Plural Possessive Nouns

Breaking It Down: The Plural Possessive Noun

In order to understand what a plural possessive noun is, it is first helpful to understand what each part of the term means on its own. First, plural means more than one. Plurals are usually created by adding the letter 's' to the end of a singular word, but some irregular plurals do not follow that rule. For example:

Next, possessive is an adjective that describes when something is owned or possessed. Writers use possessives when they want to show that something belongs to someone or to something (Joey's ball, my lunch, the dog's bone).

Finally, a noun is a part of speech. Nouns can be people, places, things, or ideas. Common nouns are less specific and do not begin with a capital letter (e.g. lake, tiger, teacher). Proper nouns name specific people, places, or things, and they always begin with a capital letter (e.g. Lake Michigan, Tony the Tiger, Mrs. Smith). Common nouns and proper nouns can be possessive.

How to Write Plural Possessive Nouns

Plural possessive nouns are used to show that a plural noun owns, or possesses, something. It does not matter if what they possess is plural. What matters is that the noun doing the owning IS plural. For most regular plural nouns, you can make the plural possessive by just adding an apostrophe to the end of the plural noun. Follow it up with whatever is being possessed.

Follow this formula for creating a plural possessive noun

If you have an irregular plural noun, one that does NOT end in the letter 's', you will add an apostrophe and then an 's'.

Follow this equation when your plural noun does not already end in the letter s

Imagine you want to describe who owns a car. See how the plural possessives look different depending on whether the plural noun is regular or not.

Don't Confuse Singular Nouns for Plurals

Be careful that you don't confuse singular nouns ending in the letter 's' for plurals when you are writing. Remember that there are many common singular nouns that end in the letter 's': cactus, lens, bus. Notice the difference when forming the plural possessive:

Remember that it is the noun doing the owning that makes it a plural possessive. In the example 'bus' seats,' it is not a plural possessive even though it is referring to multiple seats. The plural possessive is 'buses' seats'.

Examples

Here are more examples of the plural possessive. Pay attention to where the apostrophe and the 's' go, depending on whether the noun is regular or not.

• The spiders' webs were covering the doorway.
• The kids' toys were scattered all over the floor.
• Be sure to give him a children's medicine.
• We put both dogs' beds in the bedroom.
• The twins' favorite movie is on television tonight.
• The people's support is essential if she wants to win the election.