How to use apostrophe - s (‘s) - as a form of possession is often difficult. This is because it is usually not taught in English classes. But, that shouldn’t stop you from learning how to. This is called the Saxon Genitive, although many native speakers don’t know that. And that’s ok.
What is important is learning how to and when to use it, and I hope to clear that in this blog. So, this indicates possession or how nouns are related in English Grammar. Let's discuss the uses, rules, and examples, to help you use these with ease!

What is the Saxon genitive?
You can use this structure to indicate the owner of something. We do it by simply adding ‘s or s’, depending on the case and usually replaces ‘of’ in a sentence. Let’s see:
Using ‘s (apostrophe goes before) - possession.
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This is the silver watch of John. → This silver watch is John’s.
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Using s’ (apostrophe goes after) - possession.
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This is the gold watch of Jess. → That gold watch is Jess’.
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The Saxon genitive can also be used to show that there is some relationship between nouns. In this instance, ‘s is added to the first noun.
This is especially true with time. Here is an example:
Using ‘s (apostrophe goes before) - relation.
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The meeting of today is at 15:00. → Today’s meeting is at 15:00.
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“Today” does not own the meeting, but we still use the Saxon genitive because the meeting is “of today”.
But, nouns are not only related in terms of time. This form can also show some relation between inanimate objects and animals.
Using ‘s (apostrophe goes before) - relation.
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The roar of the lion is loud. → The lion’s roar is loud.
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The battery of my phone is low. → My phone’s battery is low.
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Using s’ (apostrophe goes after) - relation.
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The tentacles of the octopus are long. → The octopus’ tentacles are long.
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You can’t use the office of the boss. → You can’t use the boss’ office.
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What are the rules?
Now that we have gone through when to use “apostrophe s”, let’s talk about the rules. When we use nouns, they can be singular, plural, or proper nouns. We can use “apostrophe s” in one way or another depending on the form of the noun we use. Let’s look at some examples:
Singular nouns
When the noun is in its singular form we add ‘s to the noun to indicate possession or relation.
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1. This is my sister’s dog.
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2. The chair’s back legs are shorter than its front legs.
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3. The green car is Sarah’s.
Proper nouns
When we are using the names of people or things, we add ‘s to the name to show the possessor. However, some names end with an -s. All we need to add then is the ‘ (the apostrophe) to show possession.
Plural nouns
Just like names that end with an -s, the plural form of the noun that ends with an -s, the ‘ to the s (s’) to indicate possession or relation.
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1. The doctors’ lounge is the warmest room in the hospital.
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2. My parents’ house was just renovated.
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3. I was looking for the buses’ schedules online.
When the plural form of the noun does not end with an -s though, the rules for singular nouns apply.
Multiple possession.
Things can be shared between people, sometimes by more than 2 people. So when two or more people share something, the ‘s is only added to the last noun. Let’s look at some examples.
Using ‘s (apostrophe goes before) - more than one owner.
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The house of John, Mary and Shelly. → John, Mary and Shelly’s house is beautiful.
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The wedding of Harry and Meghan. → Harry and Meghan’s wedding.
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Remember - When the names end with an -s, the ‘ goes after the noun.
Using s’ (apostrophe goes after) - more than one owner.
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The computer of the Max and Silas. → Max and Silas’ computer.
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Related nouns:
The Saxon genitive can also be used to show a relationship between the nouns. In this instance, ‘s is added to the first noun.
This is especially true with time.
Today is not in possession of the meeting, but we still use the Saxon genitive because the meeting is “of today”.
The same is true when talking about inanimate objects.
Test yourself!
Now that you have read the rules and how to use “apostrophe s”, here’s an activity you can complete to check your understanding.
Activity 1.
First, look at these sentences and see if the Saxon genitive has been used correctly.
- 1. Are you sure that’s Atlas’ car?
- 2. Sams toy’s are in his room.
- 3. Please pass me Lucas watch.
- 4. Do you know any women’s associations?
- 5. There’s a meeting to talk about the countries’ climate policies.
Activity 2.
Now that you’ve done that, look at these sentences and rewrite the sentence with the correct use of the Saxon genitive.
- 1. The classroom of the teacher is nicely decorated.
- 2. Sarah was late to the meeting of yesterday.
- 3. What did you think of the opinion of the director?
- 4. Are you going to the housewarming party of Dawn and David?
- 5. There were a lot of challenges but it’s all in a work of a day.
Answers
When you’re ready, here are the answers for both activities.
Activity 1.
- 1. Correct.
- 2. Incorrect → Sam’s toys are in his room.
- 3. Incorrect → Please pass me Lucas’ watch.
- 4. Correct.
- 5. Correct.
Activity 2.
- 1. The teacher’s classroom is nicely decorated.
- 2. Sarah was late to yesterday’s meeting.
- 3. What did you think of the director’s opinion?
- 4. Are you going to Dawn and David’s housewarming party?
- 5. There were a lot of challenges but it’s all in a day’s work.
I think the Saxon genitive is a useful aspect of English grammar. It helps us shorten our sentences and get our point across faster. I find that it can be confusing to remember when to use it. What I do to remember is to ask myself, who owns the noun? It most cases this works. For the cases that it doesn’t, I hope this blog can be a useful tool for anyone looking to practice. Remember, practice makes improvement!
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