Lesson Five:�Possessive Noun Forms

Today we’re going to learn about the forms of a noun.

What are “forms”?

• Forms are different versions of an original. In English, the different forms of a word might be spoken, written, heard, or read differently.
• Nouns have four forms.
• singular form
• plural form
• singular possessive form
• plural possessive form
• The singular (one) and plural (more than one) forms tell an audience how many of the noun there is.
• The possessive forms tell an audience who owns something and how many of the owners there are.

Let’s look at an example.

• singular form- cat
• plural form- cats
• singular possessive form- cat’s
• plural possessive form- cats’

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• The singular form means one cat is being talked about.
• I have a cat.
• The plural form means the more than one cat is being talked about.
• I have cats.
• The singular possessive form means that one cat owns something.
• The cat’s toy rolled under the couch.
• The cat owns a toy.
• The plural possessive form means that more than one cat owns
• The cats’ toy rolled under the couch.
• The cat own a toy.

This is confusing, right?

• It may sound confusing because the word “cat’s” and “cats’” sound the same and look very similar too.
• If possessives are used in speech, a listener would have to have some prior knowledge about the noun. The speaker would have to mention that he or she has more than one cat.
• If possessives are used in writing, it’s a bit easier, but you have to train your brain to know the clues.
• We’ll look more closely at the possessive noun forms on the next slide.

Let’s really look at these words.

• singular possessive form- cat’s
• plural possessive form- cats’
• In the singular possessive form, what do you see in front of the apostrophe?
• cat
• “Cat” is singular, so “cat’s” is the singular possessive form.
• In the plural possessive form, what do you see in front of the apostrophe?
• cats
• “Cats” is plural, so “cats’” is the plural possessive form.
• The possessive forms of nouns are really that easy, folks.

How do you form the possessive forms of a noun?

• There are three rules that you need to learn to form the possessive forms of a noun correctly.
• Rule #1- How To Form a Singular Possessive
• Start with the singular form of a noun, and add an ‘s.
• It does not matter what the word ends in. If the word is singular and the singular possessive is the goal, you just add an ‘s.
• Of course the language has to be difficult sometimes. There are some exceptions.
• “Jesus,” “Moses,” and Greek words that end in the “eez” sound (such as “Xerxes” and “Euripides”) traditionally only receive an apostrophe to make them singular possessive.
• Jesus’
• Moses’
• Xerxes’ and Euripides’

What are the other two rules?

• The other two rules both deal with forming the plural possessive.
• Rule #2- How To Form the Plural Possessive If the Plural Form of a Noun ends in an “S”
• Start with the plural form of the noun that already ends in an “s,” and add only an ‘.
• Rule #3- How To From the Plural Possessive If the Plural Form of a Noun does not end in an “S”
• Start with the plural form of the noun that does not end in an “s,” and add an ‘s.
• The rules really aren’t that hard to learn, you just have to memorize and practice them.

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Let’s review.

• All possessive noun forms have an apostrophe.
• The singular possessive forms and the plural possessive forms of all nouns have an apostrophe.
• Singular possessive noun forms and plural possessive noun forms of plural words that do not end in an “s” get an “s” after the apostrophe.
• Plural possessive noun form of plural words that already end in an “s” do not get an “s” after the apostrophe.
• Possessive noun forms are often seen as tricky. If you learn the rules well though and think about the rules, they are actually quite easy and do make sense.

The End�of Lesson Five

Now go out and attack activity thirteen and fourteen in your packet like the English warrior you are.