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Possessive 's in English: How to Show Who Owns What (Mary's Car)
The possessive 's shows who owns something: it attaches to the owner, not the thing owned.
Written by Bryan López, Profesor de inglés · Updated
The possessive 's is added to a noun or name to show who something belongs to: Mary's car. The apostrophe and s go right after the owner, not after the object.
When to use 's and when just '
The owner comes first
The owner goes first, followed by 's, and the object comes last: "Maria's car." You could technically say "the car of Maria," but it sounds overly formal and is rarely used in everyday speech.
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Practice the possessive 's with real audio
Interactive exercises, real pronunciation, and the full lesson taught in English.
Plural vs. possessive: they look almost the same but mean different things
"The dogs" (more than one dog) is not the same as "the dog's" (belonging to one dog) or "the dogs'" (belonging to more than one dog). All three sound almost identical when spoken, but they mean completely different things in writing, so the apostrophe placement matters a lot.
Does 's always mean possession?
No. 's can also be the contraction of "is" or "has": "She's happy" (she is), "She's finished" (she has). To tell them apart, check what comes after: a noun means possessive ("Anna's book"), an adjective or verb means contraction ("Anna's tired," "Anna's left").
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Frequently asked questions
How do you use the possessive 's in English?
You add it right after the owner to show possession: Mary's car, the cat's food.
How do you make a name ending in s possessive, like James or Chris?
You add 's just like with any other name: James's book, Chris's phone. You'll also see James' without the extra s, but the full 's form is the more common style today.
What's the difference between plural and possessive with an apostrophe?
"The dogs" is plural (more than one dog). "The dog's" is singular possessive (belonging to one dog). "The dogs'" is plural possessive (belonging to more than one dog). The apostrophe placement changes the meaning completely.
How do you make a plural noun ending in s possessive?
You just add the apostrophe, no extra s: "the students' books," "my parents' house."
Does 's always mean possession?
No, it can also be the contraction of "is" or "has": "She's happy" (she is), "She's left" (she has). If a noun follows, it's possessive; if an adjective or verb follows, it's a contraction.
How do you say "Maria's car" if you're translating from a language that says it the other way around?
The owner goes first, followed by 's, and the object comes last: "Maria's car," not "the car of Maria."
Practice the possessive 's with real audio
Interactive exercises, real pronunciation, and the full lesson taught in English.