Possessives show ownership or relationships between people and things.
Apostrophe with Nouns
| Situation | Rule | Example | | ---------------------- | ------------------ | ------------------------- | | Singular noun | Add 's | the dog's tail | | Plural ending in s | Add ' | the dogs' park | | Plural not ending in s | Add 's | the children's toys | | Singular ending in s | Usually add 's | *James's car* |
Joint vs. Separate Ownership
- Joint: Ben and Jerry's shop (they own it together)
- Separate: Ben's and Jerry's cars (each owns one)
Possessive Adjectives vs. Pronouns
| Person | Adjective (+ noun) | Pronoun (replaces noun) | | ------ | ------------------ | ----------------------- | | I | my book | mine | | you | your pen | yours | | he | his coat | his | | she | her bag | hers | | it | its tail | — | | we | our house | ours | | they | their car | theirs |
This is my phone. → This phone is mine.
Using "of" for Possession
For inanimate objects or to avoid awkward apostrophes:
- *The cover of the book* (not: the book's cover)
- *The end of the road*
- *The name of the company*