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What are possessive plurals?

Updated: 9/22/2023
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A plural noun is a word for two or more people, places, or thing. Plural possessives are plural nouns that indicate ownership or possession, and origin or purpose.

Possessives are formed by adding an apostrophe s ('s) to the end of singular nouns.

Plural possessives are formed by adding an apostrophe (') to the end of a plural noun that already ends with an s, or an apostrophe s ('s) to the end of plural nouns that do not end with an s. Examples:

Plural possessive nouns indicating ownership or possession.

the covers of the books = the books' covers

the books of classes = the classes' books

the dog of the Howards = the Howards' dog

the houses of the neighbors = the neighbors' houses

Plural possessive nouns indicating origin or purpose.

children's shoes; not shoes belonging to children, shoes intended for children

the ladies' room; the room isn't owned by a group of women, it's a room intended for their use

the countries' summit; a meeting initiated by a number of countries

the astronauts' mission; the job of the astronauts

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A possessive plural is a plural noun that show something belongs to it.

To change a singular possessive noun to a plural possessive noun, first you must change the noun from a singular noun to a plural noun. The reason for this is that plural nouns can take different forms which will determine how the plural possessive is formed. Examples:


A plural noun that ends with the letters, just add anapostropheafter the endings(s').

  • singular noun, boy; plural noun, boys; plural possessiveboys'(the boys' coach)

An irregular plural noun that does not end with s, add anapostrophes('s) to the end of the word.

  • singular noun, child; plural noun, children; plural possessivechildren's(the children's desks)
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Q: What are possessive plurals?
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What is the Plural proper noun possessive on names ending with ES?

The possessive of all English plurals ending in -s is formed by adding an apostrophe after the final s: the Joneses' house. (Do not mistake singulars that end in -s, like Jones or Charles for plurals).


What does an apostrophe at the end of a word symbolize?

Final apostrophe indicates a plural possessive. It is only used to form the possessive of plural nouns ending in -s. Do not use a final apostrophe for the possessive of a singular noun ending in -s: it is for plurals only.


What makes possessive noun singular or plural?

Only a plural possessive can be identified solely by its ending: a final apostrophe means it is plural. There are two endings that are the sign the possessive case in English nouns. One is for all singulars and one or two plurals, the other is for plurals only. All English singular possessives are formed by adding 's: the girl's hat, the boss's office, Socrates's wife. (Some plural possessives are also formed this way, if they do not normally end in s: the children's room, women's shoes, the bacteria's mutation.) All English plural nouns ending in s form the possessive by adding the apostrophe alone: Workers' benefits, States' Rights. Only plural nouns ending in s do this.


What is the grammar rule for use-'s?

For the possessive: In English all singular possessives are formed by adding -'s, regardless of spelling. Jane's husband was in Russ's house. Plurals already ending in -s add the apostrophe only: The Apostles' Creed. Plurals not ending is -s add -'s: Children's, women's etc In contractions, -'s may stand informally for is or has. It's mine; He's done it.


What is the difference between the possessives of nouns and the possessives of personal pronouns?

Possessive nouns are formed by adding -'s for singular possessives and plurals not ending in -s, and -' for the possessive of plurals that end in -s .Example singular possessive nouns:the cover of the book = the book's coverthe teacher of our class = our class's teacherthe coat of the child = the child's coatthe shoes of the man = the man's shoesthe house of my neighbor = my neighbor's houseExample plural possessive nouns:the covers of the books = the books' coversthe assembly of classes = the classes' assemblythe coats of the children = the children's coatsshoes for men = men'sshoesthe houses of the neighbors - the neighbors' housesPossessive pronouns never have an apostrophe. There are two types of possessive pronouns:Possessive pronouns take the place of a noun that belongs to someone or something.They are: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs.Example:The chicken is yours and the tuna is mine.Possessive adjectives describe a noun as belonging to someone or something. A possessive adjective is placed just before the noun it describes.They are: my, your, his, her, their, its.Example: How is yourchicken? My tuna is delicious.

Related questions

What is the plural possessive way to write the word city?

The sign of the possessive of all English plurals ending in s is a final apostrophe: cities'


What is the Plural proper noun possessive on names ending with ES?

The possessive of all English plurals ending in -s is formed by adding an apostrophe after the final s: the Joneses' house. (Do not mistake singulars that end in -s, like Jones or Charles for plurals).


What are the two major factors that usually make two or more words confusing?

plurals and possessive


The possessive of a plural noun ending in s is formed by adding?

You form the possessive of plurals ending in "s" by adding an apostrophe: the computers' network connections, the rabbits' ears.


What does an apostrophe at the end of a word symbolize?

Final apostrophe indicates a plural possessive. It is only used to form the possessive of plural nouns ending in -s. Do not use a final apostrophe for the possessive of a singular noun ending in -s: it is for plurals only.


If a word already has an apostrophe how do you make it plural?

Apostrophes are not used to form plurals. For example, the plural of dog is dogs, not dog's. Dog's is a possessive noun.


When should bachelor be punctuated in a plural form?

You only punctuate the plural (with an apostrophe) if it is a possessive. Apostrophes are only rarely used to form plurals. The plural form for the noun bachelor is bachelors. The possessive form for the noun bachelor is bachelor's. The plural possessive form for the plural noun bachelors is bachelors'.


Correct grammar for proper names that end in s?

When a proper name ends in "s," you show possession by adding an apostrophe after the "s." For example, "The house belonging to Mrs. Jones." If the name is plural and ends in "s," you can either add an apostrophe after the "s" or just use an apostrophe at the end without adding another "s." For example, "The cars of the Joness" or "The Joness' cars."


Why do some plural words have to have the apostrophe at the end?

The possessive of PLURAL nouns ending in -s is formed by adding a final apostrophe: girls'. Plurals that do not end in -s form the possessive by adding -'s: women's Because the already end in the letter "s" such as octopus


What is the plural possessive for actresses?

actresses (One actress, two actresses)The plural for the word actress is actresses.


When do you use s's or s'?

If the word you are making into a possessive ends in s because it is a plural, then you add an apostrophe after the s to make it possessive. In all other cases, including words which end in s for any reason other that because they are plurals, you add an apostrophe and the s.


Is roses' plural or plural possessive?

Roses' with an apostrophe is plural possessive. Roses is just the plural. Plurals, when written correctly, do not have an apostrophe. Adding an apostrophe makes the plural possessive.An example of roses' is use would be The roses' water in the vase needs to be topped up.