How and when do we use the Possessive Forms?
Possessive forms are used in order to show a relationship between nouns. In most cases, ownership is expressed. The advantage of using this grammatical form is that it is shorter than other alternatives. For example, instead of saying the car which belongs to my uncle
you can quickly say my uncle's car
.
The form which was just used, is called the s-Genitive
. However, there is another possessive form called the of-phrase
. Now we will break down the main differences between them.
We use it if we want to know to whom something belongs.
This includes people and animals.
The noun we refer to is always placed after the referring one. We add either an 's
or '
to the referring noun and place the other one behind it.
Example: Steve's car
Below, you can see the rules in detail.
We use it if we want to know to what something belongs.
This includes inanimate objects.
The noun we refer to is always placed before the referring one. Between them, we place an of
.
Example: the colour of the hat
How to use the s-Genitive
How to use the of-Phrase
owner + s-Genitive + owned item
of-phrase = owned item + of + owner
kind of noun | addition | example |
|---|---|---|
singular | 's | my mother's friend |
name ending with | '/'s | Max' sister James's pen |
plural ending with "s | ' | the students' homework |
plural not ending with | 's | the children's book |
Example:
the end of the film
