Possessive Vs. Plural

Possessive nouns are used to create and show ownership between nouns. The rules state that you are simply to add an apostrophe and an ‘s’ to the end of a noun to make it possessive. If the word ends with an ‘s’ then add the apostrophe after the original ‘s’ and ignore the addition of the second ‘s’.

Examples:

Jen turns into Jen’s

Carlos turns into Carlos’

Although these concepts seem very simple, the formation of possessive nouns can be very complicated. It is not that people get the addition of the extra ‘s’ confusing, but rather there is a struggle to identify what is possessive and what is plural.

What is the difference between owning something and having more of something? The difference is a tiny and powerful apostrophe. You might mean to say:

1)      Your cat’s kittens are cute.

But you might accidentally say:

2)       Your cats kittens are cute.

See the difference? How many cats do you have? If only one cat, the first sentence is correct. If you have a rogue pack of cats that had a bunch of kittens then the second is correct. This could be the difference between being a normal cat lover and an insane cat hoarder.

Or maybe you think that:

1)      My brothers’ girlfriend is funny

Or do you actually think

2)      My brother’s girlfriend is funny

This little mistake may leave people wondering if you have many brothers sharing a girlfriend, or one brother with a funny girlfriend. Mixing up the placement of the apostrophe can leave people wondering about your family and their sanity.

I hope my blog’s can help people identify their mistake’s and give them quick and fast solution’s. If you don’t see something wrong with the previous sentence, I have already failed you.