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What does possessives mean?

Updated: 5/2/2024
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11y ago

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A possessive noun or pronoun is a word indicating that something in the sentence belongs to that noun or pronoun.

A possessive noun is shown by adding an 's to the end of a noun or just an ' after plural nouns already ending in -s. Examples:

  • the car of my mother = my mother's car
  • the teacher of our class = our class's teacher
  • the coats of the children = the children's coats
  • the covers of the books = the books' covers
  • the meeting of the bosses = the bosses' meeting

The possessive is also used as a shorthand for something that does not literally belong to that person or thing, it's used in place of 'of' or 'for'. Examples:

  • The ladies' room does not belong to ladies, it means that it is designated for the use of ladies.
  • A store that sells men's suits doesn't sell suits that belong to some men, it sells suits for men.
  • A book of Shakespeare's plays are not plays that belong to Mr. Shakespeare, they are plays written by him.

Pronouns don't use an apostrophe to show possession. There are two types of pronouns that show possession:

A possessive pronoun takes the place of a noun that belongs to someone or something.

The possessive pronouns are: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs

Example: The house on the corner is ours.

A possessive adjectivedescribes a noun as belonging to someone or something. A possessive adjective is placed just before the noun it describes.

The possessive adjectives are: my, your, his, her, our, their, its.

Example: Our house is on the corner.

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11h ago

Possessives show ownership or relationship between things. They include words like "my," "your," "his," "her," "its," "our," and "their" that indicate an object belongs to someone or something. For example, "This is my book" uses the possessive form "my" to show that the book belongs to the speaker.

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Why is it important to use plurals and possessives correctly?

Using plurals and possessives correctly is important for maintaining clear and accurate communication. Plurals indicate when there is more than one of something, while possessives show ownership or association. Misusing these forms can lead to confusion and misunderstandings in written and spoken language.


Does prepositions usually come before possessives?

No, prepositions generally come before nouns or pronouns, not possessives. However, there are some prepositional phrases that can include a possessive pronoun, such as "of mine" or "of yours." In these cases, the preposition "of" is followed by the possessive pronoun.


What is the difference between the possessives of nouns and the possessives of personal pronouns?

The possessives of nouns show ownership or relationship to something else (example: "John's car"), while the possessives of personal pronouns indicate who something belongs to (example: "his car"). The main difference is that the possessives of nouns use an apostrophe + s, while possessives of personal pronouns have specific forms (like my, your, his, her, its, our, their).


Is Alfonso's grandmother's birthday grammatically correct?

Yes, two possessives in that case would be correct. Alfonso has a grandmother, and the grandmother has a birthday.


What should be applied to possessives?

Possessives are formed by adding an apostrophe and the letter 's to the noun (e.g., the dog's ball). However, if the noun is plural and already ends in s, you just add an apostrophe (e.g., the dogs' ball). In the case of singular nouns ending in s, you can choose to add 's or just an apostrophe (e.g., James's car or James' car).

Related questions

What should be applied to possessives?

Possessives are formed by adding an apostrophe and the letter 's to the noun (e.g., the dog's ball). However, if the noun is plural and already ends in s, you just add an apostrophe (e.g., the dogs' ball). In the case of singular nouns ending in s, you can choose to add 's or just an apostrophe (e.g., James's car or James' car).


What is the Possessive for the pencil of James?

James' pencil---The correct answer is James's pencil.Apostrophe s for singular possessives, s apostrophe for plural possessives.


How do you alphabetize possessives?

sisters sister's sisters'


Why is it important to include plurals and possessives in your writing?

How can you make any sense without plurals and possessives? You have to use the words you need to make yourself understood.


What is the plural possessive of the word possessive?

The plural possessive form is possessives'.The possessives' forms are recognized by the apostrophe -s or the -s apostrophe at the end of the word.


What is the possessives of a committee of friends?

The possessive form is the friends' committee.


What are different kinds of determiners?

article demonstratives possessives quantifiers


What country possessives Easter Island of the coast of south America?

Chile


What is the possessives for the word magic of the hammer?

The possessive form is: the hammer's magic


What actors and actresses appeared in Obsessive Possessives - 2013?

The cast of Obsessive Possessives - 2013 includes: Phillipa Berry as herself Jonathan Caouette William Davies King as himself Brett Milano as himself


What type of pronoun uses an apostrophe to form possessive?

None do. The possessives of pronouns are:mineyourshishersitsourstheirs


What is the singular and plural possessives of dish?

The singular possessive is dish's; the plural possessive is dishes'.