur when no noun follows. No apo...
In writing, many people get possessive pronouns and contractions confused because they might sound similar. Learn how to properly use apostrophes to form contractions with some examples, explore the definition of possessive pronouns and why they don't require apostrophes, and learn how to avoid furth...
Here are a couple of examples: She had forgotten her jacket, so I gave her mine. I had no idea whose bid had won the auction, but then my cousins told me that theirs had. Possessive adjectives also clarify who or what owns something. Unlike possessive pronouns—which replace nouns—...
The single wordsmyandmine, which we’ve used here to replace phrases in the original sentence, arepossessive pronouns. Let’s have a look at them in more detail. What Is a Possessive Pronoun? While apronounreplaces a singlenounin a sentence (e.g.,itinstead ofthe pen), a possessive pro...