📚 Quick Reference — Possessive Noun Rules
noun + 's
Add apostrophe + s to any singular noun, regardless of its ending.
the dog → the dog's lead
Emma → Emma's bag
the boss → the boss's office
2
Plural noun ending in -s
plural noun + '
Add only an apostrophe (no extra s) to plural nouns already ending in -s.
the students → the students' essays
the teachers → the teachers' lounge
the dogs → the dogs' leads
irregular plural + 's
Irregular plurals that don't end in -s take apostrophe + s, like singular nouns.
the children → the children's toys
the women → the women's team
the mice → the mice's nest
4
Joint vs. separate ownership
last name + 's / each name + 's
Joint ownership: apostrophe on the last name only. Separate ownership: apostrophe on each.
Joint: Tom and Jane's house (shared)
Separate: Tom's and Jane's cars (each own one)
⚠️ Remember: it's vs. its — it's = "it is" (contraction). its = belonging to it (possessive pronoun — no apostrophe). "It's cold today. The cat licked its paw."
✏️
Parts A & B: Rewrite each phrase using the possessive form with an apostrophe. Part C: Each sentence contains a possessive error. Find it and write the corrected version of the underlined word in the box. Use the Quick Reference above to check which rule applies.