A1 · Lesson 11 · 20 min
Possession and belonging
In this lesson
- I can show that something belongs to a person or thing.
- I can ask whose something is and use possessive pronouns.
Grammar in context
At the community café, Nina finds a blue umbrella near the door. Sam says it is not his. The café cat is sleeping in its basket, and Nina asks, “Whose umbrella is this?”
Which words show who owns the umbrella and the cat’s basket?
Names and 's
To show that something belongs to one person, add ’s after their name: Maya’s bag. Put the owner first and the thing second. In this lesson, add ’s to names ending in s too: James’s bag.
- This is Maya's phone.
- The dog's bowl is in the kitchen.
Plural owners and whose
For a regular plural ending in s, add only an apostrophe after the plural s: the students' bags. Use whose to ask who owns something. We often answer with a name or a possessive pronoun.
- Whose keys are these?
- They are the neighbours' keys.
Possessive pronouns and its/it's
Use mine, yours, his, hers, ours or theirs without repeating the thing: This is my bag. It is mine. Its shows belonging: The cat is eating its food. It’s is a short form of it is or it has.
- That is her coat. The coat is hers.
- The dog is in its bed. It’s tired.
Common mistakes
Compare the incorrect and corrected forms.
Avoid
This is my sister bag.
Use
This is my sister's bag.
Add 's to the singular owner, sister.
Avoid
The bird is in it's cage.
Use
The bird is in its cage.
Its shows that the cage belongs to the bird.
Put it into practice
Try the exercises, write your own examples and check your understanding.