0i)A noun used to express ownership or relationship indicates possession. The possessive case is formed in two ways:
Noun +’s
The nouns ending in any alphabet other than s take Noun+’s in the possessive case.
Mary’s hat.
Dolly’s hair
Hary’s horse.
ii)The nouns not ending in s or which have a hissing sound take Noun +’ in the possessive case.
Jesus’ gospels.
Archimedes’ Principle.
Justice’sake
Conscience’ sake.
Socrates’ idealism
Pythagoras’ theorem
Boys’ school
Girls’ hostel.
iii)
- For non-living things, we use of+noun
The door of this room is small.
This is the horn of a car.
The leg of the table has been elaborately carved.
- Of +noun is used with people as well, when the noun (person) is followed by a phrase (preposition+noun) or a relative clause.
We had to obey the order of the robbers with guns.
We had to obey the robber’s order with guns. X
I have read the works of Milton, who is one of the greatest poets.
iv)‘S is used with a noun denoting the name of a continent/country/state/city
India’s new policy
Asia’s development
England’s trade
v)‘S is used with singular nouns denoting a collective noun:
Company’s profit.
Federation’s proposals.
vi)‘S can be used with inanimate nouns too when they are personalized.
Nature’s laws
Earth’s surface
Death’s door.
Heaven’s will.
vii)‘S is used with singular noun denoting time/space/length.
A week’s leave
A month’s wages
A ship’s length.
A pound’s weight.
Five tons’ weight.
viii)‘S is used in idiomatic expressions like these:
At arm’s length
At a stone’s throw.
ix)If the possessive case of shop, office, clinic, school, college, hospital, house, church etc. are used as the object of the sentence, then we don’t mention in the sentence whether the particular institution is a school, college etc.
Aman reads in St. Xavier’s
I am going to my uncle’s
She has gone to the baker’s
You can buy it at a chemist’s.
x)This can be seen in comparatives too.
My car is bigger than Henry’s.
My hair is longer than Radhika’s
xi)However, if the possessive case of the above mentioned institutions is used as a subject of the sentence, then we do mention in the sentence whether the particular institution is a school, college etc.
The barber’s shop is full of customers.
The travel agent’s office is prompt in service.
xii)‘S is used in the construction noun+of+noun+’s to mean one of the many.
She is a friend of Jane’s(one of Jane’s friend)
This is a play of Karnad’s (One of Karnad’s plays)
Mrs Thakur is a mother of Aditya’s X (Mrs Thakur can’t be one of many mother of Aditya)
Mrs Thakur is Aditya’s mother.
xiii) The last element of compound noun takes ’s
This is my mother in law’s cat.
I had to obey the government of India’s order.
xiv)When a separate possession is indicated by two nouns’s is added to both. But when joint possession is indicated’s is added to the second.
I have bought Vishal's and Anurag’s shoes. (separate possession)
I have bought aunt and uncle’s car (joint possession)
xv)Pronouns are used in possessive case in this manner:
Anybody/nobody/everybody/somebody/anyone/someone/no one/everyone use ‘s in possessive case.
Everyone’s concern is no one’s concern.
Everybody’s business is nobody’s business.
xvi)If else is used with anybody, nobody etc. then we use ‘s after else.
He likes nobody else’s advice except mine.
His performance is better than anybody else’s.
xvii) However, with possessive pronoun and possessive adjective we don’t use ‘s or ‘
Yours faithfully
Your daughter.
