Grammar in focus
Form
| Noun | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | noun + 's | Maria's book · my brother's house · the dog's tail |
| Regular plural (ends in -s) | noun + ' | the boys' room · my parents' house |
| Irregular plural | noun + 's | the children's toys · the women's department |
| Name ending in -s | 's (or ') | Chris's phone · James's bag |
Use
- Possession and relationship: Tom's car, my sister's friend.
- Time expressions: today's newspaper, a week's vacation, two weeks' vacation.
- Shared possession: Maria and Juan's house (one house).
- Question: Whose bag is this? It's Ana's.
Things use "of"
the end of the movie · the door of the car · the capital of Mexico.
Watch out
- 's can also be is or has: Tom's coming (= is). Tom's got a car (= has).
- Don't confuse Whose (possession) with Who's (who is).
- The position of the apostrophe shows singular or plural: the boy's bike / the boys' bike.
En español
El genitivo sajón ('s) indica posesión: Maria's book = el libro de Maria. Plural regular: boys'. Plural irregular: children's. Para cosas se usa of.
US vs UK
This book teaches American English. These are the differences you will notice with British English on this topic.
British speakers often add 's for shops and offices (the doctor's). Americans usually say the doctor.
En Reino Unido se añade 's (the doctor's). En EE. UU. se dice the doctor.
Same possessive time pattern; fortnight is very rare in the US.
Mismo patrón; fortnight casi no se usa en EE. UU.
Americans usually write 's after names ending in s (Chris's). Both spellings appear in both varieties.
En EE. UU. se escribe 's tras nombres en s (Chris's).
Exam practice
- Five parts, like a certification exam: multiple choice, open cloze, error identification, sentence transformation and US vs UK.
- Typed answers accept American spelling and contractions (don't = do not).
- Every item has feedback in English and Spanish. Items and options change order on every attempt.
- Only Exam mode saves your score to your progress. You pass with 70%.
Practice mode
No timer. Check each part as you go and read the feedback.
Exam mode
25 minutes. Feedback at the end. Your best score is saved.