Lesson 7. Possessive forms of nouns
Read a text
Who’s what?
Tom’s cat is very playful. It loves to play with Tom’s sister’s toys. One day, the cat found a ball in the students’ playground. The students’ ball was very colorful.
Explanation and Rules
Possessive forms of nouns show ownership or belonging. They are formed by adding an apostrophe ' and sometimes an s to the end of the noun.
| singular | plural |
|---|---|
If the noun is singular or it doesn’t end in s, we add 's. For example: | If the noun is plural and ends in s, we just add an apostrophe '. For example: |
| Tom’s cat, the dog’s tail. | the students’ ball, the teachers’ room. |
Practical Exercises
Look at the following examples. What would you write in the gaps?
- Add the correct possessive form to the nouns:
- The (dog) ________ tail is wagging.
- The (girl) ________ dress is red.
- The (boys) ________ bikes are new.
- The (teachers) ________ meeting is tomorrow.
- Write sentences using each of the possessive forms you learned.
The right answers: 1) the dog’s, 2) the girl’s, 3) the boy’s, 4) the teachers’.
Remember, practice makes perfect! Keep practicing these exercises and you’ll master possessive forms of nouns in no time! 😊
Here are some more examples:
Possessive forms with Singular nouns VS. Possessive forms with Plural nouns:
Remember, for singular nouns we add 's (dog’s, Tom’s), and for plural nouns that end in s, we just add an apostrophe (dogs’, students’). 😊
Your turn!
What are singular and what are plural possessive forms?
Match the nouns with the possessive forms.
Speak out!
Look around yourself. What things can you see? Imagine they belong to your friends and family. Make sentences like this: This is my brother’s pen. These are Masha’s books. This is my schoolmates’ teacher. These are my parents’ cars.
You can use the following words: her sister, his grandparents, our teacher, their brothers, etc; armchair, classroom, notebooks, pencil case, etc. These boxes below can help you with the ideas: look at the picture and what the word under it. The pictures are the things that belong to the people. You can say: This picture is my brother’s. These flowers are her mother’s.
Review what you have learnt today
Complete the following three exercises and see if you remember the rules.