Possessive case

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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