Grammar and Language Workbook

Unit 2, Nouns 69

Copyright © by Glencoe/McGraw-Hill

Grammar

Lesson 11

Nouns: Possessives

A noun that shows ownership of things or qualities is apossessive noun.

The lion’smane is shaggy.

All of the clowns’costumes are bright and colorful.

The children’stickets to the circus are in my pocket.

FORMING POSSESSIVE NOUNS

NOUNS TO FORM POSSESSIVE EXAMPLES

Most singular nouns Add an apostrophe and The seal’sball is

-s (’s). red.

Singular nouns ending Add an apostrophe and Chris’sticket got

in -s -s (’s). lost.

Plural nouns ending in -s Add an apostrophe (’). The tigers’trainer

is brave.

Plural nouns not ending Add an apostrophe and The people’s

in -s -s (’s). faces are happy.

Remember that possessive nouns always contain apostrophes. Plural nouns do not.

The acrobats have capes. Where are the acrobats’ capes?

Exercise 1 Underline each possessive noun. Above it write Sif it is singular and Pif it

is plural.

P

The clowns’red noses look like cherries.

S

1. Do you think the human cannonball’strick is dangerous?
   S


2. The ringmaster’svoice has to be very loud.
   P


3. The lions’roars don’t seem to scare the trainer.
   P


4. Someone must carefully check the trapeze artists’ropes.
   S


5. Please don’t eat all of your sister’spopcorn.
   S


6. The trainer is putting his head in the lion’smouth!
   P


7. I dare you to count the zebras’stripes.
   S


8. The rider stood on the horse’sback.