How it works
To show that something belongs to a person or animal, add 's after the owner's name.
| Structure | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Singular owner + 's | John's car | the car of John |
| Singular owner + 's | my sister's room | the room of my sister |
| Name ending in -s + 's | James's bike | the bike of James |
| Plural ending in -s + ' | the students' books | the books of the students |
| Irregular plural + 's | the children's toys | the toys of the children |
| Animal + 's | the dog's bowl | the bowl of the dog |
Three key rules
| Case | What to do | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Singular person or animal | Add 's | Maria's jacket · the cat's toy |
| Regular plural (ends in -s) | Add only ' after the s | the students' teacher · my parents' house |
| Irregular plural (doesn't end in -s) | Add 's | the children's park · the men's room |
Things → use "of":
For objects (not people or animals), prefer of: ✓ "the door of the house" (not "the house's door"). Both are possible but "of" is more natural for things.
Exercises
Write the correct possessive form.
1.the bag of Anna → bag
2.the car of my parents → my car
3.the playground of the children → the playground
4. "the room of the students" — how do we write this?