Possessive Noun: Defination, Types, Rules, & Examples

What is a Possessive Noun?

In the English language, possessive noun meaning refers to the use of possessive nouns to express or indicate ownership, relationship, or association between two or more things. In simple terms, these show that one noun is connected with another noun. For example, in this sentence, “Chris’s house,” “Chris’s” is the possessive noun.

In the example above, “Chris’s” is showing who or what owns or is related to something else. In addition, possessive nouns act like adjectives as they are used to modify another noun in a sentence and provide clarity between the relationships of the nouns. For example, "The dog's leash (The leash belongs to the dog)". 

One of the main English grammar rules for making possessive nouns is adding an apostrophe and “S” to the base form of the noun. However, if the noun is in the plural form and ends with “S” already, then you only need to add an apostrophe to the end of the word. For example, “The students' books (The books belong to multiple students).”

Similarly, if the noun is in the plural form but does not end with “S” then you can add an apostrophe followed by “S”. For example, “The men's jackets” (The jackets belong to multiple men).

Lastly, we use possessive nouns to make sentences more concise and clear by replacing longer phrases. For example, instead of saying “This bottle belongs to Nick” we can say “Nick’s bottle”.

Types of a Possessive Noun

Now that you know the possessive noun definition, let us understand what are the types of possessive nouns. In the English language, we show ownership based on whether the noun is singular or plural and if it ends with "s” or not.

As per this, there are four types of possessive nouns, and each of them has a different formation and use case rule. These types include:

Singular Possessive Nouns

Singular Possessive Nouns are used to show possession/association with a singular noun and can also apply to nouns that already end with “S”. This is formed by adding an apostrophe and "s" to a singular noun. For example, “The kid's toy,” “The press's access,” or “The teacher's desk."

Plural Possessive Nouns

The Plural Possessive Nouns are used to show ownership by more than one person, thing, or entity. These nouns are formed by adding an apostrophe after the “s” for regular plural nouns ending with "s”, for example, “The dogs’ bones”. Whereas, if the plural noun does not end with “S”, you add the apostrophe and "s" to the noun, for example, “children's toys”.

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive Pronouns are also known as strong or absolute possessive pronouns and are used to show ownership of something by indicating who possesses it. Possessive pronouns also replace nouns and various noun phrases to show the thing being referred to in the sentence.

Some of these Possessive pronouns include my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its, our, ours, their, theirs. For example, "This book is mine” here, “My book” is replaced by “Mine”.

Irregular Possessive Nouns

Irregular Possessive Nouns are nouns that change their spelling in their plural form instead of adding an “S.” For example, “Woman” becomes “Women.” The formation of this type of possessive noun depends on whether the noun ends with “S” or has a different spelling for itself.

For example, if a plural noun has an irregular form like “Knives,” you add an apostrophe, “Knives’; whereas if it doesn’t end with “S,” like “Children,” you need to add an apostrophe and an "s" to make it possessive.

How to Use Possessive Nouns in a Sentence?

There are two ways you can use Possessive Nouns in a sentence: you can use it before another noun to modify it or use it independently. Below are some examples of possessive noun, along with the two ways you can use them in a sentence:

Before a Noun: When we use possessive noun in a sentence before another noun, it performs the same role as a possessive determiner. It is used to modify the noun that comes after it to show ownership or a relationship between something and another noun. For example, “This is Tony’s car” here “Tony’s” is used to modify the noun “Car” to show the car belongs to Tony.

Independently: When we use possessive nouns independently, they can still refer to something without directly modifying a noun. This essentially works as possessive pronouns and helps replace noun phrases to avoid repetition. For example, "I believe that the blue jacket is Ryan's."

Below are a few more examples of possessive noun in sentences that use this noun before another noun and independently to help you get a better understanding:

Rules for Using Possessive Noun

While Possessive nouns follow consistent rules to make the noun’s meaning clear, there are a few rules that you can follow to use them. These possessive noun rules include:

1. Unlike possessive nouns, possessive pronouns like his, her, and their do not use apostrophes.
2. Another important rule is not to misplace the apostrophe, as it can completely change the possessive noun meaning. For example, “The student's papers” here means one student owns papers, whereas “The students' papers” means the papers belong to multiple students.
3. When a collective noun owns something, treat it as singular. However, you have to clarify with separate possessive nouns if a separate individual owns something.
4. Lastly, you don’t add apostrophes for objects. Usually, possessive nouns apply to people, ideas, and animals, and they rarely apply to objects unless personification is used.

Examples of Possessive Nouns

Below are possessive noun example for each type for your reference:

Common Mistakes to Avoid While Using Possessive Nouns

Now that you know the possessive noun definition, let's look at some common mistakes to avoid while using possessive nouns:

1. One common mistake most people make is that they confuse possessive nouns with contraction. For example, its is a possessive pronoun, whereas it's, it is, or it has, is a contraction. So, try to avoid this while formulating a sentence.
2. Another similar mistake is misusing "your" and "you". Your is a possessive pronoun, whereas "you" is a contraction.
3. Lastly, try to avoid overusing apostrophes, especially where they are not below. This can result in incorrect plural forms. For example, "The dog's are running" is incorrect; the correct sentence is "The dogs are running."

Possessive Nouns Worksheet with Answers

Now that you understand what Possessive nouns are, below is an exercise you can solve to test your knowledge of these nouns. You must rewrite the underlined nouns in the sentences below to make them possessive.

1. The baby blanket was very soft.
2. Lucy cat always sleeps on her bed.
3. The boys hats were left in the classroom.
4. The women shoes were stylish and comfortable.
5. The dog leash was hanging by the door.
6. Sam pencil rolled off the desk.
7. The children backpacks were full of books.
8. The girl jacket was too small for her.
9. Peter brother won the race.
10. The table legs were uneven.

Answer Key:

• The baby's blanket was very soft.
• Lucy's cat always sleeps on her bed.
• The boys' hats were left in the classroom.
• The women's shoes were stylish and comfortable.
• The dog's leash was hanging by the door.
• Sam's pencil rolled off the desk.
• The children's backpacks were full of books.
• The girl's jacket was too small for her.
• Peter's brother won the race.
• The table's legs were uneven.

Conclusion     

In conclusion, possessive noun is an important part of the English language which is used to show ownership, relationships, and descriptions between two different entities. Without it, sentences can become unclear and ambiguous. Furthermore, if you need help improving your English language proficiency, you can connect with our experts at Gradding. They will use extensive resources, a tailored teaching style, and a Possessive noun worksheet to help you learn English.

FAQs

When Should You Use Possessive Nouns?

We use possessive nouns to show ownership or relationship between things, for example, John’s book or the cat’s tail.

Can You Use Possessive Nouns with Inanimate Objects?

Yes, you can use possessive nouns with inanimate objects. However, we usually use phrases as they are more natural. For example, we say the lid of the jar instead of the jar’s lid. Some exceptions exist, like the car’s engine.

How Do You Use Possessives with Joint Ownership?

If two people share ownership, we use the possessive on the last name only, like Alice and Bob’s house. If they own separate things, use possessives for both, like Alice’s and Bob’s cars.

What is a Possessive Pronoun?

A possessive pronoun replaces a noun to show ownership, like mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs. For example, That book is mine.