Possessive ’s: Nilufar’s umbrella

  • A1 · Beginner
  • Grammar lesson
  • 60 min
  • possessive 's

The possessive 's and s': Whose umbrella is this? It's Nilufar's. They're the interns' gloves. They go in the children's room. The student reads two coworkers sorting the office lost-and-found box, tells one owner from many, and gives the teacher a tour of whose things are whose at home.

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Nilufar'sthe boys'Whose…?

What's in the lesson

  1. 1Warm-up
  2. 2In this lesson
  3. 3Reading: the lost-and-found boxReading comprehension
  4. 4What does it mean?Grammar exercise
  5. 5Find the ownersGrammar exercise
  6. 6The possessive 'sGrammar rule
  7. 7One owner or more?Grammar exercise
  8. 8Choose the right wordGrammar exercise
  9. 9Moving dayGrammar exercise
  10. 10Questions for your teacherGrammar exercise
  11. 11Say it naturallySpeaking practice
  12. 12Whose is it?Speaking practice
  13. 13About youGrammar exercise
  14. 14Wrap-up

Homework

  1. 1Homework: one or more?Grammar exercise
  2. 2Homework: at the dog parkGrammar exercise
  3. 3Homework: make sentencesGrammar exercise
  4. 4Homework: a family homeDiscussion

Two slides from the lesson

Warm-up

A few questions about you before we start.

  1. Whose birthday is next in your family?
  2. Whose phone numbers do you know without your phone?
  3. Is there a lost and found at your work or school?

Grammar rule

The possessive 's

Whose is it?AddExample
one person or animal'smy aunt's car · the dog's toy
one person, with s at the end'sthe actress's dress
two or more, with -s'the players' bus · the teachers' room
two or more, with no -s'sthe children's toys · people's cars

Whose…?

Whose jacket is this? — It's my cousin's. (= my cousin's jacket) · Whose socks are these? — They're the twins'.

Watch out

  • For people, use 's, not of: my uncle's truck (not the truck of my uncle)
  • One owner: the girl's room. Two or more: the girls' room.
  • Whose (for the owner) and Who's (= who is) sound the same: Whose cup is this? Who's your boss?
  • Not every 's says whose: Cael's at home. (= is) Cael's got a cold. (= has) The next word tells you.
's sounds like the plural -s: s (the chef's), z (my brother's), or iz, one more syllable, after an s, z, sh or ch sound (the boss's, the church's). s' adds no sound: the players' sounds just like the players.

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