You might think that because the people define the entities (there would be no governments or companies without their employees) that the entities should be used with plural verbs and pronouns. The possessive form is used with nouns referring to people, groups of people, countries, and animals. Thus, the possessive form should be written: The Emperor's clothes. Also, by tradition we write: for appearance’ (righteousness’, etc.) Plurals. Add the apostrophe and then the "s" to the end of compound words. The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS). Also consider, “Our office goes out to lunch every Tuesday.” It would not be correct to say, “Our office hold an annual party” or “Our office go out to lunch every Tuesday.” Here, “hold” and “go” (plural forms of the verbs “to hold” and “to go”, respectively) do not “match” the singular noun “our office”. The possessive can also express where someone works, studies or spends time. punctuation apostrophe acronyms initialisms. The possessive form is used with nouns referring to people, groups of people, countries, and animals. For example, "The company found its niche market." They must match the noun they modify in both gender and number in all forms. But watch out! I had to look this up the first time someone asked.For many years, before I became Grammar Girl and had to answer people's questions, I simply rewrote sentences to avoid having to figure this one … — Chicago Manual of Style 7.24-6 and MLA 3.2.7d. Because a government may have many employees, ministers, etc., but it is seen as containing these people. "This book helps you understand what entity possession is, the various forms it takes . (= exclamation of exasperation). It shows a relationship of belonging between one thing and another. Names are pluralized like regular words. The modern spelling convention distinguishes possessive singular forms (Bernadette's, flower's, glass's, one's) from simple plural forms (Bernadettes, flowers, glasses, ones), and both of those from possessive plural forms (Bernadettes', flowers', glasses', ones'). Because a government may have many employees, ministers, etc., but it is seen as containing these people. See more. To submit questions and requests for approval to use the marks, please complete the branding and use of name request form. Usually, almost always in fact, we use the possessive form of a noun or pronoun to modify a gerund. companies, governments) that contain a lot of people. 'Belonging to' or 'ownership' is the most common relationship the possessive expresses. Closely linked nouns are considered a single unit in forming the possessive when the entity "possessed" is the same for both; only the second element takes the possessive form. The possessive form looks like this: • The dog belonging to the boy shed hair on the floor. Possessive forms show ownership in the English language. Huddleston and Pullum's book is about English grammar. Don’t Slip up with Possessive Pronouns. To form the possessive, add apostrophe + s to the noun. the Smiths's house (or the Smiths' house), America has some gold reserves. It shows a relationship of belonging between one thing and another. 5. But a simpler, more common and concise way, is to change the noun that does the possessing: • The boy’s dog shed hair on the floor. There is no plural possessive for "its." Add -es for names ending in "s" or "z" and add -s for everything else. The possessive form is used with nouns referring to people, groups of people, countries, and animals. Forming the possessive. Share. The keys of Mike (The keys belong to Mike.) How to use possessive in a sentence. (“Holds” is the same form of “to hold” that would be used with the singular pronouns “he”, “she”, or “it”.) Contact a customer support specialist at 1-206-494-5992. Two or More Possessors. The same reflexive forms also are used as intensive pronouns (for example, She made the dress herself). Find it. Form the possessives of biblical terms ending in ‑s by adding an apostrophe: Jesus’ disciples; Moses’ followers. The possessive form is used with nouns referring to people, groups of people, countries, and animals. The name as a whole should be handled as a singular entity, because the company is, in fact, a single, legal entity. While individual members of a group may wear uniforms, the group itself (which is abstract and unable to put on clothes) cannot. The possessive can express a relationship between people. . For example, there is an Australian Workers' Union and Australian Manufacturing Workers Union. “The government” is an entity (a “thing”) that requires singular verb forms and singular possessive pronouns. Possessive is commonly used here. worker) that have standard pluralization (workers), there is more variation. What to Know. Possessive pronouns show that something belongs to someone. The singular, plural, or possessive form of a word. The shoes of the man (The man owns the shoes.) Long-form possessive adjectives are used to emphasize the owner of something, to contrast one owner with another, or to emphasize a personal relationship. To form the possessive, add apostrophe + s to the noun. . To form the possessive, add apostrophe + s to the noun. Why not plural verbs or pronouns? [and] how you can release these entities." A possessive form (abbreviated POSS; from Latin: possessivus; Ancient Greek: κτητικός / ktētikós - en. If the possessive involves a … Click HERE for further information about using the possessive form with gerunds. Also, by tradition we write: for appearance’ (righteousness’, etc.) The mismatch holds, even though “our office” consists of multiple people. Today we're going to decide whether companies are people or things; in other words, whether you use the relative pronoun who or that when referring to an entity like a company or board of directors. Form the possessives of biblical terms ending in ‑s by adding an apostrophe: Jesus’ disciples; Moses’ followers. For details see English possessive. Since that night nothing of such prominence has happened in our house that would warrant extreme worry. (same book) Jack and Jill's house is nearby. Apostrophes are used to form the plurals of letters: Accommodation has two c’s and two … It shows a relationship of belonging between one thing and another. If a word ends in -s, -ch, or -z, how do you make it plural? If the noun is plural, or already ends in s, just add an apostrophe after the s. For names ending in s, you can either add an apostrophe + s, or just an apostrophe. Examples include “the duck’s quack,” “the girl’s doll,” and “the man’s son.” This can be tricky, especially when the nouns in question refer to entities (e.g. ktetic) is a word or grammatical construction used to indicate a relationship of possession in a broad sense. Add the letter "s" to the pronoun "it" to form the singular possessive. Such people, in essence, “belong” to their governments, much as athletes “belong” to sports teams. It is a very broad generalisation, and there are lots of excep­tions. This can include strict ownership, or a number of other types of relation to a greater or lesser degree analogous to it.. Let’s take a look at some of the various approaches for this possessive. The possessive is also used to refer to shops, restaurants, churches and colleges, using the name or job title of the owner. Add -es for names ending in "s" or "z" and add -s for everything else. Write it. sake. All rights reserved. The first option is more common. You might think that because the people define the entities (there would be no governments or companies without their employees) that the entities … Possessive definition, jealously opposed to the personal independence of, or to any influence other than one's own upon, a child, spouse, etc. If the noun is plural, or already ends in s, just add an apostrophe after the s. Two or More Possessors. When indicating the possessive, if there is more than one owner add an apostrophe to the plural; if there is one owner, add 's to the singular (The Smiths' car vs. Smith's car). Countries, and animals adjectives, but not in the second must match the noun is plural, already... One thing and another thus, the possessive form of name-calling, rudeness, sarcasm critical. 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