How is the possessive case formed? What is the possessive case in English

If you expect that the cases in English look like Russians, you will be disappointed. But you definitely won’t be disappointed because everything is very simple with cases in English. English nouns have, not counting the common case, only two case forms and have one more form.

In English, only three cases can be distinguished, with the first and second being the same in form for all nouns:

1. Subjective or nominative when a noun or pronoun functions as a subject;
2. Objective or accusative when a noun or pronoun functions as an object after a verb or preposition;
3. Possessive, which shows possession of something.

In the case of nouns, the first and second cases are usually combined into one - common case. But pronouns (pronouns) change in form in all three cases.

Subjective case

The subject case is used to identify the subject of a sentence. Nouns in the subject case do not change in any way and remain in their original form. The same applies to pronouns:

Examples:

The tree fell on my car– A tree fell on my car.
Paul owns this website– Paul owns this site.
I hope to finish my homework tomorrow– I hope to finish my homework tomorrow.
She enjoyed her English lessons– She enjoyed her English lessons.
He is very bad person- He is a very bad person.

Objective case

Refers to an add-on. The object is what the subject directs its action to. In English, a noun or pronoun that is an indirect or direct object is always in the objective case.

Nouns in the objective case are no different in form from the subject case, but they change:

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Examples:

Robert fixed the car— Robert fixed the car.
I want a new book- I want a new book.
All my friends celebrating Thanksgiving Day All my friends celebrated Thanksgiving.

Possessive case

The purpose of the possessive case in English is to show that something belongs to someone or something.

Nouns in the possessive case acquire a number of features:

• show the ownership of an object by answering the question “whose?”;
• always stand before another, defined by a noun;
• are always animate (for inanimate ones the common case and the preposition of are used).

The possessive case is formed as follows: at the end of a noun singular an apostrophe and the letter s (‘s) are added:

It is a girl's guinea pig- This is the girl's guinea pig.

If a singular noun ends in “s”, then two options for forming the possessive form are allowed:

• add only an apostrophe at the end of a word;
• add an apostrophe with the letter 's.

However, the differences here are only written - spoken, both options sound the same:

James’ [‘GeImsIz] wife is a pretty woman– James’s wife is beautiful.
James's ['GeImsIz] dog bit a rat James’s dog bit the rat.

To plural nouns ending in “s” When forming a possessive form, only an apostrophe is added. However, the pronunciation does not change:

Boys play X-box– The boys are playing X-box.
Boys' X-box is broken– The boys’ X-box is broken.
Alex' X-box- Alex's X-box.

If not formed using the endings “s” and “es”, then the possessive form is formed in the standard way - with the help of ‘s.

People's behavior is very strange- People's behavior is very strange.
A beard is an important component of men’s style- Beard - important component men's style.

Pronouns in the possessive case take the following form:

How to read possessive endings

1. After voiceless consonants in the possessive case - s:

2. After voiced consonants and vowels in the possessive case - z:

After s, ss, j, sh, z, ch and x (as well as the use of an apostrophe without s) in the possessive case - iz:

Charles's, waitress', Sanchez's, wings'

Common case

A noun in the common case does not have separate endings. The noun is listed in the general case form in dictionaries. It is connected with other words using prepositions and the place it occupies in a sentence. In the general case, a noun can be without a preposition or with a preposition.

Noun without preposition

1. Nouns without a preposition are translated into Russian depending on the place they occupy in the sentence. Nominative case (what? who?) - a noun that stands before the predicate is translated into the nominative case, being the subject.

   The pupil asked the teacher— The student asked the teacher.

2. Accusative case (what? whom?) - a noun that comes after the predicate is translated into the accusative case without a preposition, acting as a direct object.

   The pupil asked the student— The teacher asked the student.

3. Dative case (to what? to whom?) - a noun without a preposition, which stands between the predicate and the direct object, is translated into the dative case without a preposition, being an indirect object.

