Nouns that show ownership are called possessive nouns. When you own something, you possess it. That’s why we call these possessive nouns.
To show that a noun owns something, we add apostrophe -s (‘s) like this:
I rode Tom’s bike.
Tom is a noun. Tom owns a bike. The bike is Tom’s bike.
The ‘s shows ownership.
Singular nouns add ‘s to become possessive. Look at these examples:
I have Mom’s keys. Mom owns the keys.
Dad’s car is in the shop. Dad owns the car.
I picked up the baby’s bottle. The baby owns the bottle.
The dress’s button is missing. The dress has a button.
If a noun ends in -s because it is plural, add only an apostrophe (‘) to show ownership.
Look at these examples:
The twin boys have a bedroom. It is the boys’ bedroom.
The two birds have pretty red feathers. They are the birds’ feathers.
The houses have roofs. The houses’ roofs are covered with snow.
The players have uniforms. The players’ uniforms are dirty.
There is some confusion about what to do with names that end in s.
Most people agree that one-syllable names need apostrophe -s (‘s) while two-syllable names take just an apostrophe (‘). Here are some examples:
Zeus’s mountain.
Mr. Jones’s classroom.
Agnes’ friend.
A possessive noun modifies a noun by telling more about the noun, so a possessive noun acts like an adjective. The keys are Mom’s keys. Mom’s is an adjective for the noun keys.
Possessive nouns can be confusing. Here is the plain and simple way to remember how to show ownership:
– add ‘s to singular nouns to show that the noun owns something. (baby’s bottle, dress’s button, Dad’s car)
– add ‘s to plural nouns that do not end in -s (children’s toys, men’s jobs)
– add ‘s to one-syllable names that end in -s (Jess’s house, Zeus’s mountain)
– if a plural noun already ends in -s, add only the apostrophe. (‘) (boys’ toys, foxes’ tails)