Possessive 's
Anna's bag, my parents' car, the children's room: how to say who something belongs to.
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To say that something belongs to a person, we put 's after the person: Anna's bag. The owner comes first, then the thing. This is the usual way in English to talk about people's things, family and friends.
One person: name + 's
Add 's to a name or to a noun for one person. The thing comes after it, with no article.
- This is Anna's bag.
- My sister's flat is in the centre.
- Tom's wife is a doctor.
- What's your boss's name?
- Incorrect: My father car is red.
- Correct: My father's car is red.The owner needs 's before the thing.
The owner first, not the car of my father
For people, we usually use 's, not of. The owner comes first.
- my father's car
- my friend's wedding
- the teacher's desk
- Not usual: The car of my father is red.
- Say: My father's car is red.
The car of my father is not wrong, but it is not usual. For a person, we use 's, with the owner first.
No the before the name
We don't usually put the before a person's name, even with 's. And don't put the between the owner and the thing.
- Daniel's car is new.
- Incorrect: The Maria's brother lives in Porto.
- Correct: Maria's brother lives in Porto.A name has no the before it.
- Incorrect: My sister's the flat is big.
- Correct: My sister's flat is big.After 's, the thing comes with no article.
Plural owners: s'
When the owner is a plural noun that ends in -s, add only an apostrophe: s'.
One owner | Two or more owners |
|---|---|
my sister's room | my sisters' room |
the student's book | the students' books |
my friend's flat | my friends' flat |
- My parents' house is near the sea.
(My mother and father live there.)
- The guests' rooms are on the second floor.
Irregular plurals: men's, children's
When a plural doesn't end in -s, add 's as usual.
- The children's bedroom is upstairs.
- Where is the men's changing room?
- People's opinions are different.
- Incorrect: The childrens' school is near our house.
- Correct: The children's school is near our house.Children doesn't end in -s, so we add 's.
Names that end in -s
With a name that ends in -s, both forms are correct. You can add 's or only an apostrophe.
- James's car / James' car
- Chris's birthday / Chris' birthday
Two owners
When two people own the same thing, we usually add 's only to the second name.
- Tom and Anna's flat is very nice.
(They live in the flat together.)
Things: of, not 's
For things, we usually use of, or a noun before a noun.
- the end of the film
- the name of the street
- the car door, the kitchen window
's: is, has or belongs to?
's can mean three things. Look at what comes after it.
- Anna's here. (= Anna is here.)
- Anna's got a cold. (= Anna has got a cold.)
- Anna's phone is on the desk. (= The phone belongs to Anna.)
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All A1 rulesNouns and articles: all rules