Possessive Case of Nouns, Singular and Plural Possessive Nouns List

Possessive Case of Nouns, Singular and Plural Possessive Nouns List

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.”)