Possessive Nouns
Possessive nouns show that something belongs to someone or something. Adding an apostrophe — with or without an s — is the key to getting them right.
What is a possessive noun?
A possessive noun shows ownership or a close relationship between two things. In English, we form the possessive by adding an apostrophe (') to a noun, usually with an s.
the bag of the teacher → the teacher's bag
the toys that belong to the children → the children's toys
the office of the company → the company's office
As well as ownership, possessives can express other relationships: origin (the city's history), time (a day's work), and description (the river's edge).
The four core rules
the cat's tail · James's car · the boss's desk · a child's dream
the teachers' staffroom · the dogs' bowls · the students' exam
the men's changing room · the children's playground · the women's team
Charles's reign / Charles' reign · Thomas's essay / Thomas' essay
Summary table
| Type of noun | Rule | Example | Possessive form |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | add 's | the girl | the girl's bag |
| Singular ending in -s | add 's | the boss | the boss's office |
| Regular plural (ends in -s) | add ' only | the girls | the girls' bags |
| Irregular plural (no -s) | add 's | the children | the children's books |
| Proper noun ending in -s | add 's or ' | James | James's / James' coat |
Joint and separate possession
When two people share ownership of one thing, only the last name takes the possessive. When they own things separately, both names take the possessive.
Tom and Sarah's house. (one house they share — joint)
Tom's and Sarah's cars. (different cars — separate)
Anna and Ben's project. (one project they worked on together)
Possessives with time and measurement
English uses the possessive apostrophe with expressions of time and measurement. These are very common and easy to overlook.
| Expression | Possessive form |
|---|---|
| one day | a day's work, a day's notice |
| two weeks | two weeks' holiday, two weeks' time |
| one year | a year's experience, a year's salary |
| five minutes | five minutes' walk, five minutes' rest |
| an hour | an hour's delay, an hour's drive |
It is only a ten minutes' walk from here.
She handed in her notice after two weeks' consideration.
He has five years' experience in the field.
Possessive nouns vs. possessive pronouns
Do not confuse possessive nouns (which use an apostrophe) with possessive pronouns (which never do).
| Possessive noun (apostrophe) | Possessive pronoun (no apostrophe) |
|---|---|
| the dog's collar | its collar (never: it's collar) |
| Maria's book | her book / hers |
| the team's result | their result / theirs |
Common confusion: It's (with apostrophe) is always a contraction of it is or it has. The possessive form is its — no apostrophe. Test yourself: can you replace it with "it is"? If yes, use it's. If no, use its.
Tip: Never use an apostrophe to form a simple plural. Three cat's and two apple's are wrong — apostrophes show possession, not quantity. The correct forms are three cats and two apples.