owner + 's + thingPut apostrophe + s on the owner noun. The owned thing comes after it.
Possessive Nouns
A1Use noun + 's before another noun to show belonging or connection: John's car, the car's engine.
What you'll learn
- Add apostrophe + s to a noun to show possession.
- Place the owner before the thing.
- Use possessive nouns with people, animals, places, and things.
- Understand belonging and part-whole meanings in 's phrases.
Structure
whole + 's + partUse the same form for parts and connections: the car's door, today's meeting.
Build a sentence
Owner
Thing
Anna'sbag
Anna's bag is on the chair.
Add 's to the owner noun, then put the thing after it.
When to use
People
Use 's for a person as owner or related person: Anna's coat, my brother's room, Lisa's friend.
Animals
Use 's with animals when they are the owner or the whole: the dog's bowl, the cat's tail.
Places and things
Use 's with places, organizations, and objects too: the city's center, the company's website, the car's engine.
Spelling
singular noun
→ add 'sJohn → John'sowner + thing
→ mark the owner, not the thingcar + engine → the car's engineCommon mistakes
Wrong
This is John car.
Correct
This is John's car.
To show possession, mark the owner noun with apostrophe + s.
Wrong
the car engine's
Correct
the car's engine
Put apostrophe + s on the owner or whole noun, then add the thing or part after it.
Wrong
the phone Maria's
Correct
Maria's phone
The owner comes first in the possessive phrase.
Common misconceptions
❝ You can use 's only with people. ❞
English also uses 's with animals, places, organizations, and many things: the dog's bowl, the city's center, the car's engine.
❝ Apostrophe + s means real ownership only. ❞
It also shows connection and part-whole meaning: today's meeting, the company's office, the car's door.
Skills in this rule (4)
ADD_APOSTROPHE_Sw5Add apostrophe + s to show who something belongs to
Use noun + 's before another noun to show possession or connection: Anna's bag, the company's office.
PUT_OWNER_FIRSTw4Put the owner before the thing
In a possessive noun phrase, the owner comes first and the possessed thing comes after it: Maria's phone, not phone Maria's.
USE_FOR_PEOPLE_AND_THINGSw3Use possessive nouns with people, animals, places, and things
Use 's not only with people but also with animals, places, organizations, and objects when English treats them as owners or related nouns.
READ_OWNER_RELATIONw3Read apostrophe + s as belonging or connection
A possessive noun can show ownership, part-whole relation, family relation, or connection: Tom's bike, the car's door, today's meeting.