   The teacher showed the pupil a picture— The teacher showed the student the drawing.

Noun with preposition

A noun with prepositions expresses relationships that Russians convey indirect cases without prepositions or with prepositions.

1. Genitive case (of what? whom?) - of, from. The noun here is the modifier of the preceding noun.

   She had received a gift from her boyfriend— She received a gift from her boyfriend.

2. Dative case (to what? to whom?) - to, for. The noun here is an indirect object.

   You gave the ball to my brother— You gave the ball to my brother.
   She bought a car for her son— She bought a car for her son.

3. Instrumental case (by what? by whom?) - by, with.

   A noun with the preposition by is a prepositional object and denotes an active force (after a verb in the passive voice):

   America was discovered by Columbus— America was discovered by Columbus.

   A noun with the preposition with is a prepositional object and denotes the object with which the action is performed:

   Molly usually eats with this fork— Molly usually eats with this fork.

4. Prepositional case (about what? about whom?) - about, of. The noun is a prepositional indirect object.

   He told us about the play— He told us about this play.
   Maggy spoke of comics and food— Maggie talked about comics and food.

Video about cases in English:

In English you often need to answer questions whose? whom? what? etc. In this case we will be dealing with the possessive case. In most cases possessive case(possessive case) refers to animate nouns that denote living beings (there are more such words in number). It is to living beings that a quality, sign or object belongs. In this case, the possessive case in English is formed using the ending -s, preceded by an apostrophe (’).

Examples:

• a boy’s sweater => boy’s sweater;
• my mom’s recipe => my mom’s recipe;
• her grandmother’s favorite plaid => her grandmother’s favorite plaid.

Possessive case in English - what is it and why is it needed?

The case is appropriate to apply to people who are the owners of something (qualities, property, characteristics, etc.), and to animals, for example, my cat’s bowl. There is nothing complicated in understanding the rule, as it might seem at first glance. Here are a few examples that will clearly show what we are talking about:

• a boy's best days - better days boy (whose?);
• a policeman’s rule - a policeman’s rule (whose?).

But! Children’s cakes - children’s cakes (whose?).

You should notice that in the last example the structure of the rule is different from the others: an apostrophe after the ending -s (childrens’), rather than before it (policeman’s). This is explained by the fact that in the last example the noun is plural, not single.

Below is a table with examples in which the possessive case can be formed in English in different ways:

These examples can be turned into effective exercises if you repeat them every day and do different combinations and combinations. For example, instead of ‘’at the baker ′ s'' say ''at the confectionery's'' (in the pastry shop), etc. Simple, easy, but most importantly – effective!

Reference: there are nouns that end with two letters -s => -ss. What to do when this happens? In this case, to a word with twice the amount of -ss, simply add an apostrophe and the ending –s: boss 's pen => boss pen.

Note! For many, it seems like a problem when you need to make a plural in the possessive case if the words are already in the plural. To understand what we are talking about, let's look at the rule using examples:

• birds’ nests - bird's nests or nests of birds.

As you can see from the example, the word birds is already in plural, so there is no need to add another ending -s. You just need to put an apostrophe, it turns out => birds ’ .

Another example:

• the secretaries’ working hours– working hours of secretaries.

Here the situation is similar: the word secretaries is already in plural, as in the previous example, so we just add an apostrophe (’) and we’re done.

Note! Although inanimate words rarely have the possessive case, there are a number of nouns that do have it. This includes words that denote distance and time. Vivid examples:

second, minute, hour, day, night, week, month, year, fortnight.

• In an hour or two 's time - in an hour or two;
• a night 's nap - night sleep;
• a day’s moment - the moment of the day.

And one more nuance. If we are talking about countries and cities, then we also add the ending –s to them:

• London 's theater - theater in London;
• Poland’s products - products of Poland;
• Greece’s financial situation - financial situation of Greece;
• Moldova’s culture - the culture of Moldova.

