What is the Possessive Case? Possessive Cases Definition and Examples

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Possessive Cases

The possessive case denotes possession. A noun can be changed from a basic person, place, or thing to a person, place, or thing that owns something by adding’s (or occasionally simply the apostrophe). The possessive of a noun can be formed in a few distinct ways. These methods will be discussed further down.

Add an “s” to the end of the noun if it doesn’t already have one. Consider the following scenarios:

This is Maia and her cat. The cat is Maia’s pet; Maia is not the cat’s pet.
This is the way to the girl’s room.
He got a job in the student’s section of the library.

If a proper name ends with an “s”, you can add just the apostrophe or an apostrophe and an “s”.

You’re sitting in Tomas’ chair.
You’re sitting in Tomas’s chair.
Have you seen Janis’ car?
Have you seen Janis’s car?
Where is Jess’ computer bag?
Where is Jess’s computer bag?
I’m in Mrs. Jon’s class this year.
I’m in Mrs. Jons’s class this year.

When dealing with plural nouns that end in “s,” however, you should only use the apostrophe. This is also true when you have a plural proper noun.

This is the girl’s bedroom.
My parents’ house is a lovely new one.
The scissors’ handles just snapped off.
The Crimsons’ yard is always beautifully landscaped.

Singular Possessive Nouns

Banana’s taste
Book’s cover
Boss’s bike
Cat’s tuna
Computer’s keyboard
Dane’s book
Diabetes’s symptoms
Fish’s eggs
Goddess’s beauty
Gym’s rules
House’s roof
Jam’s ingredient
Laundry’s smell
Lawyer’s fee
Month’s work
Sun’s rays
Today’s newspaper
Tray’s usefulness
Tree’s bark

Plural Possessive Nouns

Americans’ ideals
Babies’ shoes
Cabbages’ nutrition
Donors’ cards
Eggs’ color
Juices’ flavors
Lemons’ acidity
Members’ votes
Nuts’ saltiness
Owls’ eyes
Quizzes’ difficulty
Students’ grades
Unicorns’ power
Violins’ melody

Women’s clothes
Children’s toys
Mice’s traps
People’s ideas
Nuclei’s form
Cacti’s thorns
Octopi’s legs
Oxen’s diet
Die’s roll
Lice’s size
Giraffes’ strength

Singular & Plural Possessive Pronouns

That handbag is mine.
My new car runs great.
His work is so good.
Her diet is not working
The toothpaste is hers.
The house is ours.
I see your coat. (singular)
It is all yours. (plural)
Their smiles are quite adorable. (singular)
The fault is theirs. (plural)
Its name is The Tower.

Let’s reinforce the issue with a few mixed examples:

My cousin doesn’t have an account because she doesn’t know her mother’s maiden name. (These two are clearly about possession. They mean: “the mother of her” and “the maiden name of her mother.”)
You can tell a lot about a fellow’s character by his way of eating jellybeans. (President Ronald Reagan) (Clearly, these two are about possession.) They signify “a person’s character” and “his manner of life.”)

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