What are possessive nouns? Here are some examples.
POSSESSIVE NOUNS – This type of noun indicates ownership or a direct connection, and here’s how they are used in a sentence.
There are eight different parts of speech, and one of them is a noun. This is also called the naming word. It refers to the name of a person, place, thing, or idea. Nouns are categorized into several types, such as common nouns, proper nouns, concrete nouns, abstract nouns, collective nouns, countable nouns, and uncountable nouns.
What is a possessive noun?
This is the type that shows ownership or direct connection. A typical singular possessive noun uses an apostrophe followed by the letter “s” at the end of the word for the possessive form. Any noun can be possessive, including abstract nouns.
Examples:
- cat – cat‘s
- Kenneth – Kenneth‘s
- The Empire State Building – The Empire State Building‘s
For plural nouns ending in “s,” just an apostrophe is added at the end of the word.
| Singular Possessive | Plural Possessive |
| the dog’s bone John’s bag Cherry’s car the car’s engine the teacher’s book | the dogs’ bones the girls’ bags the cars’ engines the engineers’ hats the captains’ uniforms |
The four types
- Singular possessive
The standard singular nouns that become possessive by adding an apostrophe and the letter “s.”
Examples:
- My sister’s book is on the table.
- John’s backpack is very heavy.
- The dog’s toy is beneath the chair.
- Plural possessive
These are plural nouns that end in “s” and are made possessive by just adding an apostrophe after the letter “s.”
Examples:
- The students’ homework was collected at the end of class.
- The parents’ meeting will be held tomorrow afternoon.
- The girls’ dresses were all stunning.
- Possessive pronouns
The independent possessive pronouns are mine, ours, yours, his, hers, its, and theirs. Ours, yours, and theirs are possessive pronouns.
Examples:
- This book is mine.
- Is this book yours?
- The decision is theirs to make.
- Irregular possessive
The nouns don’t follow the typical English pluralization pattern. Woman becomes women, man becomes men, child becomes children, and others.
Examples:
- Men’s jackets are so expensive!
- The women’s restroom is far from here.
- Cacti’s needles can be very sharp.