Possessive nouns show that something belongs to someone. To form a possessive noun, you generally add an apostrophe and ‘s’. For plural nouns, you add just an apostrophe. Using possessive nouns correctly helps make your writing and speech clear.
What are Possessive Nouns?
A possessive noun shows ownership or that something belongs to someone. For instance, if you ask, To whom does this bag belong?, you would answer, It is Jessica’s bag. Here, 'Jessica’s' is the possessive noun. Generally, you show possession by adding an apostrophe and an 's' to the end of the noun.
Using Possessive Nouns:
Singular Possessive Nouns :
To make a singular noun possessive, typically add an apostrophe and an 's'. For singular nouns ending in ‘s’, simply add an apostrophe.
Examples:
- Angel’s shoes
- The movie’s rating
- Harris’ bag
Plural Possessive Nouns:
For plural nouns, add just an apostrophe to indicate possession.
Examples:
- The students’ assignments
- The boys’ clubs
- The clocks’ hands
Multiple Nouns Showing Possession:
When multiple nouns share ownership, add the apostrophe and ‘s’ only to the last noun.
Examples:
- Hansel and Gretel’s parents
- Shakespeare’s era
- Babur and Akbar’s reigns
Hyphenated and Compound Possessive Nouns:
For hyphenated or compound nouns, add the apostrophe and ‘s’ to the end of the compound or the latter part of the hyphenated noun.
Examples:
- Sister-in-law’s uncle
- Union Bank’s policies
- United Nations’ protocol
Examples of Possessive Nouns
- The chef’s new dish was a hit.
- The judges’ verdict was controversial.
- Nobody could find the child’s toy.
- The Earth’s climate has changed due to global warming.
- The company was unhappy with this year’s profit margins.
- Nihas’ old house resembled a royal palace.
- My brother-in-law’s cousin married my cousin.
- Nick and Tess’ grandparents visit them every summer.
- Are you attending Marianne’s bachelorette party?
- Isn’t she Sandhya’s roommate?