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.
