Possessive
Nouns
Words that show ownership are called
possessive nouns.
A noun is possessive if a phrase can be changed to
say that an item or idea belongs to someone else.
Example:
The paintbrush that belonged
to the artist was lost.
The artist’s paintbrush was
lost.
Possessive nouns are
used to show that
someone owns
something.
Noun
Pam
Possessive
Pam’s cat
cat
the cat’s tail
Sam
Sam’s knee
An apostrophe (') is used
to show the ownership.
Rule
To show the possessive form of singular nouns
add 's.
Examples:
Fluffy
Sally
the man
the teacher
Fluffy’s tail
Sally’s recipe
the man’s hat
the teacher’s pencil
The possessive form can also show a feature or
characteristic.
Examples:
river
train
sun
river’s edge
train’s wheels
sun’s heat
Rules
1. To show possession of singular nouns add 's.
2. To show possession of plural nouns ending in s add an
apostrophe (').
Examples:
runners => runners' shoes
cows => cows' meal
trees => trees' apples
 To
show possession of plural nouns NOT
ending in s add an apostrophe and a s (‘s).
children =>
children’s food
teeth => teeth’s
fillings
If the plural
ends in s just
add an
apostrophe. If
the plural does
not end in s
add an
apostrophe and
an s.
1 person 1 item
2 people 2 items
the boy’s jacket
the boys’ jackets
my parent’s car
my parents’ cars
my boss’s hat
my bosses’ hats
the woman’s
dress
the child’s toy
the women’s
dresses
the children’s toys
the passerby’s
glance
the passersby’s
glances
the kid’s bike
(I kid, 1 bike)
the kids’ bike
(2 kids, 1 bike)
the kids’ bikes
(2 kids, 2 bikes)