Enter the numerator noun in the plural for each singular noun in parentheses. A plural possessive noun is a plural noun that indicates possession of something. If two or more names each have their own separate possession of one or more names, we would make each name of the property possessive. In the case of a noun where both forms end in an “s”, it may be necessary to rephrase the sentence to avoid ambiguity and to clarify whether you are referring to a singular or plural noun: Still not sure if you are using the plural correctly? Order an English grammar check to make sure your apostrophe is used in the right place at the right time. To form an owner plural noun, first form the plural of the singular noun. Many singular nouns can be plural by adding -s or -es to the end of the noun: rope > strings, carriage > cars, church > churches, glass > glasses. It depends on the accuracy of your meaning. If you write “the door handle of the car”, this could be correct, but it could also technically indicate that the car has a door handle. Most cars have more than one door and a door handle, so when you write “car door handle,” you identify the handle of a particular car door under what could be, say, four doors. Remember, the apostrophe never refers to the plural form of a noun. The students searched for their missing books. (plural) Plural possessives indicate when there is more than one noun and indicate possession of something. The possessive of most plural nouns is formed only by adding an apostrophe: however, in more specific contexts, the plural form can also be possession, for example in relation to different types of possessions or a collection of possessions.
If the singular and plural of a noun both end in an “s”, the possessive for both is formed by adding a single apostrophe: After forming the plural of the noun, add an apostrophe (`) if the plural noun ends in -s or -es: strings`, cars`, churches`, laaves`. If the plural noun does not end in -s, add an apostrophe and an s: mouse, men, feet. Note that some irregular plural nouns are identical to their singular forms (e.g., plane, deer, sheep, furniture). In these cases, we would apply the same principles to form the possessive plural for a noun that does not end in -s. Some plural nouns are formed by forming the first word of the plural expression: sisters-in-law, passers-by, lawyers in general. In these cases, we formed the possessive plural by making the last word of the possessive expression: sisters-in-law, passers-by, lawyers in general. Let`s look at more examples of regular and irregular plural-possessive nouns: The rule of thumb is simple: use the apostrophe to indicate possession, not a plural. Exceptions to the rule may seem confusing: yours has no apostrophe and is not possessive. Still, with a little attention, you can learn the rules and exceptions. Some nouns are irregular, so they form the plural other than by adding -s or -es: bread > bread, mouse > mouse, man > men, foot > feet. To determine this, try reading your sentence aloud to see if the plural possessive sounds particularly unpleasant. For example, “The Rodgerse house is big” is a bit full, so you can change the sentence to “The Rodgers family has a big house.” Sometimes it is also advisable to rephrase a sentence to avoid the use of cumbersome possessive plurals.
There`s no hard and fast rule for this, and both formulations will be correct, so go ahead and use what you think is best. The glass fragments left a glittering trail on the floor. (singular possessive) Have you seen the stained glass windows of the churches? (possessive plural) Knowing when and where to add the apostrophe to the pluralpossessive can be difficult. To make matters worse, the correct use sometimes seems and sounds wrong. We hope that by the end of this article, you will have a better understanding of possessive plurals and know how and when to use them. In more general and commonly used contexts, the plural form will also be possession. I really like the sound of the string on this guitar. (singular possessive) I really like the sound of the strings on this guitar. (possessive plural) What is the purpose of the foot for this table? (singular possessive) What is the purpose of the legs for this table? (possessive plural) Form the possessive case of a plural noun by adding an apostrophe after the last letter if it is an s, or by adding `s if the last letter is not an s. The first sentence contains a singular possessive (dogs): the food belongs to a dog. The second sentence tells us that food belongs to more than one dog, through a plural-possessive noun, dogs.” An exception to this rule is the possessive of plural nouns that do not end in “s”.
These are formed by adding an apostrophe and an “s” to the noun: some animal names can also form the plural by keeping the singular or by adding -s or -es: shrimp > shrimp or shrimp, fish > fish or fish. Again, we would treat the plural possessive form according to the end of the word, as we discussed: Do you struggle with plural possessives? If so, don`t feel bad because you`re not alone! A recent survey found that almost half of the 2,000 Britons surveyed did not know how to use an apostrophe correctly and that punctuation of plural possessives was the most common apostrophe error. Perhaps you are just wondering what a plural possessive is; Let`s start with that. If there is more than one noun, it is plural. Most nouns are pluralized by adding an “s” at the end, although, as with so many things in the English language, there are exceptions (e.g., tooth and teeth). A name is possessive when it shows possession or possession of something. Most singular nouns are made possessive by adding an apostrophe and an “s” at the end: Note that contractions are often considered too informal for academic writing.