Explanation
Exercises

📘 Possessive 's — Use & Form

'S — Use
POSSESSION My brother’s phone, the cat’s bed, Lisa’s backpack
(NOT the backpack of Lisa)
RELATIONSHIP Emma’s best friend, David’s sister, Mark’s parents
(NOT the sister of David)
SHOPS AND HOUSES I’m at Olivia’s (= at Olivia’s house)
I’m going to the butcher’s (= the butcher’s shop)
OF — Use
THINGS The top of the mountain, the cover of the book, the name of the song
(NOT the mountain’s top)
NOUN + NOUN — Common Combinations
COMMONLY USED TOGETHER The bus stop (= the stop for buses)
The house keys (= the keys for the house)
'S — Form
Singular noun + ’s My mom’s bag, the bird’s wings, the doctor’s office
Irregular plural not ending in -s + ’s A children’s game, the women’s team, people’s opinions
Regular plural ending in -s + ’ The girls’ room, the drivers’ licenses, customers’ orders
Singular noun ending in -s: ’s or just ’ James’s (or James’) bike, Lucas’s phone, Charles’s apartment
's after last of two or more nouns Sara and Mike’s dog (= they have one dog)
's after each of two or more nouns Sara’s and Mike’s bikes (= Sara has one bike and Mike has one bike)

📘 Possessive 's – Use

We use ‘s to show that something belongs to a person (or a pet) or to talk about relationships between people.

  • This is Anna‘s sister.
  • This is the sister of Anna.
  • Ben and Nora‘s apartment is on the 5th floor.
  • My dog‘s tail is very fluffy.

We also use the possessive ‘s to talk about shops and houses:

  • I am at Daniel‘s. (= at Daniel’s house)
  • I need to go to the florist‘s. (= the florist’s shop)

🛠️ Possessive 's – Form

  • Singular noun + ‘s: Mia’s jacket, Tom’s laptop, the manager’s office
  • Plural noun ending in -s + ‘: The girls’ bags, the players’ shoes, the students’ projects
  • Irregular plural (not ending in -s) + ‘s: The children’s books, the men’s jackets, the women’s team
  • Shared ownership: Kate and Leo’s car (one car)
  • Separate ownership: Kate’s and Leo’s cars (two cars)

📍 Possessive "of"

We use of (not ‘s) when talking about things (not people or pets):

  • The door of the house ✅
  • The house’s door ❌
  • A photo of the city ✅
  • The city’s photo ❌
  • The roof of the building ✅
  • The building’s roof ❌

🔗 Compound Nouns – No 's or of

Some nouns are often used together. In these cases, we don’t use 's or of:

  • A coffee shop
  • The train station
  • The hotel key

❓ Whose

Whose is used to ask about possession.

  • Whose + noun: Whose jacket is this? Whose phones are those?
  • Whose (without noun): Whose is this jacket? Whose are those phones?

We can answer using ‘s + noun or ‘s alone:

  • Whose is this jacket? – It’s Emma‘s jacket / It’s Emma‘s.

⚠️ Whose vs Who’s

  • Whose = possession (of who) → Whose phone is this?
  • Who’s = who is → Who’s that woman at the door?
  • WRONG: Who’s phone is this? / Whose that woman at the door?
Exercises:
1
2
3

Possessive 's — Use & Form

Choose the correct option to complete the sentences.
1 Jessica is sister.
2 phone is this?
3 You need to clean mess in the kitchen.
4 These are keys.
5 We reached house before dark.
6 I’m going to after work.
7 These are bicycles.
8 Let’s meet in office at 3.
9 I need to paint room this weekend.
10 soup reminds me of home.

Possessive 's — Use & Form

Choose the correct forms: whose, who’s possessive ‘s, etc.
1
_____ picture is this?
A.
B.
C.
2
_____ going to fix the computer?
A.
B.
C.
3
It’s ____ turn next.
A.
B.
C.
4
These are ____ notebooks.
A.
B.
C.
5
____ idea was brilliant.
A.
B.
C.
6
____ presentation impressed everyone.
A.
B.
C.
7
Is this ____?
A.
B.
C.
8
____ they going to pick up lunch?
A.
B.
C.
9
Can you tell me ____ house this is?
A.
B.
C.
10
It’s ____ birthday tomorrow.
A.
B.
C.

Possessive 's — Use & Form

Rewrite the sentences using the possessive ‘s as in the example.
1
The balls belong to the players. ⇒ They are .
2
The house belongs to my parents. ⇒ It’s .
3
The jacket belongs to Anna. ⇒ It’s .
4
The pens belong to the designers. ⇒ They are .
5
The toy belongs to my nephew. ⇒ It’s .
6
These coats belong to Jim and Tim (one coat each). ⇒ They are .
7
The car belongs to Alice and Bob. ⇒ It’s .
8
The project belongs to the team. ⇒ It’s .
9
The books belong to the children. ⇒ They are .
10
The invitation belongs to Sarah and me (we share one). ⇒ It’s .