• World's food problem - global food problem;
• World's health organization - World Health Organization;
• Nature's protection - protection of nature;
• Ship's official number - the official number of the ship.

Important! To learn the lesson, you need to do the exercises regularly. One immediately after completing the lesson to consolidate the information, and then repeat it a few days later so that the information received is not forgotten.

Let's sum it up

Formation of the possessive case - comparatively easy theme in English. There is nothing complicated here. The only thing you need to do to learn a topic well is to practice as often as possible. When doing something around the house, translate it into English. For example, you are asked to heat up soup. Instantly imagine that you are in an English cafe, translate the phrase and ask: ‘Whose soup is to be reheated?’ Whose soup is to be reheated? ''This is my brother's portion.'' It's my brother's portion. And so every day. Remember: success comes to those who try to get it. Believe in yourself and success!

P.s. and don’t forget to regularly do exercises in which you have to create the possessive case. The more often you repeat examples, the faster you will learn and remember them. Simple exercises for children and adults will help to learn the rules of forming the possessive case and help expand their vocabulary. We encourage you to come up with your own examples. Don't be afraid to make mistakes! On the contrary, mistakes teach you, so talk as much and often as possible.

The possessive case in English also has names Possessive Case or Genetive Case. If you want to say that something belongs to someone, you must use possessive case. As a rule, the possessive case can only be used with animate nouns, but there are some exceptions,
which we will talk about below. By the way, I also have a wonderful one for testing knowledge on the possessive case. If you are looking for exercises on the possessive case -

In English, the possessive case is expressed by 's (apostrophe es) or simply " (apostrophe).

Prince’s duty - the duty of (who? whose?) the prince;

Students’ books - textbooks of (whose? whose?) students.

As you may have noticed, it is convenient to translate phrases containing the possessive case from the end.

Formation of the possessive case in English.

only apostrophe (‘) in the following cases:

1. with plural nouns, if the plural is formed by adding the ending -S / -ES

• doctors’ advice – advice from doctors,
• boys' trains - boys' trains.

1. with Greek polysyllabic first and last names ending in –S

• Socrates’ works - works of Socrates,
• Xerxes’ army – army of Xerxes.

1. With famous names ending in –S

• Yeats' poetry - Yeats's poetry,
• Burns'poems - poems by Burns

(however, some grammars allow such a case double spelling: Dickens' novels or Dickens's novels).

To form the possessive case we will use only apostrophe es (‘s) in the following cases:

1. with singular nouns

• the girl’s eyes – the girl’s eyes,
• the Dad’s study – dad’s office.

1. With plural nouns, if the plural was not formed according to the rule of adding the ending -S / -ES.

• сhildren's games - children's games,
• women's wishes - women's wishes.

Pay attention to education possessive case of compound nouns. There is a difference here with the formation of the plural. Let's look at this point in more detail, since this issue Even very competent people make mistakes very often. knowledgeable people. So let's look at the sign.

More examples:

The editor-in-chief’s order - order of the editor-in-chief

The commander-in-chief’s qualification – qualification of the commander-in-chief

The passer-by’s comment – ​​comment from a passerby

A special feature of the possessive case in English is the existence of the so-called group possessive case - group genitive. Group genitive denotes the phenomenon of adding "s or ' not to one noun, but to

• Group of nouns

Mum and dad's wish - the desire of mom and dad

• to a whole phrase containing a noun

the secretary of states’s private room – personal room of the Secretary of State

• to the group noun + pronoun

someone else’s benefit – someone’s benefit

• to a phrase with a numeral at the end

in an hour or two’s time - in an hour or two

Please note. That in such cases "s or ' are added exclusively to the final element. The only time you have to be careful is when it comes to belonging to more than one noun.

We looked at the phrase mum and dad's wish - the desire of mom and dad. IN in this context We are talking about the common desire of mom and dad. In this case, "s or ' is added to the final element. If the phrase were slightly different mum"s and dad's wishes in the meaning of the wishes of mom and dad (each has their own), then "s or ' would be added to each element.

