Plural vs Possessive in Nouns
Distinguish between the plural -s suffix and the possessive -'s suffix in nouns
What a learner can do afterwards
- Sort words like 'dogs', 'dog's', and 'dogs'' into plural, singular possessive, and plural possessive categories
- Explain why 'the cats bowl' is incorrect and supply the correct form ('the cat's bowl' or 'the cats' bowl') for a given meaning
- Write two sentences using the same noun: one as a plural and one as a possessive
1 · Read
You already know that adding -s can make a noun plural, and that an apostrophe plus s can show a noun owns something. Now look closely: dogs, dog's, and dogs' look almost the same, but they mean different things. Today you'll learn to read the apostrophe and tell them apart so you know who owns what.
Ben has one cat. The cat's water bowl is empty because he forgot to fill it. Nora has three cats. The cats' water bowls are all full. Notice that cats by itself, with no apostrophe, would only mean more than one cat, nothing about bowls at all.
Some plurals do not end in s at all, like children, men, women, mice, and feet. For these, the apostrophe works like it does for one owner: add apostrophe plus s. The drawings of the children become the children's drawings, and the boots of the men become the men's boots.
Ask yourself one question: does this word own something, or is it just naming more than one? If nothing is owned, leave off the apostrophe. If one owner has it, put the apostrophe before the s. If many owners have it, put the apostrophe after the s.
dogs is just plural, dog's belongs to one owner, and dogs' belongs to many owners, so the apostrophe's position tells you who owns what.
More to read
Possessive nouns
A possessive noun shows that something belongs to someone or something. Instead of saying "the book that belongs to Sarah," you can say "Sarah's book."
To make a singular noun possessive, add an apostrophe and the letter s. This works even if the word already ends in s.
- the bow tie belonging to the hamster becomes the hamster's bow tie - the pencil belonging to the teacher becomes the teacher's pencil
To make a plural noun that already ends in s possessive, just add an apostrophe after the s.
- the collars of the dogs becomes the dogs' collars
So a plural like "dogs" means more than one dog, but "dog's" means something belongs to one dog, and "dogs'" means something belongs to more than one dog. The little apostrophe does a big job!
Apostrophes
Apostrophes (') are used for two main jobs.
First, they form contractions. A contraction is made by taking letters out of words and putting an apostrophe in their place. "Do not" becomes "don't," and "it is" becomes "it's."
Second, they form possessive nouns. A possessive noun shows that something belongs to someone or something. Instead of "the book that belongs to Sarah," you can say "Sarah's book."
A plural noun like "cats" just means more than one cat, with no apostrophe. The word "cat's" with an apostrophe means something belongs to one cat. If you only mean more than one, leave the apostrophe out.
Plurals and possessives
Plurals are words that mean more than one thing, like "bees" or "dogs." Possessives are words that show something belongs to someone or something, like "the bee's wings."
Plurals and possessives are made in similar ways, and that can mix people up. The big question is: do you need an apostrophe or not?
If you only mean more than one of something, add s with no apostrophe: "two cats." If something belongs to one thing, add an apostrophe and s: "the cat's bowl." If something belongs to more than one thing and the plural already ends in s, add just an apostrophe: "the cats' bowl."
Watch out for mistakes like "the importance of bee's" when you just mean more than one bee. That should be "bees," with no apostrophe at all.
Regular and irregular plural nouns
A plural noun shows there is more than one of something. When you have one clown, "clown" is singular. When you have 19 clowns, you need the plural, "clowns."
Regular plural nouns follow easy rules. Most of the time you just add s: "button" becomes "buttons," and "dog" becomes "dogs." Some words need es, like "box" becoming "boxes."
Irregular plural nouns do not follow the rules. "Child" becomes "children," and "mouse" becomes "mice."
Remember, making a noun plural never uses an apostrophe. "Dogs" means more than one dog. The apostrophe is saved for showing that something belongs to someone, like "the dog's bone."
Introduction to singular and plural nouns
A singular noun names one thing. A plural noun names more than one thing.
"Button" is singular because it means one button. "Buttons" is plural because it means more than one. Most English nouns become plural when you add an s to the end.
Keep this in mind: the plural s never needs an apostrophe. If you write "I have two dog's," the apostrophe makes it look like the dogs own something. Just write "I have two dogs." Save the apostrophe for showing ownership, like "the dog's collar."
2 · Watch
به انگلیسیTake it off screen
Where it sits
This opens up
Nothing builds on it yet.
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
24 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.