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As a thank you for visiting my site, here’s a chance to sharpen your grammar and usage skills with the following FREE LESSON.

Mysterious Meanings of the Final “S”

One of the things about English that makes learners crazy is that the final “s” on words can mean so many different things. Both native and foreign language speakers are confused by this contradiction:

1. A final “s” or “es” on a noun (naming a person, place, or thing) makes that noun plural—two minutes, school buses

2. A final “s” on a verb (telling what the subject does or is) makes that verb singular—The puppy chases the ball.

Get It?

Add an “s” anywhere needed to make the sentence correct.

My father had four brother and three sister.

Mom had four sister and one brother.

My husband (have/has) two sister.

My husband and I (have/has) two kid.

He (believe/believes) in having no more kid than hand to hold them.

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3. However, an apostrophe + s (’s) added to a noun means something completely different: ’s shows ownership or possession by a single person, place or thing:

Jan’s father just turned 73.

Yosemite National Park’s facilities were upgraded last year.

The car’s windshield cracked when a rock hit it.

Sometimes instead of “possession,” it’s easier to think of one thing being a part of another, such as the windshield being part of the car.

Other languages, for example Spanish, use a different word order to show possession—

The kitchen of my mother was just remodeled.

The condition of the patient is stable.

The windshield of the car cracked when a rock hit it.

English can show possession or belonging by using this word order, too, but we usually prefer the ’s as a shortcut. The words in the sentence reverse order, “of” is omitted, and the ’s is used instead to show that the next item following the noun belongs to that noun:

Steven’s little apartment

the ocean’s dangerous rip-tides

the flag pole’s noisy, clanking rope

Remember, the possession may not be the next word, but the next thing after the ’s.

In the examples above, one or more descriptive words may come between the ’s and the thing possessed.

Get It?

Add an ’s if necessary to make the sentence correct.

Our water supply source is the Sierra Nevada snowfall.
The Sacramento reservoir water comes from the Sierra rivers.
California ability to store rainwater must be improved.
The Los Angeles River runoff could be redirected to other uses.
Our waste water, known as gray water, can be purified to drink safely.
Gray water appeal will be a hard sell; the public skepticism is deep.

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Apostrophe + s can also have another meaning. Examine the following:
She’s on her way now.
The team’s finished the project.
Dave’s not here.

All of these examples use ’s as a contraction—a short form adding a piece of the word “is” or “has” to a noun in front of it. Americans love to cut corners with language; the ’s contraction is used constantly in speech, and often in informal writing. More formal business writing would spell out the whole word:
She is on her way now.
The team has finished the project.
Dave is not here.

Get It?

Assuming an informal writing style, add ’s to make contractions of is or has where they are possible. Remember, we speak in ’s contractions, but only write them informally.

Many people believe that global weather is changing.
Glaciers are shrinking world wide.
The icecap is breaking apart as warmer seas melt it from below.
This summer has been hot, and the winter is expected to be colder than usual.
The sea level is rising in low-lying areas, but lakes and reservoirs are evaporating.
Our boat dock is now 30 yards from the edge of the lake.

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S + apostrophe is the most infrequent use of the final “s.” First write the noun as a plural; then make it possessive by adding the apostrophe after the “s.”

These examples use the s’ to make a plural possessive:
The singers’ voices blend together beautifully.
The doctors’ lunchroom serves healthful meals.
The boys’ soccer coach is a retired professional player.

Get It?

Add an s’ if necessary to make the word plural possessive. Some are correct as written.

Bees pollinate most fruit and vegetable crops.
The bees activity makes them invaluable.
But bees honey production has gone down 34% during the last six years.
Colony Collapse Disorder threatens the bees future.
Worldwide, the collapse of beehives endangers agriculture.

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NOTE: Irregular plurals such as “children” add an ’s to show possession because these words don’t already end in s. Show possession by adding an ’s the same way you would do with a singular noun, even though these exceptions are actually plural:

children’s mother
women’s restroom
teeth’s whiteness
men’s locker room

Get It?

Make these irregular plurals possessive.

The women shoe department is on the second floor.
Men friendships have different dynamics than women friendships.
My husband says the men restroom smells.
We went to see the children recital.
Children teeth have fewer cavities in areas with fluoridated water.

