{"id":4959,"date":"2015-07-14T09:00:17","date_gmt":"2015-07-14T13:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/?p=4959"},"modified":"2015-06-22T17:46:17","modified_gmt":"2015-06-22T21:46:17","slug":"a-review-of-the-possessive-in-english","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/a-review-of-the-possessive-in-english\/","title":{"rendered":"A review of the possessive in English"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Image<\/a>

Image by Tanya Hart on Flickr.com.<\/p><\/div>\n

Here is quick review of how to create possessive words in English. If you have any questions be sure to ask them in the comment box below.<\/p>\n

The possessive form is used to indicate ownership<\/em> or belonging<\/em>. In English, we usually add \u2013\u2018s (apostrophe + the letter s) to the end of a noun or noun phrase to indicate possessiveness or possession.\u00a0 So, first let\u2019s take a look at some simple, singular nouns, in which \u2013\u2018s is always used to indicate possession.<\/p>\n

Here are a few examples:<\/p>\n

the cat\u2019s<\/strong> food
\nJill\u2019s<\/strong> new car
\none\u2019s<\/strong> thoughts
\nthe family\u2019s<\/strong> new dog<\/p>\n

In English if a noun or noun phrase is plural it usually already ends in the letter s, because the letter s (without an apostrophe) is used to indicate a plural noun.\u00a0 To form the possessive of a plural noun the general rule is to add the apostrophe (\u2018) after the existing s.<\/p>\n

For example:<\/p>\n

the cats\u2019<\/strong> food
\nthe writers\u2019<\/strong> conference
\nthe families\u2019<\/strong> new dogs<\/p>\n

For irregular plural nouns you will need to add \u2013\u2018s to the end of the word to indicate possession (just like you did for singular nouns).<\/p>\n

For example:<\/p>\n

the children\u2019s<\/strong> toys
\nthe mice\u2019s<\/strong> cage
\nthe people\u2019s<\/strong> clothes<\/p>\n

The correct way to write the English possessive becomes a bit trickier when talking about proper nouns (i.e. names) that end in \u2013s. (For names that don\u2019t end in the letter s just add \u2013\u2018s to the end of the word.) There is some debate about what is \u201cthe right\u201d way to write some of these names in the possessive form, so don\u2019t feel bad if you don\u2019t know or you don\u2019t get it right \u2013 just try your best \u2013 some people think there is no one \u201cright way\u201d and in fact you can either add \u2013\u2018s or just an apostrophe.<\/p>\n

There is a grammar rule that says: add -\u2019s to a all proper nouns regardless of whether they end in the letter s or any other letter. That sounds easy right? But others feel that you should not add \u2013\u2018s to a proper noun that already ends in s. The reason some proper nouns that end in s do no get the \u2013\u2018s to show possession is because the \u2013\u2018s is not pronounced. Sometimes it sounds funny to native speakers to say the letter s multiple times in a row. So, some believe it is best to just add an apostrophe to show possession in these cases.\u00a0 I have found a rule about this that says: only add -\u2018s to a proper noun if you are actually going to say the extra s (i.e. as an additional syllable in the word) if you aren\u2019t going to say the extra s don\u2019t add it just use the apostrophe.\u00a0 Of course this rule is not very helpful for ESL students, who aren\u2019t always sure when it is good to pronouns an extra s or not! And, there are no good rules for figuring out which proper nouns should have the extra letter s pronounced and which should not. Sorry. One helpful hint is that old, traditional, Greek or Latin names almost never get \u2013\u2018s (to show possession) they just get the apostrophe. But new, modern names usually do have the \u2013\u2018s added.<\/p>\n

Examples:
\nSocrates\u2019
\nUlysses\u2019
\nJesus\u2019<\/p>\n

Ross\u2019s
\nAnais\u2019s
\nCarlos\u2019s<\/p>\n

I hope that helps a little. Even though the idea of creating possessives in English is pretty straight forward \u2013 just add \u2013\u2018s \u2013 carrying out this idea with words that already end in the letter s can get a little tricky.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Here is quick review of how to create possessive words in English. If you have any questions be sure to ask them in the comment box below. The possessive form is used to indicate ownership or belonging. In English, we usually add \u2013\u2018s (apostrophe + the letter s) to the end of a noun or…<\/p>\n

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