Possessive nouns show ownership of people, places, or things. They change ordinary nouns to show possession and can be used for intangible things. To form a possessive noun, add an apostrophe and “S” to a singular noun, and just an apostrophe to a plural noun. Many people find them confusing.
A possessive noun is a word used to designate ownership of a person, place, or thing. For example, if a person wants to indicate that Sarah owns a house, she can use the name Sarah and an apostrophe and the letter “S” to indicate ownership. If so, she would have written “Sarah’s House” to show possession. It also works if the noun is plural instead of singular. For example, a person might write “girls room” to show that the room belongs to girls.
Possessive nouns take ordinary nouns, which are words that represent people, places, animals, or things, and change them to show ownership or possession. This provides people with an easy way to show who or what something belongs to. These words can be used to show ownership not only of tangible things, but also of living things and things that have no physical form. For example, a possessive noun can be used to show ownership of not only cars, houses, and clothes, but also pets, plants, and thoughts.
To form a possessive noun, a person usually adds an apostrophe and the letter “S” to a noun. For example, a person might write or say something like “Henry’s cats belong,” but there’s an easier and shorter way to accomplish the same thing: she could just write “Henry’s cats.” By making a possessive noun, he can make the same point with fewer words; this often helps make sentences simpler and less confusing.
Sometimes the creation of possessive nouns gets a little more complicated, such as when a plural noun is involved rather than a singular noun. A singular noun only needs an apostrophe and an “S,” but a plural noun often only needs an apostrophe. For example, if a person wants to prove that two or more teachers have students, she can write “teachers’ students” instead of “teachers’ students”. If the plural noun doesn’t end in an “S,” however, you still need to add the apostrophe and the “S,” as in “men’s room.”
While using possessive nouns may seem simple and easy to some, many people find them confusing. They might add an apostrophe and an “S” when it’s not necessary, for example, or just add an “S” to a noun thinking that doing so shows ownership. Often, it’s an ongoing practice that helps people better understand the correct way to use possessive nouns.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
