Possessives

Possessives (Grammar) Definition

To begin, let's look at a definition of possessives:

The way we show possession depends on how the word is used within a sentence, and possessives can appear in the form of nouns, pronouns, and adjectives.

We typically use the "possessive" or "genitive" case to show possession—these two terms are often used interchangeably. The most common example of the genitive case is adding the suffix "-s" to the end of a subject that owns an item.

Grammar Rules for Possessives

Now that we have a good idea of what possessives are and why we use them, let's look at some general rules for forming possessives. We will look at:

• Possessives and nouns

• Possessives and pronouns

• Possessives and adjectives

• Possessives ending in the letter "s"

Possessives and Nouns

When we form possessives, we typically need to modify a noun in some way – after all, it's much easier for a noun to own something than a verb!

To show possession, a noun must go through an inflectional process. This typically means adding a letter/group of letters (i.e., an affix) to the word to show grammatical change.

For singular nouns, such as cat, man, girl, and tree, we add an apostrophe (') and the suffix "-s" to the end of the word.

For plural nouns that end in the letter "s", e.g., trees, we simply add an apostrophe to the end of the word.

For irregular plural nouns, such as women, feet, and children, we once again add an apostrophe and an "-s" to the end of the word.

Collective nouns (i.e., a word used for a group of people or animals) follow the same rules as singular nouns.

Possessives and Pronouns

Possessive pronouns are the same as any other pronoun in that they replace a noun or a noun phrase in a sentence.

Ownership is shown by replacing the owner and owned object (e.g., her bag) with a possessive pronoun (e.g., hers).

The possessive pronouns are:

• You → Yours

• My → Mine

• He → His (can also replace male proper nouns, e.g., It's Imran's --> It's his)

• Her → Hers (can also replace female proper nouns, e.g., It's Claire's --> It's hers)

• Our → Ours

• Their → Theirs

Fig. 2 - This puppy is happily sitting in her bowl!

Possessives and Adjectives

We use possessive adjectives before the owned object to show possession. They are considered adjectives as they provide extra information about the noun by describing the owner.

The possessive adjectives are:

• I → My

• You → Your

• He → His

• Her → Hers

• It → Its

• We → Our

• They → Their

Possessive adjectives can also be considered possessive pronouns, as they similarly replace a noun or noun phrase and show ownership. Possessive adjectives are pronominal, meaning they have similar features or functions to pronouns.

Possessives and Words Ending in 'S'

Sometimes, you'll come across a word that you wish to make plural, but it already ends in the letter "s". No worries, there are a few guidelines to help you decide what to do in this situation.

If the word is in its singular form and ends with an "s", you should still add an apostrophe and an "-s".

If the word is in its plural form and ends with an "s", place a single apostrophe at the end of the word—after the last "s".

There is one exception (of course!) regarding historical and Biblical names. If the name ending in "s" has only one syllable, we add an apostrophe and an "-s" to the end. However, if the name has two or more syllables, then we just add an apostrophe.

Try saying both of these examples aloud. The agreement on using the apostrophe plus "-s" in this way is likely because of pronunciation and the way the names sound.

Examples of Possessives

So, we now know all the different types of possessives and the rules for figuring them out. Let's recap our new knowledge with some further examples and a handy chart representing possessive pronouns and possessive adjectives.

Fig. 3 - The correct possessive depends on the noun. Plural or collective nouns usually require an apostrophe and "-s", such as "the herd's field".