Noun + 's shows who something belongs to, and ' alone follows a plural in -s. The owner comes first and the thing after it takes no article: Ana's car, my parents' house, the children's room.
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CheatsheetA1
Point
Rule
Example
Singular noun
+ 's
Ana's car
Plural in -s
+ '
my parents' house
Irregular plural
+ 's
the children's room
Two owners
's on the last name
Tom and Ana's flat
's or of
's for people and animals, of for things
the end of the film
Without the noun
someone's home or shop
at the doctor's
Word order
owner first, thing after, no article
my sister's phone
Trap
Whose asks about the owner; Who's means who is
Whose bag? ≠ Who's there?
Form: 's and 'A1
Owner
Add
Example
singular noun
's
Ana's car
plural ending in -s
'
my parents' house
irregular plural: children, men, women, people
's
the children's room
name ending in -s
's / '
James's / James' bike
two owners of one thing
's on the last name
Tom and Ana's flat
The owner comes first, then the thing: my sister's phone.
The thing after 's takes no article: Ana's car.
's also shortens is and has: Ana's tired = Ana is tired.
Pronunciation: 'sA1
Sound
Example
/s/
Mark's /mɑːks/
/z/
Ana's /ˈænəz/
/ɪz/
James's /ˈdʒeɪmzɪz/
's follows the sound rules of the plural -s. See Plurals.
' after a plural -s adds no sound: parents' /ˈpeərənts/.
UseA1
Use
Example
People
my brother's job
Animals
the dog's bed
Someone's home or shop, without the noun
at my mum's / at the doctor's
Answer to Whose…?
Whose bag is this? — It's Ana's.
Ask about the owner with Whose + noun: Whose bag is this?