Singular Possessives

• Definition: A singular possessive noun shows ownership by one person, animal, place, or thing.
• Formation: Add an apostrophe and an -s (’s) to the end of a singular noun.
• Examples:
  • The cat’s toy (the toy belongs to one cat)
  • The student’s desk (the desk belongs to one student)
  • The child’s book (the book belongs to one child)
  • The bus’s route (the route belongs to one bus)

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Plural Possessives

• Definition: A plural possessive noun shows ownership by more than one person, animal, place, or thing.
• Formation for Regular Plurals: Add an apostrophe (’) after the -s at the end of a plural noun.
• Examples:
  • The cats’ toys (the toys belong to multiple cats)
  • The students’ desks (the desks belong to multiple students)
  • The buses’ routes (the routes belong to multiple buses)
  • The classes’ teachers (the teachers belong to multiple classes)

• Formation for Irregular Plurals: For plural nouns that do not end in -s, add an apostrophe and an -s (’s).
• Examples:
  • The children’s toys (the toys belong to multiple children)
  • The men’s room (the room for multiple men)
  • The mice’s cheese (the cheese belongs to multiple mice)

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Examples

Singular Possessives

1. The dog’s bone (the bone belongs to one dog)
2. The teacher’s book (the book belongs to one teacher)
3. The bird’s nest (the nest belongs to one bird)
4. The woman’s hat (the hat belongs to one woman)
5. The car’s engine (the engine belongs to one car)

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Plural Possessives

1. The dogs’ bones (the bones belong to multiple dogs)
2. The teachers’ books (the books belong to multiple teachers)
3. The birds’ nests (the nests belong to multiple birds)
4. The women’s hats (the hats belong to multiple women)
5. The cars’ engines (the engines belong to multiple cars)

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Practice Sentences

Singular Possessives

1. The dog’s bone was buried in the yard.
2. The teacher’s book was left on the desk.
3. The bird’s nest was high in the tree.
4. The woman’s hat was blown away by the wind.
5. The car’s engine was making a strange noise.

Plural Possessives

1. The dogs’ bones were buried in various spots in the yard.
2. The teachers’ books were stacked on the table.
3. The birds’ nests were scattered throughout the forest.
4. The women’s hats were displayed in the store window.
5. The cars’ engines were all inspected during the service.

Let’s practice!✒️