Possessive.The in ected form of a noun or pronoun that indicates possession or ownership of something is called the possessive This is my house and Spot’s playground My and Spots are in the possessive (case). See inflection. Pronouns form possessives in special ways. Indefinitepronouns follow the rules below, adding sin most cases. Personal pronouns have unique possessive forms. Seethe entries for individual pronouns for more details. Most singular nouns add an apostrophe (’) and s to form a possessive The bird’s beak is long In the plural, nouns that end ins add only an apostrophe The birds’ beaks are long Plural nouns or collective nouns that do not end ins add both the apostrophe and s The children’s outing was Tuesday Singular nouns or names that end ins also add apostrophe and s to form the possessive “Sophocles’s plays were of little interest in Jesus’s time Some styles form possessives for important or traditional names that end ins with just an apostrophe. Unless you are compelled to follow such a style, add “s.” When more than two things or people possess something, you need to determine whether each one has an equal and separate share or whether the ownership is combined or joint. In the rst instance, show individual ownership by more than one person or thing by making each word possessive “Joan’s and John’s book is spellbinding For the latter instance, show joint or combined ownership by making only the last person or thing possessive Nixon and Agnew’s morals were suspect.” If you are unsure how shared or distinct contributions to or ownership of something is, then it is probably better to assume separate possessives will be more accurate and not o end anyone by slighting his or her role. This is particularly true for husbands and wives, male-female teams, and parent-child ownerships. It is considered o ensive to subsume the wife’s, females, or child’s role or ownership
under that of the male or elder by putting only one name into the possessive. Be quite sure of your facts if you do write something like Mr. and Mrs. Smith’s business It might well turnout that the Smiths would have preferred to see “Jane Smith’s and John Smith’s business which gives them equal billing. See sexist language.
