Basics for Communicating Clearly
by Linda Shacklock
Possessive Singular Nouns
No matter which letter ends a singular noun, add apostrophe plus s to make the noun possessive.one book's cover
one bus's driver
one child's jacket
one company's logo
one glass's rim
Mr. Jones's car
one man's basketball
Phoenix's mayor
Possessive Plural Nouns
For a plural noun that does not end in s, add apostrophe plus s to make the noun possessive.two children's jackets
the men's basketball team
For a plural noun that ends in s, add just an apostrophe to make the noun possessive.
several books' covers
many buses' new paint
the companies' logos
the glasses' colors
the Joneses' house
Collected "Grammar Central" topics: Click here.
Questions or idea for a column? E-mail Linda Shacklock.
May 2006
