POSSESSIVE 'S
Look at these examples:
| Christina's house my father's books |
- We often use the possessive 's with a personal noun (eg. Christina's house) to show possession.
This is Christina's house ( = a house that belongs to Christina)
- We also use the possessive 's with other meanings. For example:
Christina's sister is a biologist ( =the
sister that Christina has)
Where is your teacher's house? (=the house where your teacher lives)
- We can use the possessive without a following noun (instead of repeating the noun)
Those aren't my students. They are Rodolfo's. (= Rodolfo's students)
RULES:
|
- Write 's with a singular noun. My father's books |
|
- Write only ' with a plural noun ending in 's. My parents' house |
|
- Write 's with a plural noun not ending in -s. The children's teacher |
COMPARE:
my sister's car ( one sister)
my sisters' car ( more than one sister)
- Compare the possessive 's and of ...
∞ We normally use the possessive 's for people and for animals
The cat's milk
( Not: the milk of the cat)
Christina's husband (Not:
The husband of Christina)
∞ We normally use of... for things
the end of the school term
The leg of the table