Possessive Case Definition
To understand what is possessive noun let us understand what is the possessive case in general. Possessives show that you own something. They demonstrate what belongs to who. The possessive noun is something that demonstrates belonging to someone. To put it another way, they "own" something. For instance, if we want to demonstrate that a book belongs to the boy, we would say the boy's book. The possessive case of noun here is a boy and the possession example is a book.
Possessive Nouns
Possessive Case Rules
The possessive noun rules hold true to all the rules for the possessive forms.
1. Add an apostrophe and the letter s ('s) to construct the possessive of a single noun.
A noun is a name for someone, somewhere, or anything.
When there is just one possession, it is referred to as "singular." When there are multiple possessions, it is referred to as "plural."
If the single noun "cat" possesses a brush, for example, the possessive form is:
The cat's brush.
Cat
2. Add simply an apostrophe (') to a plural noun ending in s.
Let us look at other plurals' possessive noun list that ends with an s.
Girls, pencils, mats, cats, pens, kids, phones etc.
Let's pretend that one of the boys owns a cat. The boy's cat is how it's written.
What if he has two brothers and the cat is shared by all three?
The plural of a boy is, boys.
This demonstrates that there is more than one boy. Now we must establish that they all own the cat by correctly placing the apostrophe. Let’s look at possessive noun examples.
Boys’ Cat
The cat is owned by boys.
Correct: The boys' cat.
Incorrect: The boy’s cat.
Sharing book
Three girls share a book.
Correct: The three girls’ book.
Incorrect: The three girls’ book.
Two Young Men
Bill and George share a car.
Correct: Bill and George’s car.
Incorrect: Bill’s and George’s car.
3. Add an apostrophe and s ('s) to a plural noun that does not finish in s.
Let us look at the possessive noun list that ends without an s.
Gentlemen, men, women, children, mice, fish, businessmen, feet etc.
This demonstrates that there are multiple men. Now we need to establish that they all own the cat by using this to place the apostrophe and s in the proper places.
The car of the men.
Correct: The men’s car.
Incorrect: The men's car.
Car
4. ‘It’ does not require an apostrophe + s to show possession
Swing
Its ropes are strong. (It here refers to the swing)
Incorrect: Its ropes are strong.
Practice Exercise
1. The piggy bank belongs to Amit.
Piggy Bank
Ans: Amit’s piggy bank.
2. The bone belongs to the dogs.
Dogs
Ans: The dogs’ bone.
3. The children own the toys.
Children
Ans: The children’s toys.
Do it Yourself
1. The textbook that belonged to the teacher was missing.
Teacher
2. Kids share a bicycle.
Bicycle
3. This umbrella belongs to Shallon.
Umbrella
FAQs on Possessive Form - Possession in case of Noun
1. What's the best way to write two possessive nouns?
If two or more nouns share ownership, only declare ownership on the last noun in the group. Only the apostrophe + "s" should be added to the last noun. The nursery rhyme features Jack and Jill's water pail prominently.
2. How do you use singular and plural forms of possessive nouns?
Whether the singular noun ends in s or not, the possessive of a singular noun is produced by adding an apostrophe and the letter s. When a plural noun ends in s, the possessive is produced by adding simply an apostrophe, and when it ends in a letter other than s, it is made by adding both an apostrophe and an s.
3. What is the possessive pronoun and what are some examples?
Each possessive pronoun can be either a subject or an object. A possessive pronoun is a pronoun that expresses possession or ownership. Possessive pronouns appear to perform exactly as they should. In a sentence, they, like all pronouns, substitute nouns. Possessive pronouns are used to show that a noun is owned or possessed. In the line, Chitra noted that Malti's dog was bigger than hers, the word hers is a possessive pronoun.
