A1 Beginner Pronouns and possession
Possessive 's
Lesson goal. After this lesson you can say what belongs to whom using 's, and you will know when to use of instead.
When to use it
- Something belonging to a person: Nam's bike
- Family relationships: my mother's name
- For non-living things we usually use of: the door of the house
Form
| Case | How to write it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Person, singular | add 's | Nam's book |
| Person, plural already ending in -s | add only ' | the students' room |
| Irregular plural | add 's | the children's toys |
| Things | use of | the door of the house |
Step by step
- Ask: is the owner a person or a thing?
- Person → use 's. Non-living thing → usually of.
- If the owner is plural and already ends in -s → add only the '.
- The order is always: owner + 's + thing.
Compared with Vietnamese
| Vietnamese | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Nam's book | Nam's book | the owner comes first |
| the children's room | the children's room | children is irregular → 's |
| the students' room | the students' room | already ends in -s → add only ' |
| the door of the house | the door of the house | a thing → of |
Examples
This is Nam's bike.
My mother's name is Hoa.
I like Mary's new dress.
The children's toys are everywhere.
The students' room is very clean.
The men's shoes are on the left.
The door of the house is green.
Today is my parents' anniversary.
Common mistakes
This is the book of Nam. → This is Nam's book.
A word-for-word translation. With people English uses 's, not of.
the childrens' toys → the children's toys
children is already an irregular plural, so it takes a normal 's.
This is Nams book. → This is Nam's book.
The apostrophe is missing. Nams looks like a plural, not a possessive.
Memory tip
Vietnamese says book of Nam. English reverses it: Nam's book. Swap the order and attach 's to the person.
Summary
- Singular person → 's · plural ending in -s → just '.
- Irregular plurals (children, men, women) → 's.
- Non-living things usually take of.
Practise this lesson
Do exercises with an explanation for every question, take mini tests and track your progress on GrammUp.