A1-A2 Grammar - Possessive ’s

POSSESSIVE ’S

Do you know how to use possessive ’s? Test what you know with some exercises and read the explanation to help you.

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Look at these examples to see how we use possessive ’s.

• Mohammed is my brother’s son.
• My grandpa’s beard is white.
• This is my grandparents’ house.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Grammar test 1

Use ’s, s’ or s to fill the gaps.

1. Uncle David is my dad______brother.

2. Martina______hair is brown.

3. Those are my two colleague______desks.

4. These are Natasha’s shoe______.

5. Sara’s parent______house is in Sydney. They live near the beach.

6. Can you give me Aiden______phone number, please?

7. We have tickets for the men______final of the tennis competition.

8. That’s Mathias______sister. Her name is Emilia.

Read the explanation to learn more.

We can use possessive ’s to talk about the relationship between people or to say who owns something. Possessive ’s always comes after a noun or a name.

We often use possessive ’s or s’ (’) when we talk about family and friends.

• Grandma and Grandpa are my mum’s parents.
• Maria’s best friend is Juanita.
• My cousins’ birthdays are both in January.

We can also use it to say that something belongs to someone.

• That’s Roberto’s flat. He’s got a flat in the city centre.
• Kim’s hair is very long. She’s got long, black hair.
• My parents’ garden is beautiful. They grow a lot of flowers.

When it is one person who owns something, we usually use ’s.

• Our friend’s car is red. She loves it.
• Simon’s phone is new. He bought it yesterday.
• Can you see Amira’s keys? She can’t find them.

It is possible to use more than one possessive in a phrase.

• We had lunch at my friend’s father’s house.

If a name or noun ends in s, we can add either ’ or ’s. The pronunciation can be /zɪz/ or /sɪz/.

• Is that James’ bag?
• That’s my boss’s office.

If the thing belongs to more than one person, we usually add ’ after the s of the plural noun.

• Our friends’ house is in the mountains. They moved there last year.
• My grandparents’ dog is called Bertie.
• The twins’ school is closed today.

If the plural noun is irregular and doesn’t end in s, we add ’s.

• This is our children’s school.
• The women’s clothes are on the second floor.
• A lot of people’s eyes are brown.

If something belongs to more than one person, and we give a list of names, the ’s comes after the last name in the list.

• Liam is Anne and Gary’s son.

Remember that s at the end of a word without an apostrophe (’) can make it plural, but this doesn’t show possession.

• I’ve got two brothers.
• Are those your keys?

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Grammar test 2

Use ’s, s’ or s to fill the gaps.

1. Fatema is Ahmad______cousin.

2. Our friend______flat is very big. They have five bedrooms!

3. We’ve got two dog______. One is black and the other one is brown.

4. Bruno______eyes are blue.

5. That’s Julia and Miguel______house.

6. My grandparent______car is really old. They bought it years ago!

7. That’s Mrs. Jones______classroom. She’s our English teacher.

8. I really enjoy watching women______football.

CLICK HERE to download the lesson above, including the answers of the exercises.

Adapted from: https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/a1-a2-grammar/possessive-s. Accessed on November 4 2024. © 2024 British Council. The United Kingdom’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. All rights reserved.