Identify plurals, singular possessives and plural possessives

Key Notes:

Understanding Plurals

  • Definition: Plurals are used to indicate that there is more than one of a noun.
  • Forming Plurals:
    • Regular Plurals: Most nouns form their plural by adding “s” (e.g., cat → cats, book → books).
    • Nouns ending in -ch, -sh, -s, -x, or -z: Add “es” (e.g., bus → buses, box → boxes).
    • Nouns ending in a consonant + y: Change “y” to “i” and add “es” (e.g., baby → babies).
    • Irregular Plurals: Some nouns have special plural forms (e.g., child → children, mouse → mice).

Understanding Singular Possessives

  • Definition: Singular possessives show ownership by one person or thing.
  • Forming Singular Possessives:
    • Add an apostrophe followed by “s” to the singular noun (e.g., dog → dog’s bone, girl → girl’s book).
    • If the singular noun already ends in “s,” it is still common to add ‘s (e.g., boss → boss’s car).

Understanding Plural Possessives

  • Definition: Plural possessives show ownership by more than one person or thing.
  • Forming Plural Possessives:
    • If the plural noun ends in “s,” add only an apostrophe (e.g., dogs → dogs’ park, teachers → teachers’ lounge).
    • If the plural noun does not end in “s,” add an apostrophe followed by “s” (e.g., children → children’s toys, men → men’s clothing).

Tips for Differentiating Them

  • Plurals vs. Possessives: Remember that plural nouns refer to more than one item, while possessives indicate ownership. Plurals do not have apostrophes, but possessives do.
  • Singular vs. Plural Possessives: Check whether the noun is singular or plural before deciding where to place the apostrophe.

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