Possessive case or Genitive case indicates possession of something to someone, or relationship among people.
This relation is indicated by ‘S connected to the subject.
- Jason’s car. The car belongs to Jason.
- July’s house. The house belongs to Julie.
- Amanda’s mother. The mother of Amanda.
Possessive case – Rules
Singular nouns
Add ‘s to the subject that owns the object.
- Donald’s school is fancy.
- Gwen’s brother is coming this month.
- Norma’s house is for sale.
Nouns ending in “S”
Add the apostrophe ( ‘ ) to the subject.
- Lucas’ car is at the mechanic right now.
- The kids’ nanny didn’t come today.
- The teachers’ opinion was really important.
Attention to the position of the apostrophe:
- My friend’s house is big. One friend and one house.
- My friends’ house is big. More than one friend and one house.
Two people, one object
When two people possess the same object only the second person takes the apostrophe ‘S.
- Mary and Peter’s children are young.
- Adrian and Jackie’s opinion.
- Christine and Louise’s store.
‘S
If the context is clear there no need to use the apostrophe S.
- I will sleep at Angela’s. ( Angela’s house )
- John’s book is better than Jessica’s. ( Jessica’s book )
- Your wedding party was more expensive than Edna and David’s. ( Edna and David’s wedding )
‘S ou Of?
In some cases we can also use the preposition “of” to talk about ownership.
- The father of the bride. = The bride’s father.
- The owner of the factory. = The factory’s owner.
- The flag of the country. = The country’s flag.
Time to practice!
Download the exercises and check your understanding.
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