Genitive Case in English | Examples & Tips
The genitive case in English is a grammatical form for nouns, determiners, and pronouns that have a possessive relationship with another noun. For example, the genitive case of “Ava” is “Ava’s” in the phrase “Ava’s car,” which shows that Ava owns the car. The possession can be literal or metaphorical (e.g., “our friend” or “the apartment’s balcony”).
English nouns in the genitive case have apostrophes (e.g., “Molly’s guitar”). Genitive case also includes possessive determiners (e.g., “her guitar”) and possessive pronouns (e.g., “The guitar is hers”).
| Possessive nouns | Possessive determiners | Possessive pronouns |
|---|---|---|
| The mayor’s Earth Day speech inspired us to plant a garden. | Your education is one of our main priorities. | The apartment above the bookstore used to be ours. |
| Diana’s backyard has a 300-year-old tree. | The iced mocha latte boosted her energy. | Aaliya just left, so this jacket must be hers. |
| All of my friends’ dogs are sweet and lovable. | Jude and Tracey are super busy because their kids all play sports. | The artists said that those designs are theirs. |
You can also use a noun phrase with “of” to show a possessive (or similar) relationship. For example, in “The balcony of the apartment was full of plants,” the balcony “belongs to” (or is part of) the apartment.
The following tips and examples show when the genitive case is necessary and how to use the different versions of the genitive case correctly.
Genitive case and possessive nouns
A proper noun (e.g., “Luca”) or common noun (e.g., “students”) needs to be in the genitive case when it has a possessive relationship with another noun in a sentence. To make a noun genitive case, add an apostrophe + “-s” or just an apostrophe if the noun already ends in “-s” (e.g., “Luca’s house” or “the students’ essays”).
Place the possessive noun right before the noun it owns if there are no other modifiers. If there are other modifiers for the same noun, the possessive noun always goes before them.
| Type of noun | What to add | Noun example | Examples in sentences |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singular noun that does not end in -s | Apostrophe + -s | owl | The owl’s huge yellow eyes were glowing in the dark. |
| Singular noun that ends in one -s | Apostrophe after the -s | cactus | The saguaro cactus’ natural habitat is in Arizona. |
| Plural noun that ends in -s | Apostrophe after the -s | teachers | There are free donuts in the teachers’ lounge. |
| Plural noun that does not end in -s | Apostrophe + -s | children | I heard the children’s loud and joyful laughter echoing through the park. |
- Linus’s blanket
- Linus’ blanket
- Mr. Burns’s money
- Mr. Burns’ money
You don’t need an apostrophe when a family’s last name is plural and not possessive (e.g., “the Goldbergs” for “the people in the Goldberg family”).
- The Goldbergs’ are so silly sometimes.
- The Goldbergs are so silly sometimes. [“Goldbergs” is plural and doesn’t need an apostrophe.]
- I’m eating shrimp parmesan at the Goldbergs’ house tonight. [The house belongs to all of the Goldbergs.]
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can instantly show you where to use apostrophes.
Genitive case and “of” phrases
Another genitive construction uses “of” to show that one noun belongs to (or is part of) another noun (e.g., “the cover of the magazine” versus “the magazine’s cover”). This genitive form is mainly used for inanimate objects and ideas but not living things (e.g., “my dad’s salsa recipe” not “the salsa recipe of my dad”).
The pattern of this wallpaper reminds me of the desert. [You could also say “this wallpaper’s pattern,” but likewise, it shifts the attention to “pattern” rather than “wallpaper.”]
Genitive case and possessive determiners
You can also show ownership with possessive determiners (also called possessive adjectives). The possessive adjectives for the genitive case are “my,” “your,” “her,” “his,” “its,” “our,” “their,” and “whose.”
These words refer to other nouns and have a possessive relationship with the next noun in the sentence (e.g., in “Jamar found his wallet,” the possessive adjective “his” refers to the noun “Jamar”).
Like a possessive noun, a possessive adjective goes before the noun it modifies. If there are other modifiers (e.g., adverbs and adjectives) that are part of the noun phrase, the possessive adjective goes before them. (It can also be a noun’s only modifier.)
Our exceptionally talented and creative niece wrote a play.
Kenzie didn’t get my message because her phone was turned off.
The car has dust all over its windshield.
Nick and Lorena were so excited when we visited their beautiful new house.
Genitive case and possessive pronouns
This use of the genitive case in English is not a modifier like possessive nouns and possessive determiners. Instead, a possessive pronoun replaces the possessor and the noun that it “owns” (literally or metaphorically). For example, in the sentence “The coffee cup in the sink is mine,” the possessive pronoun “mine” represents “my cup.”
The possessive pronouns in English are “mine,” “ours,” “yours,” “his,” “hers,” “theirs,” and “whose.” A possessive pronoun must have a clear antecedent (the person, place, or thing that it represents). For example, “hers,” must refer to a specific person who has been named earlier.
