Don’t say: “I went to the house of my friend.”
Don’t say: “I went to my friend house.”
Say: “I went to my friend’s house.”
In English, we normally use ‘s and not OF for possessives:
- my sister’s dog
the dog of my sister - the teacher’s car
the car of my teacher - Paul’s wife’s dress
the dress of Paul’s wife
When the word already ends in –s, just add ‘ (the pronunciation is the same):
- Jesus’ words
- our boss’ office
- my kids’ toys
How to form possessives in English
| NOUN | POSSESSIVE | EXAMPLE |
| I | my | My name is Sandra. |
| you | your | Your new haircut looks great! |
| he | his | He broke his leg. |
| she | her | She sold her computer. |
| it | its | My car is old, so its engine isn’t very powerful. |
| we | our | Our apartment is on the fourth floor. |
| they | their | Candace and Marty named their baby girl Donna. |
| Mary | Mary’s | Mary’s phone number is 555-4321. |
| Joe | Joe’s | Joe’s favorite color is green. |
| the boy | the boy’s | The boy’s clothes are dirty. |
| parents | parents’ | My parents’ names are Patrick and Gloria. |
| cat | cat’s | My cat’s name is Ginger. |
| country | country’s | My country’s flag is red, white, and blue. |
Learn more: How to form possessives when the word already ends in S
