Using Apostrophes Possessive Case To form the possessive

Using Apostrophes

Possessive Case To form the possessive case of most singular nouns, add an apostrophe and an s. n Ex. Tony’s problem; a bus’s wheel, a dollar’s worth, Mr. Ross’s job

Note: n n For a proper name ending in s, add only an apostrophe if the name has two or more syllables and if the addition of ‘s would make the name awkward to pronounce. Ex. West Indies’ export; Texas’ governor, Mrs. Wiggins’ car For a singular common noun ending in s, add both an apostrophe and an s if the added s is pronounced as a separate syllable. Ex: the actress’s costumes, the dress’s sleeves, the class’s teacher

Let’s Try… Form the possessive case of each of the following nouns. After each possessive word, give an appropriate noun. Example: Teresa – Teresa’s pencil 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. baby uncle year cent class Terry Ellen mouse Mr. Chan 10. Mr. Reynolds 11. plane 12. boss 13. child 14. Ms. Sanchez 15. horse 16. Paris 17. system 18. Mr. Jones

Let’s check… 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. baby’s bottle uncle’s house year’s events cent’s worth class’s problem Terry’s friend Ellen’s plans mouse’s cheese Mr. Chan’s daughter 10. Mr. Reynolds’ car 11. plane’s wings 12. boss’s secretary 13. child’s game 14. Ms. Sanchez’s son 15. horse’s mane 16. Paris’s cafes 17. system’s problem

Possessive plurals To form the possessive case of a plural nouns ending in s, add only the apostrophe. n n n two birds’ feathers all three cousins’ vacation the Girl Scouts’ uniforms *If the plural noun doesn’t end in s, add an apostrophe and s. n children’s shoes n women’s belts

Let’s Try… Form the possessive case of each of the following plural nouns. 1. men 2. cats 3. teachers 4. enemies 5. princesses 6. dollars 7. elves 8. cattle 9. mice 10. parents 11. the Smiths 12. sheep 13. wives 14. O’Gradys 15. runners 16. attorneys 17. allies 18. friends 19. women 20. bats

Let’s Check… 1. men’s 2. cats’ 3. teachers’ 4. enemies’ 5. princesses’ 6. dollars’ 7. elves’ 8. cattle’s 9. mice’s 10. parents’ 11. The Smiths’ 12. sheep’s 13. wives; 14. O’Gradys’ 15. runners’ 16. attorneys’ 17. allies’ 18. friends’ 19. women’s 20. bats’

Possessive Notes Continued Generally, in compound words, names of organizations and businesses, and words showing joint possession, only the last word is possessive in form. n n compound words: community board’s meeting Organizations: United Fund’s drive Businesses: Berkeley Milk Company’s trucks Joint Possession: Peggy and Lisa’s tent

When two or more persons possess something individually, each of their names is possessive in form. n n n Example: Mrs. Martin’s and Mrs. Blair’s cars Amy’s and Danielle’s tennis rackets

Contractions Use an apostrophe to show where letters, numerals, or words have been omitted in a contraction. n n n Who is = Who’s 1991 = ’ 91 Of the clock = O’clock Bill is = Bill’s I had = I’d You all = y’all

Don’t be confused~contractions and possessive pronouns are not the same! Who’s at bat? It’s roaring. You’re too busy! There’s a kite. They’re tall trees. Whose bat is that? Listen to its roar. Your friend is busy. That kite is theirs. Their trees are tall.

Plurals To prevent confusion, use an apostrophe and an s to form the plurals of lowercase letters, some capital letters, numerals, symbols, and words that are referred to as words. n n I got A’s on both tests. The 1’s in this exercise look like l’s. Two different Web site addresses began with ##’s and ended with. com’s. His hi’s are always cheerful.