1. UWF Writing Lab Grammar Skills Series #8
Possessives
UWF Writing Lab Grammar Skills Series #8
From Real Good Grammar, Too by Mamie Webb Hixon
PowerPoint Created by Shea Kelly
Last Updated Spring 2017

2. Use ’s (apostrophe + s) . . . To make a noun possessive:
Alex’s laundry
The cat’s meow
Men’s room
My boss’s desk
To make a word used as a word plural:
No if’s, and’s, or but’s about it
Straight A’s

3. Use s’ (s + apostrophe) . . . To make a noun plural AND possessive:
Two cents’ worth
Presidents’ Day
To make SOME proper nouns that end in s possessive (if the extra syllable of ‘s would obstruct the sound):
Pericles’ age
Mr. Phelps’ dissertation

4. Do not use an apostrophe . . .
To make pronouns possessive:
Her/Hers
Their/Theirs
Its
Your/Yours
***Bonus knowledge*** Use possessive pronouns before gerunds (-ing nouns):
I appreciated his looking out.
Also . . .