There are many uses of Apostrophe s and in this lesson, we will discuss them one by one.
Apostrophe s replaces “the”
The possessive ending in ‘s or s’ can replace the article “the.”
Example 1:
- The car belonging to John is parked outside.
- John’s car is parked outside.
Example 2:
- The book that belongs to Mary is on the table.
- Mary’s book is on the table.
Apostrophe s with people and animals
The possessive ‘s or s’ should be used with people and animals, not things.
Examples:
- Emmy’s purse
- John’s car
- My husband’s book (NOT the book of my husband)
- The pockets of the coat (NOT the coat’s pockets)
Example sentences:
- The friends’ weekend getaway was a memorable experience.
- You can see the church from the window of the living room.
- The students’ backpacks were left in the classroom.
Apostrophe s without another noun
We can use noun + ‘s or s’ without another noun, if the meaning is clear.
Examples:
- My hair is black, but not my children’s.
- Our house is cozy, but not our friends’.
We often use nouns + ‘s or s’ without another noun to talk about people’s homes.
Examples:
- I went to John and Sarah’s on Friday. (= I went to John and Sarah’s house on Friday)
- She likes to visit my sister’s on weekends. (= She likes to visit my sister’s home on weekends)
Quiz
- The house belonging to Sarah and Mark is painted blue.
- The bike that belongs to Mike was stolen.
- The cat belonging to Sarah caught a mouse.
- The pen of the teacher is on the desk.
- “I hate going to the dentist’s clinic” can also be written as
The possessive apostrophe s (‘s) is used to indicate joint ownership of the house by Sarah and Mark.
The possessive apostrophe s (‘s) is used to indicate ownership of the bike by Mike.
The possessive apostrophe s (‘s) is used to indicate ownership of the cat by Sarah.
The possessive apostrophe s (‘s) is used to indicate ownership of the pen by the teacher.
Note that we can use noun + s’ or ‘s without another noun for offices, churches and some shops. In place of saying, “I hate going to the dentist’s clinic”, we can say “I hate going to the dentist’s” as the meaning is clear.
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