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Peter's and Mary's houses are in the the same village.

Apostrophes to Mark Possession

Possession needs apostrophes. Learn where to put ’s or just ’ for singular and plural owners, and keep it separate from its which is possessive without an apostrophe.

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Fascinating Fact:

UK usage usually adds ’s: James’s coat, the class’s project, St James’s Park. If pronunciation feels awkward in formal names, some writers use just ’, but ’s is fine.

In 11 Plus English, you must place apostrophes to show who owns something. A singular noun takes ’s. A regular plural ending in s takes just ’. Irregular plurals like children take ’s.

Key Terms

Possessive noun: A noun that shows ownership, such as the cat’s tail.
Singular possessive: One owner. Add ’s, for example the girl’s book.
Plural possessive: More than one owner. If the plural ends in s, add just ’, for example the dogs’ leads. If irregular, add ’s, for example the children’s room.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

How do I show possession with a name ending in s?

In UK English, add ’s for singular names ending in s, for example James’s coat. Some style guides allow just ’ in certain proper names, but ’s is acceptable in exams.

What is the rule for plural nouns that already end in s?

Add only an apostrophe after the s, for example the teachers’ room and the babies’ bottles. For irregular plurals not ending in s, add ’s, for example the children’s toys.

Is its ever written with an apostrophe to show possession?

No. Its is the possessive form and never takes an apostrophe. It’s is a contraction of it is or it has.

Try These Related Quizzes

1 .

Complete the sentence below with the correct possessive forms.
The ... room is beautifully decorated.

children's

childrens'

childrens's

children

Irregular plurals add -'s to the end of the plural form, for example: man - men's; woman - women's

2 .

Complete the sentence below with the correct possessive forms.
The ... toys were scattered on the floor.

boys

boyz'

boys'

boyses'

To form the plural possessive you add -s' to the end of the word, for example: dog- dogs' (more than one dog)

3 .

Complete the sentence below with the correct possessive forms.
This is ... house.

Peter

Peters

Peter's

Peters'

To form the singular possessive you add -'s to the end of the word, for example: teacher - teacher's (one teacher)

4 .

Complete the sentence below with the correct possessive forms.
It is the ... right to have the vote.

peoples'

peoples

people's

peoplez'

Here, 'people' is considered as a single group of individuals, so its possessive form adds -'s

5 .

Complete the sentence below with the correct possessive forms.
Mr. ... house is very impressive.

Jones

Jones's

Jones'

Jonses

Names ending in -s add -'s to the end of the name; however, in the case of ancient names and names that end in a '-iz' sound, some people simply add an apostrophe: Achilles' heel; Mr. Bridges' house. If in doubt, add the -'s: it's probably the safest thing to do

6 .

Complete the sentence below with the correct possessive forms.
His ... favourite hobby was photography.

mother-in-laws

mother-in-law's

mother's-in-laws

mothers-in-law

With singular and plural compound words, add the -'s to the last word to construct the possessive form. If the compound word needs to be in the plural, form the plural first and then add the -'s, for example: His two sisters-in-law's dogs are Labradors

7 .

Complete the sentence below with the correct possessive forms.
... house was built in the eighteenth century.

Peter's and Mary

Peters' and Marys'

Peter and Mary

Peter and Mary's

If the object belongs to the same possessors, you need only put an -'s at the end of the last name

8 .

Complete the sentence below with the correct possessive forms.
The ... showers were not working.

girls'

girlz'

girls's

girlses

To form the plural possessive you add -s' to the end of the word, for example: professor - professors' (more than one professor). In the case of words like 'baby', the plural is 'babies': the possessive form of the plural would then be babies' NOT babys' - be on the look out for nouns ending in a 'consonant and -y' because the -y changes to -ies in the plural form. For example: fairy - fairies (plural) - fairies' (possessive)

9 .

Complete the sentence below with the correct possessive forms.
... houses are in the the same village.

Peters and Marys

Peter's and Marys

Peters' and Marys'

Peter's and Mary's

For individual possession, you must add -'s to the end of each possessor: here, one house belongs to Peter and the other belongs to Mary

10 .

Complete the sentence below with the correct possessive forms.
The assistant asked the couple if they wanted the ... department or the ... department.

men, women

men's, women's

mens', womens'

man's, woman's

The assistant would obviously use the plural possessive forms. Don't forget: irregular plurals add -'s to the end of the plural form

Author: Frank Evans (Specialist 11 Plus Teacher and Tutor)