Possessives

Test it, Fix it. English grammar - Kenna Bourke 2003

Possessives

Test it

1 Choose the best sentence in each pair.

a This is my brother's wife.

b This is the wife of my brother.

c The government should listen to the peoples' problems.

d The government should listen to the people's problems.

e What's the babies' name?

f What’s the baby's name?

g The roof of the house needs to be mended.

h The house's roof needs to be mended.

i Isn’t that the mother of Sylvia?

j Isn’t that Sylvia's mother?

к Johns' leg is broken.

I John's leg is broken.

m Buster is Steve's and Liz’s dog.

n Buster is Steve and Liz's dog.

о Frances writes children's books.

p Frances writes childrens' books.

q I love the Italian's passion for good food.

r I love the Italians' passion for good food.

s Lady’s clothes are on the second floor.

t Ladies' clothes are on the second floor.

2 Choose the best option, A or В

a There is something wrong with ... .

A the ear of the rabbit

В the rabbit's ear

b I can't wear that! It's ... a jacket!

A girls'

В girl's

c ... and Janet's son is working in Canada for a year.

A Charles

В Charles's

d Don't put your fingers in the ... cage! They'll bite you.

A monkeys'

В monkey's

e What was ... we watched last night?

A the name of the film

В the film's name

Test it again

1 Write possessive forms.

a Jim and Jane/dog ...

b the boys/books ...

c the people/choice ...

d Helen/house ...

e the cupboard/door ...

f my friends/problems ...

g her parents/car ...

h the men/department ...

i the puppies/basket ...

j bookcase/shelf ...

2 Find and correct the mistakes in the story.

The thieves broke into number 42

Acacia Avenue at the day’s end. The

house’s alarm system wasn't working,

unfortunately, so they managed to

spend a long time inside. They stole

Julie’s grandfathers' gold watch and

her parent’s collection of valuable

paintings. They smashed a window at

the house’s front to get into the

building and escaped by breaking

down the back door. Julies’ children

were very upset and frightened when

they returned home from school.

Fix it

Answers to Test it

Check your answers. Wrong answer?

Read the right Fix it note to find out why.F

1 The best sentences are:

a → D i → A

d → C n → F

f → A o → C

g → E r → B

j → D t → B

2 a B → D

b B → A

c A → F

d A → B

e A → E

Now go to page 63. Test yourself again.

Answers to Test it again

1 a Jim and Jane’s dog

 b the boys’ books

 c the people’s choice

 d Helen’s house

 e the door of the cupboard

 f my friends’ problems

 g her parent’s car

 h the men’s department

 i the puppies’ basket

 j the shelf of the bookcase

Fix it notes

A

Add 's (apostrophe + s) to singular nouns to make the possessive form.

В

Add '(apostrophe) to plural nouns to make the possessive form.

C

Add's (apostrophe + s) to irregular plurals to make the possessive form.

D

Use 's (apostrophe + s) to make the possessive form with a person or an animal.

E

Use of + the to make the possessive form with something that isn't a person or an animal, e.g. the roof of the house.

F

Only put 's (apostrophe + s) after the second noun in a pair of nouns, e.g.

Steve and Liz's dog.

Review

Possessives

• You add's (apostrophe + s) to singular nouns to make the possessive form.

John's friends (the friends John's got)

the dog's bone (the bone the dog's got)

• You add '(apostrophe) to plural nouns to make the possessive form.

the boys' bikes

the girls’ school

the kids' uniforms

my friends' problems

my parents' house

• You add's (apostrophe + s) to irregular plurals to make the possessive form.

children's stories

men's hobbies

women's interest

people's fears

• You use’s (apostrophe + s) to make the possessive form when you're talking about something that belongs to a person or an animal.

• You use of + the to make the possessive form with other nouns.

• You only use's once, even if there is more than one noun. You don't put's after both nouns.