Possessives

THE LAZY EDITOR: Are Brand Names Really Better? pages 28-29
December 2016/January 2017

THE LANGUAGE ARTS MAGAZINE

Name: ___________________________________________________ Date: ________________________

Polish Your Possessives

The possessive form of a word shows ownership. Here are some rules to remember about forming possessives:


To make a singular noun (like girl) possessive, add an s to the end of the noun.

For example: the girls dog

Here, the possessive shows that the dog belongs to one girl.

To make a plural noun (like girls) possessive, add an after the s that is already at the end of
the noun.

For example: the girls dog

Here, the possessive shows that the dog belongs to more than one girl.

T o make a collective noun (a noun that treats a group as one thing, like audience, family, or team)
or a plural noun that does not end in s (like children or mice) possessive, add an s to the end of the
word, just as you would do with a singular noun.

For example: the childrens game

Here, the possessive shows that the game belongs to more than one child.

Directions: Fill in the circle next to the best answer for each question.
1. Who or what owns the toys in
the following sentence? Karlas
cats toys are all over the place.
A one cat
B more than one cat
C Karla
D It is impossible to tell.

2. Which of the following correctly 3. Choose the sentence that is

indicates that the fans belong
punctuated correctly.
to one team?
A Taras socks are filthy.
A Our teams fans cheered loudly. B Taras socks are filthy.
B Our teams fans cheered loudly. C Taras socks are filthy.
C Our teams fans cheered loudly. D Taras socks are filthy.
D Our teamss fans cheered
loudly.

Directions: Rewrite each of the following sentences by making a noun possessive. Change the wording as
necessary. For example:

The hat belonging to Tanya is gigantic.

a Tanyas hat is gigantic.

4. The jeans that belong to Curt are too loose.

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5. I have the birthdays of my friends memorized.

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6. The Golden Unicorn is the restaurant my family likes best.

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