Possessives in English
A possessive is a word that expresses a relationship of belonging. Possessives can be forms of nouns, which always contain an apostrophe, or of pronouns (your, yours, theirs), which never take an apostrophe.
- Farley’s shoes are lost. (shoes that belong to Farley)
- We found the superhero’s cape wrapped around a streetlight.
- Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, is a historic city.
- Is this her motorcycle?
- I left my scarf in his car.
- I love your hat!
- Is this bag mine or yours?
- Their car is parked in our driveway.
- This car is theirs, not ours.
- The car’s frame is undamaged, but its windshield is broken.
Possessives of nouns
Form the possessive of a singular noun by adding an apostrophe and s to the word.
- the girl’s hat
- my mother’s family
- the ship’s captain
- my cat’s paws
- the virus’s variants
- the baby’s toys
A word in the possessive case is generally followed by a noun (e.g., the girl’s hat), but not always. When it is clear what is being referred to, the noun may be omitted.
- I’m going to my sister’s for dinner.
- Mr. Pitkin is an old friend of my father’s.
- This book is Anita’s.
Many plurals are formed by adding s or es. To form the possessive of a plural ending in s, simply add an apostrophe after the s that makes the plural.
- the girls’ hats.
- the mothers’ petition
- the ships’ manufacturer
- my cats’ paws
- the churches’ wardens
- the babies’ toys
Not all plurals end in s (e.g., child/children, woman/women). Add an apostrophe followed by an s to form the possessive of such a plural.
- the children’s picnic
- The women’s team
- the bacteria’s survival rate
- our alumni’s achievements
The apostrophe goes before and not after the s in the possessive of a plural not already ending in s.
- Correct:the men’s jerseys
Incorrect: the mens’ jerseys - Correct:the children’s park
Incorrect: the childrens’ park
To form the possessive of a proper noun (e.g., the name of a person or a place), add an apostrophe and s, as you would for other singular possessives.
- Farley’s shoelaces
- Asia’s mountain ranges
- Rome’s ancient monuments
- St. Patrick’s Day
To form the possessive of a name that already ends in s, you can either add an apostrophe and another s or just an apostrophe. Both styles are acceptable.
- Charles’s crown
- Keats’s poems
- Harris’s views
- Charles’ crown
- Keats’ poems
- Harris’ views
Some style guides, such as the Chicago Manual of Style and APA Publication Manual, suggest adding an apostrophe and an additional s to form the possessive of a name that already ends in s. Others—the AP Stylebook, for example—recommend adding just an apostrophe. Whichever style you choose, follow it consistently within a document.
And to form the possessive of a plural proper noun (e.g., to refer to an entire family), add an apostrophe after the s that forms the plural, as you would for any other plural noun.
- The Smiths’ car
- The Murphys’ garden
- The Harrises’ cat
Note the difference between possessives of singular and plural proper nouns.
- Singular: Jane Harris’ cat or Jane Harris’s cat
one person’s cat
- Plural: the Harrises’ cat
the family’s cat
Possessives of pronouns
Pronouns, which are words used in place of nouns, also have possessive forms that signify belonging.
- This house is mine.
- Is this yours?
- That ego of his gets bigger every day.
- This scarf is hers.
- This world of ours needs help.
- A friend of theirs introduced them to the benefits of aloe vera.
- Whose is this?
Don’t use an apostrophe in possessive pronouns such as hers, ours, its, and yours.
- Incorrect:Is this wallet your’s?
Correct:Is this wallet yours?
Possessive determiners are used before nouns to show relationship. They act much like pronouns, but they cannot stand by themselves in a sentence. They always appear before a noun.
- My father has sold our house to his friend.
- Go to your room!
- Rita strapped on her parachute and jumped off the airplane.
- Poco wore his new boots to the party.
- Their taxi is here.
- This vase has lost its sheen.
- Whose blue mask is this?
- This is a house whose rooms were once filled with books and laughter.
As you can see, possessive determiners and possessive pronouns often have similar forms (her/hers, our/ours). However, determiners appear right before a noun, while pronouns replace entire noun phrases.
- Possessive determiner: This is my house.
The determiner “my” precedes the noun “house.”Possessive pronoun: This is mine.The pronoun “mine” replaces the noun phrase “my house.”
- Possessive determiner: This is her car.
“Her” appears before the noun “car” to show who possesses the car.Possessive pronoun: This is hers.“hers” = “her car”; replaces the entire noun phrase.
Here is a list of possessive determiners and pronouns.
| Pronoun | Possessive determiner | Possessive pronoun |
|---|---|---|
| I | my | mine |
| you | your | yours |
| she | her | hers |
| he | his | his |
| it | its | its |
| we | our | ours |
| they | their | theirs |
| who | whose | whose |
| which | whose | whose |
Note how possessive determiners and pronouns contain no apostrophe.
Of as possessive
The word of is a preposition that can indicate that something belongs to something else.
- I love the color of your scarf.
- This is the song of our ancestors.
- The hurricane blew in the windows of the house.
Double possessives
When of is used with a possessive noun or pronoun, it forms what may be called a double possessive, used to referring to one of several.
- I hear a friend of Maya’s wrote this book.
one of Maya’s several friends
- A theory of mine is that we all live in fear.
- Is she a friend of yours?
Don’t use a double possessive unless the meaning is actually possessive and not merely one of association.
- A student of Rita’s wrote this book.
Someone who is literally Rita’s student.
- He is now a student of Buddha.
Someone who studies Buddha’s teachings, not someone who was his student in life.
- Like you, she is a child of God (not a child of God’s)
Possessives of inanimate objects
It is sometimes thought that nouns for inanimate objects cannot take the possessive case, and that one must use of rather than an apostrophe and s with such nouns. In fact, nouns referring to nonliving things often form the possessive with no trouble at all.
- I really should replace my laptop’s battery.
- The ship’s captain has absolute authority.
- Eclipse hunters chased the moon’s shadow in an airplane.
Nouns for inanimate objects can either form the possessive with an apostrophe and s or take the of-genitive, although one or the other may sometimes sound more natural. For example, “I should replace my laptop’s battery” sounds more natural than “I should replace the battery of my laptop.” But compare “the end of an era” with “an era’s end.”
Possessives of possessive forms
If a proper noun is already in the possessive case (e.g., the name of a company, such as McDonald’s), don’t add another apostrophe and s to form its possessive.
- Correct: McDonald’s new menu
Incorrect: McDonald’s’s new menu