Possessive 's
Add 's to a noun to show ownership or relationship. For plural nouns already ending in -s, add only an apostrophe.
Level A1
Nouns & Determiners
Summary
- Add 's to a noun to show ownership or relationship. For plural nouns already ending in -s, add only an apostrophe.
Structure
noun + 's (singular) | noun + s' (plural)
Examples
- This is Maria's bag.
- The dog's tail is wagging.
- My parents' house is near the river.
- Have you seen Tom's new car?
Common mistakes
- • Writing 'the dog tail' instead of 'the dog's tail'.
- • Adding 's to a plural that already ends in -s, e.g. 'the students's books' instead of 'the students' books'.
More nouns & determiners
Plural and Quantifiers: Some / Any
A1
Use 'some' in positive sentences and offers/requests, and 'any' in negatives and most questions. They work with plural countable nouns and uncountable nouns.
Plural Nouns
A1
Most English nouns add -s to show more than one. Nouns ending in -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, or -x take -es, and a noun ending in consonant + y changes y to -ies.
Countable and Uncountable Nouns
A2
Countable nouns can be counted and have plural forms; uncountable nouns name things we see as a mass and have no plural. The distinction controls which determiners and verbs you can use.
This, That, These, Those
A1
These demonstratives point to things by number and distance. This/these are for things near you; that/those are for things farther away.
There Is and There Are
A1
Use 'there is' and 'there are' to say that something exists or is present. The verb agrees with the noun that follows: singular takes 'is', plural takes 'are'.