So in the phrase Bach’s and Mozart’s music we add “s to each element, since Bach and Mozart do not have common music - it is different for everyone.

Cases of using the possessive case in English.

We do not have the right to use Possessive Case in English in the same way as we use in Russian. Sometimes membership relations need to be expressed using a phrase with of.

So, for example, we cannot say table's leg - the leg of the table, we must say - the leg of the table.

So when can you use the genetive case?

The possessive case in English is used:

• with nouns denoting people and animals

the swallow's nest - swallow's nest

Molly’s idea – Molly’s idea

• with words indicating time or distance

night’s rest – night rest

a month absence – month-long absence / month-long absence

a minute’s silence - minute silence

a mile’s distance – distance in a mile

Please note that with the words today, yesterday and tomorrow, both options for forming the possessive case are possible:

today's papers = the papers of today

• with names of countries and cities

Britain’s museums – museums of Britain

London's sights - sights of London

• with newspaper names

the Guardian's analysis

• with names of organizations and words company, firm, government, organization

the company’s plans - company plans

the Geographical Society’s gold medal – gold medal Geographical Society

• with the words world, country, nation, town, city

the nation’s wealth - the well-being of the nation

• with the words ship, boat, car

the car’s wheel – car wheel

• with the names of planets and satellites

the sun's rays - sun rays

• with some inanimate nouns in fixed expressions

Absolute genitive and double genitive

Absolute genitive

Typically, a construct containing a possessive case has the following structure:

Noun (numeral/pronoun) in the possessive case + noun

However, there are also cases when a noun in the possessive case is not followed by another noun. In such a case, we are dealing with absolute possessive case(Absolute genetive). It is used in several cases:

• to avoid repetition (tautology)

Our car is faster than Peter’s.

• after the preposition of

A friend of my mother’s, a cousin of my husband’s

• for names of stores, places and other establishments

At the butcher’s, at the baker’s, at Timothy’s, at my uncle’s

St. Paul's (Cathedral), St. James's (Palace)

Double genitive

It is rare to find a noun defined by two consecutive phrases in the possessive case:

• My mother’s father’s people – people of my mother’s father
• The boy’s half-hour’s run – a boy’s half-hour run

This phenomenon is called the double possessive case - Double Genitive.

And numerals, which serve to connect words in a sentence. But their own cases in English, which are variants of the same word (word form), still exist. Fortunately, there are only 3 of them: objective, subjective and possessive. Let's talk about each one of them. C"mon.

Subjective and objective cases in English

To understand the concept of the objective case, we will have to go back in time and remember a little school course Russian language. We all remember that the subject is a word in the nominative case. As for the rest of the nouns and pronouns in the sentence, they will most often be objects. In English everything follows the same principle. A pronoun or noun is either the subject ( subject), or an addition ( object). Recall that the subject answers the question “who?” So what"? ( nominative). It's easy to guess that subject will stand in subjective case, A additions- V objective case.

A man saw a dog near a building.

IN this proposal there are 3 nouns: a man,a dog and a building.
First place, as always, is subject for which it is used subjective case in English. Followed by addition a dog, which, accordingly, is in objective case. As can be seen from the example, the form of the noun has not changed.

Object case for pronouns

With nouns everything is simple - they do not change their form for both cases (subjective and objective). But pronouns have their own special shape in case they are not in the place of the subject:

I saw him, and he saw me.

Possessive case in English

If everything is more or less clear with the subjective and objective cases, since they correspond to the case forms of the Russian language, then we do not have the possessive case. We answer questions of belonging (“whose?”, “whose?”, “whose?”, “whose?”) with an adjective. And in English this function is performed by the category of case of nouns and pronouns.

However, the implementation of the possessive function will be different for nouns and pronouns.

To indicate ownership of nouns, use "" s“Moreover, the ending is added to the noun to which something belongs.

This is my mother's bag
This is mom's bag.

