Apostrophe s: showing ownership — Foreign languages, 7–10
Learn how to show that one person or animal owns or is linked to something. Foreign languages, 7–10 years.
One name can point to its thing
Put ’s after a person’s or animal’s name to show a close link or ownership: “Mia’s coat” means the coat connected with Mia. The ’s sounds like a small bridge between the owner and the thing. The thing itself still comes after it.
Why put the owner first?
People often need to tell whose key, bag or drawing they mean. English puts the owner first, then the object, so the listener can connect them quickly: “Leo’s bike.” This is shorter than saying “the bike of Leo”, which is not the usual choice for people.
Make “the cat has a bowl” shorter
Start with the owner: “the cat”. Add ’s: “the cat’s”. Now add the thing: “the cat’s bowl”. So “the bowl of the cat” becomes “the cat’s bowl.” For a name, do the same: “Nora’s pencil” means the pencil linked to Nora.
The apostrophe is not decoration
It is easy to write “Mias book” because the sentence still looks understandable. But the apostrophe marks the relationship: “Mia’s book.” Do not put ’s after the object; “book’s Mia” reverses the link. The owner comes first, followed by ’s and the thing.
Labels, stories and real things
You may read “Emma’s lunch”, “the dog’s lead” or “the teacher’s desk” on labels, messages and stories. This form is useful when several similar things are together and you need to identify the right one. It shows a relationship, not only ownership: “the tree’s branches” is one example.
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Other languages
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