A noun (or pronoun) that refers to the possessor or owner of
anything is said to be in possessive case.
Observe the following sentences:-
a_The Dog bit the boy’s leg.
b_Mohan found Ashok’s pen.
c_Sita lost her mother’s ring.
d_This is his pen.
In the above sentences, boy’s;
Ashok’s; mother’s; his are possessive cases because they indicate
possession or ownership of a thing.
HOW TO FORM THE POSSESSIVE
CASE
A_Examine the nouns in the possessive
cases in the following sentences :
1_The girl’s father is ill.
2_The farmer’s cow was
stolen.
3_The horse’s leg was
broken.
In the above sentences, nouns in the possessive case
are in singular number. Therefore, you see that the possessive case of a noun
in singular number is formed by adding an apostrophe (‘) and ‘s’ to it.
B_
Now examine the nouns in the
possessive cases in the following sentences :
1_Many girls’ books are
lost.
2_All these horses’ tails
are black.
3_The farmers’ crops failed
this year.
In the above sentences, nouns in the possessive case
are in plural number. The noun in plural number itself ends in ‘s’, and the
possessive case of a noun in plural number is formed by adding an apostrophe
(’) to it.
C_ Examine these sentences:-
1_Men’s lives are full of
misery.
2_Children’s lives are full
of happiness.
In the above sentences, nouns in the possessive case
are in plural number. But they do not end in ‘s’. So all nouns in plural number
don’t end in ‘s’ and (’s) is added to it.
D_But when noun indicates a
non-living thing, the possessive case is usually expressed by the preposition
‘of’; as:-
The leg of the chair; The pages of the book; The top of the
house.
E_ When several nouns are taken together, the possessive case is
formed by adding (’s) to the last word; as:-
1_His father-in-law’s house,
2_The chairman of the
committee’s report.
F_ Noun in the possessive case is used:
i. _When Noun
indicates a living thing:-
a_The cat’s tail; The man’s hands.
ii. _When Noun indicates a
personified thing:-
a_Duty’s call; England’s heroes.
iii. When Noun indicates time, space or weight:-
a_A day’s march; A week’s
holiday; A metre’s length; A kilo’s weight.
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