My husband’s sister lives in California, but mine lives in New York. [“Mine” stands for “my sister.”]
Malik said that the black wool blazer in the conference room is his. [“His” stands for “Malik’s blazer.”]
Common genitive case errors
The biggest challenge with the genitive case in English is when (and when not to) use apostrophes. To use genitive case correctly, watch out for these three errors:
- Unnecessary apostrophes in plurals
- Contractions where you need possessive adjectives
- Unnecessary apostrophes in possessive pronouns
Unnecessary apostrophes in plurals
Avoid using the genitive case for nouns that are plural but not possessive. If a noun is just plural, you don’t need an apostrophe (unless it’s a contraction like “don’t” for “do not”).
- My siblings’ and I watched a fascinating movie about unicorn’s.
- My siblings and I watched a fascinating movie about unicorns. [“Siblings” and “unicorn” are plural, not possessive.]
- The unicorn’s favorite food is cotton candy. [The apostrophe is correct because “unicorn” is possessive.]
Possessive determiners vs contractions
The possessive determiners “its,” “your,” and “their” don’t need apostrophes like possessive nouns do (e.g., “the company’s new CEO”). These genitive case determiners are commonly confused with contractions (shortened versions of two words) that sound the same:
Contractions have apostrophes to show that one or more letters have been omitted (e.g., “it’s” for “it is”). The only genitive case words that need apostrophes are possessive nouns (but not possessive determiners).
- The magazine is known for it’s beautiful photographs. [“It’s” is a contraction of “it is,” so it can’t be possessive.]
- The magazine is known for its beautiful photographs. [“Its” is the correct possessive adjective.]
- When are we going to celebrate you’re birthday? [“You’re is not correct because it’s a contraction for “you are.”]
- When are we going to celebrate your birthday? [“Your” is the correct possessive adjective.]
- The neighbors adopted they’re dog from a farm in rural Kansas. [“They’re” means “they are,” so it can’t “own” a dog.]
- The neighbors adopted their dog from a farm in rural Kansas. [“Their” is the correct possessive adjective.]
Unnecessary apostrophes in possessive pronouns
Finally, do not use apostrophes in the possessive pronouns (e.g., “hers,” “yours,” and “theirs”). Not all genitive case words have apostrophes, especially possessive pronouns.
- Rita said that the green coffee cup is her’s.
- Rita said that the green coffee cup is hers.
- I’m using the red deck of cards because the blue deck is your’s.
- I’m using the red deck of cards because the blue deck is yours.
Frequently asked questions about genitive case
- Is its possessive?
-
Its is a possessive adjective that means “belonging to it” (e.g., “The squirrel shook its tail”). Other possessive adjectives include
“my,” “your,” “her,” “his,” “its,” “our,” “their,” and “whose.”
Possessive adjectives do not have apostrophes like possessive nouns (e.g., “Shelly’s house” or “the dog’s blanket”). Possessives are also considered genitive case.
“Its” is sometimes confused for “it’s,” which isn’t a possessive but a contraction for “it is.”
The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you find and fix errors with possessive adjectives and other uses of the genitive case. It can also help you avoid errors with Its versus it’s.
- When do you use an apostrophe after an s?
-
An apostrophe is added after an “s” to create the possessive noun form of plural nouns (e.g., “the girls’ shoes”).
An apostrophe is also added after “s” for singular nouns that end in “s” and that have the same singular and plural form (e.g., “ethics’ importance”).
The plural form of other singular nouns that end in “s” is formed by adding an apostrophe and an “s” to the end of the word (e.g., “the princess’s friend”).
Some style guides recommend adding only an apostrophe after certain names ending in “s” (e.g., “Jesus’ followers”). However, adding both an apostrophe and an “s” is recommended by many style guides and reduces inconsistency, so we recommend doing that for all singular names (e.g., “Jesus’s followers,” “Iris’s money”).
- What is a compound possessive?
-
A compound possessive occurs when possession is expressed for two or more nouns that are joined by the conjunction “and.” The compound possessive can be written in two different ways depending on the intended meaning:
- Both nouns are written in the possessive form if the two entities possess two different things (e.g., “Jayden’s and Tessa’s bicycles”).
- Only the last noun is written in the possessive form if the different entities possess something collectively (e.g., “Lexi and Sam’s kids”).
- What is the possessive form of a name ending in s?
-
Names ending in “s” can follow the same rules as other singular nouns. The possessive is formed by adding an apostrophe and an “s” (e.g., “Rhys’s book”).
Some style guides, however, recommend adding only an apostrophe after certain names ending in “s” depending on whether an extra syllable sounds natural (e.g., “Jesus’ followers”).
To avoid inconsistency, we recommend adding an apostrophe and an “s” to all names (e.g., “Jesus’s followers,” “Mavis’s car”).
