How is a singular possessive different from a plural possessive?

Answer 1

A singular noun is a word for one person, place, or thing.

A plural noun is a word for two or more people, places, or things.

A possessive noun shows that something in the sentence belongs to a singular or plural noun.

Possessives are formed by adding an apostrophe -s to the end of the noun, or just an apostrophe to plural nouns that already end with -s.

Example singular possessive nouns:

• the cover of the book = the book's cover
• the teacher of our class = our class's teacher
• the coat of the child = the child's coat
• the shoes of the man = the man's shoes
• the house of my neighbor = my neighbor's house

Example plural possessive nouns:

• the covers of the books = the books' covers
• the assembly of classes = the classes' assembly
• the coats of the children = the children's coats
• shoes for men = men's shoes
• the house of my neighbors - my neighbors' houses

NOTE: There are two accepted forms for singular possessive nouns that end in s:

Add an apostrophe (') after the existing s at the end of the word: boss'

Add an apostrophe s ('s) after the existing s at the end of the word: boss's

Examples:

I put the memo on the boss' desk.

I put the memo on the boss's desk.