The most basic way to show possession is to add an -'s to a noun: noun + 's.
If someone's name ends in an 's', you can either add a -'s' or leave out the extra 's':
- "Charles' dog" or "Charles's dog" (Both are correct)
Typical plural nouns end in 's' (boys, girls, dogs, etc.). To say that something belongs to more than one person or thing, simply add an apostrophe:
- The dogs that belong to the boys = the boys' dogs
If you want to focus on the thing instead of the owner, you can say the object first:
- This is Fido's house. → This house is Fido's.
This house is Fido's. (the focus is on the house, not Fido)
- This is Sally's dog. → This dog is Sally's.
This dog is Sally's. (= the focus is on the dog, not Sally)
Possessive adjectives are adjectives that tell us whom something belongs to.
Instead of repeating the owners' names, we can use possessive adjectives, such as 'his' and 'her':
- Sally and Sally's dog. → Sally and her dog.
- Charles and Charles' dog. → Charles and his dog.
- I → my
- you → your
- he → his
- she → her
- it → its
- we → our
- they → their
Pronouns replace nouns (names of people, places, and things). Possessive pronouns replace the names of owners.
- This dog is Sally's. → This dog is hers.
- This dog is Charles's. → This dog is his.
We replaced "Sally's" and "Charles's" with 'hers' and 'his'. Unlike possessive adjectives, possessive pronouns are not followed by a noun.
- my → mine
- your → yours
- his → his
- her → hers
- our → ours
- their → theirs
Most possessive pronouns are simply the possessive adjectives with an 's' added.
