Nouns & Articles

The Possessive 's in English

Level A1 Nouns & Articles
Key idea

In English, the most natural way to show that something belongs to someone is to add 's to the owner: "This is Anna's bag" and "The cat's eyes are green." English speakers use this far more than the "of" structure, so we say Anna's bag, not "the bag of Anna." When the owner is a plural noun already ending in -s, you add only an apostrophe, with no extra s: "My friends' car." Watch the apostrophe carefully, because "the dog's tail" (one dog) and "the dogs' tails" (many dogs) mean different things.

Examples

  • This is Anna's bag. the bag belongs to Anna
  • The cat's eyes are green. the eyes of the cat are green
  • My friends' car the car belonging to my friends

The full lesson

Everything in the video, in text.

  1. Tom's car

    showing ownership the English way

    In English we almost never say the car of Tom. We say: Tom's car. That tiny apostrophe-s does all the work.

  2. 🔑

    Owner + 's + thing

    Most languages link an owner to a thing with a word like of. English usually does the opposite: it sticks the owner in front and adds apostrophe-s. Let's learn exactly how.

  3. Add 's to a person or animal to show ownership.

    The core rule is simple. To show that something belongs to a person or an animal, add apostrophe-s to the owner's name.

  4. Where does the apostrophe go?

    one owner
    • add 's
    • Tom → Tom's
    • the dog → the dog's
    plural owner (-s)
    • add only '
    • my parents → my parents'
    • the boys → the boys'

    There's just one branch to remember. A single owner takes apostrophe-s. A plural owner that already ends in -s takes only an apostrophe. Keep that split in mind.

  5. This is Anna's bag.

    one owner → 's

    Start simple. One person, one thing. This is Anna's bag. The bag belongs to Anna.

  6. The cat's eyes are green.

    one animal → 's

    It works for animals too — they're owners just like people. The cat's eyes are green. The eyes of the cat.

  7. My brother's friend is here.

    one owner → 's

    And notice it can hold a whole phrase, not just one word. My brother's friend is here. One brother, so apostrophe-s.

  8. Plural owner ending in -s → add only an apostrophe.

    Now the plural side. When the owner is plural and already ends in -s, you don't add another s — you just add an apostrophe after it.

  9. This is my parents' house.

    plural owner → apostrophe only

    Two parents own the house, so the apostrophe lands after the s. This is my parents house. The house belonging to both my parents.

  10. My friends' car is fast.

    plural owner → apostrophe only

    Same idea with friends. My friends car is fast. The car belongs to several friends.

  11. The children's toys are everywhere.

    irregular plural → 's

    One nuance worth knowing: some plurals don't end in -s, like children. Those go back to the normal apostrophe-s. The children's toys are everywhere.

  12. ✗ the car of Tom sounds unnatural in English
    ✓ Tom's car the natural way

    For people and animals, prefer 's over 'of'.

    Here's the biggest trap for learners. Don't borrow the of structure from your language for people. Not the car of Tom — Tom's car.

  13. ✗ Toms car no apostrophe — incorrect
    ✓ Tom's car apostrophe before the s

    dog's = one dog · dogs' = many dogs

    And don't drop or misplace the apostrophe. Toms with no apostrophe is just wrong, and the apostrophe's position even tells you how many owners there are.

  14. Remember

    • One owner → add 's
    • Plural owner ending in -s → add only '
    • Use 's instead of 'of' for people & animals

    So, to recap: put the owner first, add apostrophe-s for one owner, and just an apostrophe for a plural owner ending in -s.

Related lessons

A vs An: How to Use English Indefinite ArticlesEnglish Plural Nouns: -s, -es, and Common IrregularsCountable and Uncountable Nouns; Some and Any