The Possessive Case

The possessive case shows ownership. You make a word possessive by adding an apostrophe ‘ and s in the singular and just a ‘ in the plural. Sometimes, it gets a bit confusing where to use the apostrophe and "s" and where to use just the apostrophe. Also, some people get confused with the possessive form of a word and a contraction. We will look at both here.

Making a singular word possessive

To make a singular word possessive, add apostrophe and "s".

Neil's wheelchair blew a tire.

The doctor's stethoscope was cold.

The dog's tail was wagging all the time.

To form the possessive of a singular word that ends in "s", you use the same rule as above. It might look a little funny, but just add an apostrophe and an "s" to the end:

Mr. Blevins's car

Doris's book

The singular form of a compound word is still an apostrophe and "s".

My mother-in-law's retirement is near.

Making a plural word ending in "s" possessive

You make a plural word that ends in "s" possessive by putting an apostrophe after the "s".

The dogs' bones were scattered all over the yard.

The residents' rooms were searched for drugs.