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Recap of s, ’s and s’, with some less common apostrophe uses:

1. To show possession, add an apostrophe and an s to a singular noun (name of a person, place or thing). That possessive noun now “owns” the next item following it in the sentence:

The show’s final episode disappointed many fans. (The episode is the “thing owned.” The word “final” just describes the episode; it is not the possession itself.)

2. With many terms, the placement of the apostrophe shows whether the noun is singular or plural.

Incorrect: Our goal is to protect our client’s privacy. (Only one client is protected.)

Correct: Our goal is to protect our clients’ privacy. (All clients are protected.)

3. When a word already ends in an s, add ’s OR only an apostrophe to make it possessive, depending on how the word looks and sounds. Either way is correct.

Mrs. Jones’s class is in Room 2. OR Mrs. Jones’ class is in Room 2.

James’s field goal won the game. OR James’ field goal won the game.

Note that possessive pronouns (e.g., his, theirs, its, yours) do not have apostrophes. The only exception is one's.

His announcement surprised no one.
We received our invitation last week; they are still awaiting theirs.
The dog licked its foot.
Today, one’s career may change five or more times throughout life.

Use an apostrophe in a contraction to indicate that a letter has been omitted.

We’re trying to renegotiate the contract.
Globalization began in the ’90s. (Note: Do not use an apostrophe between the 90 and the s to make ’90s plural.)

Always add an ’s to indicate possession when one noun in a comparison is omitted.

This year’s insurance premiums will be higher than last year’s.
(The words “insurance premiums” were omitted at the end of the sentence.)

Use an apostrophe to make plurals that could be confused with other words if no apostrophe were present.

Lily’s father is happy only when she is earning A’s.
Be sure you have dotted all your i’s.

Most plural nouns end in “s” (boys, hamburgers), but a few are irregular. Examples are teeth, mice, feet, children, men, and women). Other exceptions come from foreign languages such as Greek or Latin, and they follow the spelling rules from those languages. Examples include many criteria (but one criterion), a group of alumni (but one alumnus or alumna), a garden full of cacti (but one cactus), a wound filled with bacteria (but one isolated bacterium).

Check Yourself

A) Fill in the blanks to make the possessive form of the noun.

The (clinic) _______________ staff is knowledgeable and friendly.
Would you see if you can find her at the (nurse) ____________ station?
The (children) _______________ dentist has specially sized equipment.
That (pharmacy)______________ hours are 9:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m.
The (supplier) _______________ forms are easy to read.
All our (computers) ________________ hard drives need upgrading.
We care about our (customers) __________________ opinions.
Our (directory) _______________ index is easy to use.
The (medical center) ____________________ parking lot is too small.
All three (physicians) _______________ opinions are the same.

B) Add s, ’s, or s’ to the word(s) below the line to complete the sentence:

The company offers several different health (plan) _______.
The (Call Center) ____________________ staff speaks several (language) _____________.
Be sure to discuss both (medication) ___________ side (effect) _______ with the doctor.
Privacy (issue) _______ have become a hot topic with all medical (provider) ________.
Generic (drug) _____ are a less expensive option to name brand (pharmaceutical) ____________.
Health Care (concern) _________ are dominating the (nation) __________ attention.
The financial (dealing) ______ of all non-profit (organization) __________ must be above suspicion.

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Answers

Add an “s” anywhere needed to make the sentence correct.

Answers:

four brothers, three sisters
four sisters
has two sisters
have two kids
believes, kids, hands

back to lesson

Add an ’s if necessary to make the sentence correct.

Answers:

water’s supply, Sierra Nevada’s snow fall
reservoir’s water, Sierra’s rivers
California’s ability
Los Angeles River’s runoff
correct as is
Gray water’s appeal, public’s skepticism

back to lesson

Assuming an informal writing style, add ’s to make contractions of is or has where they are possible. Remember, we speak in ’s contractions, but only write them informally.

Answers:

weather’s changing
correct as is
icecap’s
summer’s been hot, and winter’s expected
sea level’s rising
boat dock’s now

back to lesson

Add an s’ if necessary to make the word plural possessive. Some are correct as written.

Answers:

Correct as is. Bees is not a possessive, just a plural. The same with crops. No apostrophe is necessary for either one because neither possesses anything.
bees’ (activity belongs to them)
bees’ (honey production belongs to them)
bees’ (future belongs to them)
Correct as is (Bee hives is a plural. The hives don’t own an “endangers”!)