Understanding Singular and Plural Possessives

What is a Possessive?

When we talk about possessives, we are referring to ownership. For example, if we say “the dog’s bone,” it means the bone belongs to the dog.

Singular Possessive

  • Singular possessive is used when you are talking about one person, animal, or thing.
  • To form the singular possessive, you add an apostrophe (') and an s to the end of the noun.

Example:

  • The cat’s toy (the toy belongs to one cat)
  • Jessica’s book (the book belongs to one Jessica)

Plural Possessive

  • Plural possessive is used when you are talking about more than one person, animal, or thing.
  • To form the plural possessive, first make the noun plural (if it doesn’t already end in s, add s to make it plural), then add an apostrophe after the s.

Example:

  • The dogs’ park (the park belongs to multiple dogs)
  • The teachers’ lounge (the lounge belongs to multiple teachers)

Key Rules

  1. For singular nouns: Add 's to show possession.
    • Example: The girl’s bike (one girl)
  2. For plural nouns ending in s: Add just an apostrophe after the s.
    • Example: The girls’ team (more than one girl)
  3. For plural nouns not ending in s: Add 's to show possession.
    • Example: The children’s playground (more than one child)

Tips and Tricks

  • Remember: If it’s one, use 's. If it’s more than one and ends with s, just add an apostrophe.
  • Think of ownership: If you can ask, “Whose is it?” and it’s one person, use 's. If it’s many, check if they end with s.
  • Practice with names: Use names of friends or family. For example, “Tom’s hat” or “the Smiths’ house.”

Questions to Practice Possessives

Easy Difficulty Level (20 Questions)

  1. What is the singular possessive form of “dog”?
  2. Write the plural possessive form of “cats.”
  3. How do you show that a pencil belongs to a girl?
  4. What is the possessive form of “teacher”?
  5. Write the singular possessive form of “child.”
  6. How do you show that a book belongs to a student?
  7. Write the plural possessive form of “friends.”
  8. What is the singular possessive of “lion”?
  9. Write the possessive form for “Tom.”
  10. How do you indicate that the toys belong to the kids?
  11. What is the plural possessive of “family”?
  12. Write the singular possessive form of “car.”
  13. How do you show that a house belongs to your parents?
  14. Write the possessive form for “woman.”
  15. What is the singular possessive of “cat”?
  16. Write the plural possessive form of “boys.”
  17. How do you show that a laptop belongs to Sarah?
  18. Write the possessive form for “baby.”
  19. What is the plural possessive of “teacher”?
  20. How do you indicate that the sandwiches belong to the girls?

Medium Difficulty Level (20 Questions)

  1. What is the singular possessive of “bus”?
  2. Write the plural possessive form of “children.”
  3. How do you show that the room belongs to the men?
  4. Write the singular possessive for “boss.”
  5. How do you indicate that the books belong to the students?
  6. What is the plural possessive of “fox”?
  7. Write the singular possessive of “mouse.”
  8. How do you show that a dress belongs to your sister?
  9. What is the plural possessive of “family”?
  10. Write the singular possessive form for “hero.”
  11. How do you indicate that the shoes belong to the boys?
  12. What is the singular possessive of “baby”?
  13. Write the plural possessive form of “lady.”
  14. How do you show that the garden belongs to the neighbors?
  15. Write the singular possessive of “teacher.”
  16. What is the plural possessive of “leaf”?
  17. How do you show that the bicycles belong to the children?
  18. Write the singular possessive form for “man.”
  19. What is the plural possessive of “city”?
  20. How do you indicate that a laptop belongs to my friend?

High Difficulty Level (20 Questions)

  1. Write the singular possessive form of “person.”
  2. What is the plural possessive of “crisis”?
  3. How do you show that the essays belong to the students?
  4. Write the singular possessive for “woman.”
  5. What is the plural possessive of “cactus”?
  6. How do you indicate that the paintings belong to the artists?
  7. Write the singular possessive form of “child.”
  8. What is the plural possessive of “analysis”?
  9. How do you show that the car belongs to the Smith family?
  10. Write the singular possessive form of “mouse.”
  11. What is the plural possessive of “sheep”?
  12. How do you indicate that the cookies belong to the children?
  13. Write the singular possessive for “potato.”
  14. What is the plural possessive of “crisis”?
  15. How do you show that the books belong to the authors?
  16. Write the singular possessive form of “leaf.”
  17. What is the plural possessive of “geese”?
  18. How do you indicate that the gloves belong to the girls?
  19. Write the singular possessive of “ox.”
  20. What is the plural possessive of “thesis”?

Feel free to ask any questions or for further clarification on possessives! Happy learning!