Level A1

Possessive 's (Saxon Genitive)

Owner + 's tells us whose: Ki's scarf.

This is Ki's scarf.

Whose scarf? Ki's. The mark and s go on the owner: Ki's scarf.

Forms

• owner + 's → Ki's scarf · the boy's ball — whose? the mark and s go on the owner
• the boys → plural — s with no mark: plural
• he's = he is / he has — short form: the full words come back

A common mistake

Wrong: This is Ki scarf.

Right: This is Ki's scarf.

Whose scarf? Ki's. We say: This is Ki's scarf.

More examples

The dog's bed is small.

The dog is the owner: the dog's bed.

My sister's bag is red.

My sister is the owner: my sister's bag.

The clip