Learn to show ownership and relationships in English. Master the apostrophe s ( 's ) to say who something belongs to.
The possessive 's (apostrophe s) helps you show that something belongs to someone or something. It's very useful for talking about ownership and relationships.
Add apostrophe + s ('s) to a singular noun to show that it belongs to that person or thing.
Names ending in s
For names ending in -s, both forms are accepted: 'James's book' or 'James' book'. The first is more common in modern English. Either is correct.
The possessive 's (apostrophe s) shows that something belongs to someone or something. It helps you talk about ownership, relationships, and connections between people and things.
For people:
"This is John's book." (The book belongs to John)
For animals:
"The dog's bowl is empty." (The bowl belongs to the dog)
✓ Shows ownership or relationship
✓ Uses an apostrophe (') + s
✓ Very common in daily conversations
✓ Can be used with people, animals, time, and places
To show possession, add 's to the end of the noun.
✓ John + 's = John's (John's book)
✓ my sister + 's = my sister's (my sister's car)
✓ the cat + 's = the cat's (the cat's bowl)
Look at this family photo! Let me tell you about everyone.
"This is my mother's favourite chair. She reads here every evening."
"My father's car is in the garage. It's a blue one."
"My sister's cat is sleeping on the sofa. The cat's name is Luna."
"And those are my brother's books on the table. He loves reading!"
Notice how every 's tells you who owns what! This is the key to using the possessive 's correctly.
[Ad: after-core-concept]
Here are the most important rules for using possessive 's at A1 level.
| Type | Rule | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Singular noun | Add 's | John's book my sister's car the teacher's desk |
| Plural noun ending in s | Add apostrophe (') only | my parents' house the girls' toys the teachers' lounge |
| Irregular plural (no s) | Add 's | children's toys men's clothes women's shoes |
| Multiple people (joint ownership) | 's to last person only | John and Mary's house Tom and Anna's wedding |
| Multiple people (separate ownership) | 's to each person | John's and Mary's cars Tom's and Anna's houses |
| Time expressions | Add 's | today's news yesterday's meeting an hour's drive |
✓ Singular nouns: Add 's: "John's book", "my sister's car"
✓ Plural nouns ending in s: Add ' (apostrophe only): "my parents' house", "the girls' toys"
✓ Irregular plurals (no s): Irregular plural 'children' needs 's (children's)
✓ Joint ownership: Joint ownership: one house belongs to both, so use singular 'house'
✓ Separate ownership: Separate ownership: each person has their own
Add the correct possessive form:
1. This is (my brother) __________ car.
2. These are (the children) __________ toys.
3. That is (my parents) __________ house.
4. This is (Sarah) __________ book.
1. This is my brother's car.
2. These are the children's toys.
3. That is my parents' house.
4. This is Sarah's book.
[Ad: after-chart]
See how possessive 's is used to talk about family members and relationships.
"My mother's name is Anna."
"My father's car is blue."
"My sister's room is big."
"My brother's bike is new."
"My grandmother's house is old."
"My uncle's dog is friendly."
"My cousin's birthday is tomorrow."
"My aunt's cooking is delicious."
"The dog's bowl is empty."
"The cat's toy is under the sofa."
"My rabbit's cage needs cleaning."
"The bird's cage is in the living room."
"The elephant's trunk is long."
"The lion's mane is beautiful."
"The giraffe's neck is very long."
"The monkey's tail helps it climb."
"My friend's house is near here."
"My classmate's book is on the table."
"My neighbor's garden is beautiful."
"My colleague's office is next to mine."
"The teacher's desk is at the front."
"The doctor's appointment is at 3 PM."
"The chef's special dish is pasta."
"The driver's license is important."
[Ad: after-context-section]
Want to try a Possessive 's quiz?
Practice with multiple choice questions
❌ This is Johns book.
✓ This is John's book.
Missing apostrophe: need 's for singular nouns
❌ This is the girls's toys.
✓ These are the girls' toys.
For plural nouns ending in s, use apostrophe only (') not 's
❌ The childrens toys are here.
✓ The children's toys are here.
Irregular plural 'children' needs 's (children's)
❌ This is John and Mary's houses.
✓ This is John and Mary's house.
Joint ownership: one house belongs to both, so use singular 'house'
❌ The cat's bowl is empty's.
✓ The cat's bowl is empty.
Don't add 's to adjectives - only to nouns showing ownership
❌ Its John's book.
✓ It's John's book.
It's = it is (contraction). Its = possessive (no apostrophe)
Ready to test your Possessive 's knowledge?
Challenge yourself with fill-in-the-blank exercises
Learn how to use possessive 's with time expressions and places.
✓ Today's weather is nice.
✓ Yesterday's meeting was important.
✓ Tomorrow's plan is to go shopping.
✓ Next week's schedule is busy.
✓ It's an hour's drive to the city.
✓ I need a day's rest.
✓ It's a week's worth of food.
✓ We have a month's vacation.
✓ London's weather is often rainy.
✓ Japan's capital is Tokyo.
✓ Paris's (or Paris') museums are famous.
✓ New York's skyline is amazing.
✓ The school's playground is large.
✓ The hospital's entrance is on the left.
✓ The hotel's restaurant is expensive.
✓ The park's gates close at 9 PM.
1. __________ (Today) weather is beautiful.
2. It's a __________ (two hour) drive to the beach.
3. __________ (London) population is about 9 million.
4. The __________ (school) library is very quiet.
1. Today's weather is beautiful.
2. It's a two hours' drive to the beach.
3. London's population is about 9 million.
4. The school's library is very quiet.
Master Possessive 's sentence building!
Drag and drop words to form correct sentences
[Ad: before-speaking-practice]
Learn how to ask questions about ownership using "Whose...?"
✓ Whose book is this?
✓ Whose car is that?
✓ Whose phone is ringing?
✓ Whose bag is on the table?
✓ Whose is this book?
✓ Whose are these keys?
✓ Whose is that dog?
✓ Whose are those shoes?
Q: Whose book is this?
A: It's John's. (It's John's book.)
A: It's mine. / It's yours. / It's his. / It's hers.
A: It's the teacher's.
Q: Whose car is that?
A: That's my father's car. He bought it last year.
Q: Whose house is this?
A: This is my grandparents' house. They've lived here for 30 years.
1. __________ pen is this? (This is Sarah's pen.)
2. __________ keys are these? (These are my father's keys.)
3. __________ bag is on the chair? (That's the teacher's bag.)
4. __________ dog is in the garden? (That's our neighbor's dog.)
1. Whose pen is this?
2. Whose keys are these?
3. Whose bag is on the chair?
4. Whose dog is in the garden?
To practice your pronunciation, listen to the native speaker audio first. Then 'Record' yourself repeating what you heard, then use the 'Playback' button to compare your pronunciation with the native speaker. If you want to record yourself again, simply click 'Delete'!
This is Sarah's book.
That is my father's car.
The cat's bowl is empty.
This is the teacher's desk.
My sister's room is big.
The dog's tail is wagging.
Today's weather is nice.
The children's toys are everywhere.
Share Free Daily English With Them Today!