Possessive 's: Rules and examples

Do you know how to use possessive's? Enhance your knowledge with a lesson given below and the grammar explanation to guide you better.

Check out these examples to see how we use the possessive 's:

• Sarah is my sister's best friend.

• My dad's car is parked outside.

• This is my parents' garden.

Grammar explanation - Possessive's

We use the possessive 's to show relationships between people or to indicate ownership. The possessive 's is added directly after a noun or name.

We often use possessive 's or s' when talking about family or friends.

• Grandpa's brother lives in Spain.

• Elena's sister is a doctor.

• My nieces' school is nearby.

We can also use it to show that something belongs to someone.

• That's Laura's apartment. She lives downtown.

• John's bike is new. He just bought it.

• My neighbors' garden is lovely. They grow vegetables.

When one person owns something, we usually use 's.

• Our teacher's desk is always neat.

• Jacob's laptop is broken. He needs to repair it.

• Have you seen Lily's bag? She can't find it.

You can also use more than one possessive in a phrase.

• We stayed at my friend's brother's cabin.

If a name or noun ends in s, we can add either 's or just '. The pronunciation can be /zɪz/ or /sɪz/.

• Is that Chris' notebook?

• That's my boss's car.

If something belongs to more than one person, we usually add ' after the s of a plural noun.

• Our friends' apartment is huge. They live on the top floor.

• My parents' new house is beautiful.

• The students' project was a success.

If the plural noun is irregular and doesn't end in s, we add 's.

• The men's restroom is around the corner.

• The children's toys are all over the floor.

• Many people's opinions differ on this topic.

When something belongs to more than one person, and we list their names, the 's comes after the last name.

• That’s Jack and Emily's dog.

Remember that s at the end of a word without an apostrophe just makes it plural, not possessive.

• I have three sisters.

• Are these your books?

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