
This means the houses are all owned by Joe and Jane together, and they are all blue. For example: Joe and Jane’s houses are blue. If the two nouns are acting together as one unit, the apostrophe goes with the last noun, but if the two nouns are acting separately, there needs to be an apostrophe with each noun. Where the apostrophe is can change the meaning. This is used for both the singular and plural, and the meaning is determined by the context.Ĭompound possessive nouns can be used one of two ways. Sheep is both plural and singular, but it does not change its form when it is a possessive plural. There are exceptions to this rule, however, such as sheep. In this example, although fish can be both singular and plural, the –es’ is used to show that it is a plural possessive. Also, it is important to note that when a noun does not change its form to be made plural, an –s’ or –es’ is used when it becomes possessive. In this example, the plural of child is children. The irregular plural form is used with an –‘s. When a noun has an irregular plural, it uses a form similar to a singular noun. Some plural nouns do not follow the basic rule when made possessive. The first sentence uses the singular form of the verb, dog, and the second sentence uses the plural form of the noun, dogs. For example: The dog’s house was in the yard. The basic possessive form of a noun is made by adding –‘s if the word is singular, or –s’ if the word is plural. There are also some exceptions and other things to keep in mind when making a noun possessive.Ī possessive noun shows ownership, or that something belongs to the noun. However, the difference between putting the apostrophe before the -s or after the -s changes the meaning and usage of the word. What is the difference between -‘s and -s’? Both forms are used when making words possessive.
