The Apostrophe - Bow Valley College

1. Add an apostrophe + s (’s) to show possession in a noun that does not end in
s .
Examples
Nouns not ending in s Noun + ’s
a. The fender of this car = This car’s fender.
b. The hobby of the boy = The boy’s hobby
c. The stories of the author = The author’s hobby
d. The coats of the men = The men’s coats
e. The voices of the children = The children’s voices
f. The activities of the alumni = The alumni’s activities
2. Add an apostrophe (’) to show possession in a noun that ends in s .
Examples
Nouns ending in s Noun + ’
a. The work of Charles = Charles’ work or Charles’s work
b. The colour of the dress = The dress’ colour or The
dress’s colour
Note: A singular noun ending in s (Charles, dress) may add either
’s or ’ alone.
c. The house of the Joneses = The Joneses’ house
d. The bindings of the books = The books’ bindings
e. the coats of the ladies = The ladies’ coats
f. The fenders of both cars = The cars’ fenders
g. A leave of three days = A three days’ leave
Quick Quiz 2