Possessive Noun: Definition, Uses, and Examples
Nikita Aggarwal22 Sept, 2025
What is a Possessive Noun?
What is a Possessive Noun? is a commonly asked question by students when learning this topic in English grammar for the first time. The meaning of possessive noun is easy to understand: it is a noun that tells us that something belongs to someone or is connected to them. For example, in the phrase “Reta’s book,” the word “Reta’s” is a possessive noun because it shows that the book belongs to Reta.
According to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, the definition of possessive nouns means it is the form of a word that expresses belonging. Possessive nouns make it easy to identify relationships and ownership in sentences. In grammar, a possessive noun usually comes before another noun to tell us what is owned.
Read more: Gender in Grammar
Types of Possessive Nouns
There are mainly three types of possessive nouns in English. Each type expresses ownership in a different way. Let's understand them one by one:
1. Singular Possessive Nouns are used when one person or thing owns something. In this, we add an apostrophe (’) and s. For example, Rahul’s bag is new.
2. Plural Possessive Nouns are used when more than one person or thing owns something. If the plural noun ends with "s," we add only an apostrophe. For example, the teachers’ room is upstairs.
3. Irregular Possessive Nouns do not follow the normal rule of adding just an apostrophe or apostrophe + s. They generally come from irregular plural words like children, men, women, mice, or teeth.
Read More: Figures of Speech
Examples of Possessive Nouns
Examples of possessive nouns given here for each type show how possession is expressed in a sentence and make the rules easy to understand:
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Examples of Possessive Nouns |
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Singular Possessive Nouns |
Plural Possessive Nouns |
Irregular Possessive Nouns |
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The boy’s bag (the bag of the boy) |
The boys’ hostel (the hostel of the boys) |
The child’s toy (the toy of the child) |
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The girl’s doll (the doll of the girl) |
The girls’ uniforms (the uniforms of the girls) |
The children’s books (the books of the children) |
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The teacher’s pen (the pen of the teacher) |
The teachers’ room (the room of the teachers) |
The man’s hat (the hat of the man) |
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The dog’s tail (the tail of the dog) |
The dogs’ bones (the bones of the dogs) |
The men’s shoes (the shoes of the men) |
Read More: Direct and Indirect Speech
Rules for Usage of Possessive Nouns in Sentences
Usage of possessive nouns is easy to understand if we follow some simple rules. The following rules help us show ownership properly and avoid confusion while writing sentences in English:
Rule 1: When two or more nouns own the same thing
In sentences where two nouns share one object, the apostrophe is only used in the last noun. For example, Ravi and Sita’s house is near the park.
In sentences where each person owns something different, both nouns must be possessive. For example, Rahul’s and Aman’s bikes are parked outside.
Rule 2: For hyphenated or compound nouns
In sentences with singular nouns, add an apostrophe and s to the last word. For instance, my brother-in-law’s shop is very busy.
While for the sentences having plural nouns ending in s, add only an apostrophe at the end of that word. For example, the teachers’ meeting was very long.
Rule 3: To give special emphasis
Sometimes we use the word "own" with a possessive noun to stress that the thing belongs only to that person. For example, Rita’s own choice surprised everyone.
Rule 4: Avoid Overuse of Possessive Forms
Sometimes we can show possession with "of the" instead of using an apostrophe. For example, instead of the house’s roof, we can write the roof of the house.
Read More: Clauses in English
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