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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