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Apostrophe

Showing Possession: Who Owns What?

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PUNCTUATION & SPELLING

The apostrophe of possession shows that something belongs to someone. Ask: "Who owns what? Don't leave the reader guessing!" For a singular owner, add 's. For a plural owner ending in S, add just '. For irregular plurals (plurals that don't end in S), add 's again.

Possessive Apostrophe Words

SPELLING WORDS
Singular Owner
one owner + 's
Hazel's, Clay's, Jordan's, the cat's
Plural (ends in S)
plural ending in S + '
teachers', dogs', cats', babies'
Irregular Plural
plural NOT ending in S + 's
children's, men's, sheep's, deer's

Singular possessives (owner + 's)

cat's dog's bird's king's mom's friend's teacher's player's

Plural possessives (owners + ')

dogs' teachers' cats' flowers'

Irregular plural possessives (+ 's)

children's men's sheep's

Spelling Word List

15 possessive apostrophe words: singular, plural, and irregular.

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The Possessive Apostrophe Rule

HOW IT WORKS
Who Owns What? Ask Before You Apostrophise!
Step 1: Find the owner (the person or thing that possesses something).
Step 2: Is the owner singular or plural?
  • Singular owner (one person/thing): add 's: the cat's tail, Jordan's bag, the dog's bowl.
  • Plural owner ending in S (more than one): add ' after the S: the teachers' staffroom, the dogs' toys, the babies' bottles.
  • Irregular plural owner (plurals that don't end in S): add 's: the children's books, the men's shoes, the sheep's wool.

Common Mistakes

WATCH OUT
Apostrophe traps to avoid
its vs it's

It's (apostrophe) = it is or it has. Its (no apostrophe) = belonging to it (possessive). The dog wagged its tail (possession, no apostrophe). It's raining (it is raining, apostrophe). This is one of the most common spelling errors in English.

plural vs possessive

Never use an apostrophe to make a word plural. apples (plural): no apostrophe. apple's skin (possessive): apostrophe. apple's never means "more than one apple." The apostrophe shows ownership, not quantity.

names ending in S

For names ending in S (like James, Chris), both James's and James' are accepted. Most style guides prefer adding 's for one-syllable names: James's book. For multi-syllable names ending in S (e.g. Jesus'), the apostrophe-only form is more common.

Lyrics

Apostrophe of Possession: Who Owns What?

Are you ready to learn about the apostrophe of possession? Here we go.

CHORUS

Who owns what? Don't leave the reader guessing.
Use an apostrophe to show possession.
Who owns what? Don't leave the reader guessing.
Apostrophe S shows the thing is theirs.

VERSE 1: SINGULAR

One owner: add apostrophe S.
Hazel's bag. Hazel owns the bag.
Clay's pen. Clay owns the pen.
Jordan's book. Jordan owns the book.
Lincoln's hat. Lincoln owns the hat.

CHORUS

Who owns what? Don't leave the reader guessing.
Use an apostrophe to show possession.

VERSE 2: PLURAL ENDING IN S

More than one owner ending in S: apostrophe only.
The teachers' staffroom. The teachers own it.
The dogs' toys. The dogs own them.
The cats' food. The cats own it.
The babies' bottles. The babies own them.

VERSE 3: IRREGULAR PLURALS

Irregular plurals don't end in S: add apostrophe S again.
The children's playground. The children own it.
The sheep's wool. The sheep own it.
The deer's antlers. The deer own them.

CHORUS

Who owns what? Don't leave the reader guessing.
Use an apostrophe to show possession.

Mr. Spelling. Bye-bye.