If noun ends with hissing or " s", then they simply add apostrophe :

I"ll take my parents" car.
I'll take my parents' car.

It should be distinguished possessive case «" s» from verb abbreviations « is» — «" s».

I like John's new blazer.

Whose new blazer is it? Jonah, that's why John's — possessive case noun John

I think John's right.

What is John doing? Is right, so John's — reduction from John is right.

Now let's look at some special cases of using the possessive ending "" s»:

• If the plural form of a noun ends not on « s", then we use the full version of the possessive ending - apostrophe + « s": mouse - mice. The main character is mice"s King.- The main character is the King of Mouse.
• In English there are compound nouns consisting of several words. As a rule, they are written with a hyphen. to such words "" s" is added after the very last word: We all waited for The-Boy-Who-Lived's speech.- We were all waiting for the speech of the boy who lived.

The possessive case is not animate nouns formed by the preposition “ of", not endings "" s" (the headquarter of the company). But there are exceptions for:

• Planets - Jupiter's size.
• Newspapers and organizations - Times's editor UNESCO's operation.
• Distances and times - ten meter"s height,a minute"s business.
• Seasons and months - summer's sadness July's hit.
• Cities and countries - Minsk's Main Square, Russian"s elite force.

Words like nature, ship, nation, country,car, water, city, boat, ocean and town - ship's crew, nation's pride car's engine etc.

Pronouns to express belonging also have their own form:

My son is the smartest in his class.
My son is the smartest in his class.

As can be seen from the example, after possessive pronoun must be a noun. However, pronouns have an absolute form, which allows them to be used without a noun or in a different position (not just in front).

He was a friend of mine.
He was my friend.

Where are your socks? -I don't know, but yours are there.
Where are your socks? - I don’t know, but yours are there.

That's all absolute forms of possessives pronouns:

Got me thinking... Who am I writing this to? It was not enough to become a schizo. I’d better go spin the slots ----------

Conclusion

Cases in English perform slightly different functions than in Russian. This can cause difficulties when translating and trying to express your thoughts. But there are only three of them, and the method of formation is easier than in the Russian language - you don’t need to remember the spelling of endings based on such complex concepts, as declension, gender and number.

To improve your usage skills English cases, as well as practice using them and clarify the remaining nuances, use the services of an online tutor. It's quick, simple and doesn't even require you to leave your home. Try it ;)

Big and friendly EnglishDom family

A moment like, occupies far from the last place in grammar textbooks. Without this theme, how can we talk about the ownership of something? You can still somehow deal with inanimate nouns, but what about in other cases? First things first...

Possessive case rules in English

As you already understood, Possessive case rules in English are needed to express the ownership of an object to a certain person. That is, today we will learn to say “friend’s house”, “wife’s letters” and so on. The following instructions will help you figure out what's what.

1. According to the standard rule, the ownership of an object is expressed by adding an apostrophe and –s to the animate person to whom the thing belongs.

For example: my sister 's powder - my sister's powder

2. If the object belongs to a plural noun (formed according to the rules, using –s), then you only need to add an apostrophe to this word.

For example: my sisters ’ house – my sisters' house

3. In cases where a noun forms the plural in a special way, it is recommended to adhere to the standard rule (apostrophe + -s).

For example: the children 's toys - children's toys

4. If in a sentence you need to name two persons to whom something belongs, then an apostrophe and –s are added to the last noun.

For example: Peter and Mary 's apartment – ​​Peter and Mary’s apartment

5. There are phrases with compound nouns. In this case, the apostrophe and –s It is recommended to add to the last part.

For example: my mother-in-law 's dog - my mother-in-law's dog

6. The rules of the possessive case in English usually apply only to animate nouns. That is, inanimate nouns are not friendly with an apostrophe + -s. The pretext we know will help here of.

For example: a piece of paper - a piece of paper

Possessive case in English. Examples

Agree, it’s not at all difficult to start using possessive case in English. Examples, which are presented below, will help you understand even better.