possessive
jealous and controlling in relationships
wanting to keep someone only for yourself
be possessive (about/over) [someone/something]
- He got possessive whenever she talked to other guys at parties.
- She ended the relationship because his possessive behavior kept getting worse.
- I’m not possessive, but I don’t like people reading my private messages.
- He is possessive of his girlfriend.
- Don’t be possessive.
showing who owns something
used to show that something belongs to someone
[possessive] + noun
- In “Sarah’s book,” “Sarah’s” is a possessive noun.
- My and your are possessive words that come before nouns.
- The apostrophe can mark a possessive ending in English.
- “My” is a possessive word.
- “Tom’s” is possessive.
the possessive form of a word
the grammar form that shows belonging
the possessive (of) [word/phrase]
- To make the possessive, add ’s to most singular nouns.
- Teachers often call it “the possessive” when they mean the ’s form.
- The possessive of children is children’s.
- Add ’s to make the possessive.
- The possessive of Anna is Anna’s.
- Base: possessive
- Base: possessive
- Plural: possessives
get possessive
1start acting jealous and controlling
to begin to feel and act jealous
- He tends to get possessive when he’s stressed.
- I didn’t realize I would get possessive about the baby’s first milestones.
- Try not to get possessive over your coworkers’ time.
possessive adjective
1word like my before a noun
a word like my or your that comes before a noun
- In “my phone,” “my” is a possessive adjective.
- A possessive adjective is followed by a noun: “their house,” not “their is big.”
- “Her” can be a possessive adjective (“her car”) or an object pronoun (“I saw her”).
possessive apostrophe
1apostrophe for ownership
An apostrophe that shows something belongs to someone.
- The editor fixed the possessive apostrophe in “the cats’ bowls.”
- A possessive apostrophe is not used with possessive pronouns like “hers.”
- They debated whether to write “Jess’” or “Jess’s” as the possessive apostrophe form.
possessive apostrophe
1apostrophe used to show possession
an apostrophe that shows belonging
- Don’t forget the possessive apostrophe in “the students’ projects.”
- The possessive apostrophe goes before the s in most singular nouns: “the cat’s bowl.”
- “Its” has no possessive apostrophe, but “it’s” is a contraction.
possessive case
1grammar case marking possession
a grammar form that shows belonging
- “Maria’s” is in the possessive case.
- In English, the possessive case is usually formed with ’s.
- Some phrases use the possessive case to show time: “a day’s work.”
possessive determiner
1determiner showing ownership
A word like my or their before a noun.
- In “our house,” “our” is a possessive determiner.
- She replaced “the report” with “her report” by adding a possessive determiner.
possessive determiner
1determiner showing belonging
a word like my or their before a noun
- In modern grammar, my and your are often called possessive determiners.
- A possessive determiner usually comes at the start of a noun phrase: “his new job.”
- “Its” is a possessive determiner, while “it’s” means “it is.”
possessive pronoun
1pronoun that shows ownership
a word like mine or yours
- “Mine” is a possessive pronoun.
- Use a possessive pronoun when the noun is already clear: “Is this your bag?” “No, it’s hers.”
- In “The choice is yours,” “yours” is a possessive pronoun.
possessive pronoun
1pronoun showing ownership
A word like “mine” or “theirs” that means something belongs to someone.
- “That seat is mine” uses a possessive pronoun.
- Don’t write “her’s”; the correct possessive pronoun is “hers.”
- In “The choice is yours,” “yours” is a possessive pronoun.