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imene-hoc
What do ( s' and 's ) mean ?
May 19, 2013 3:16 PM
Answers · 9
4
1. The boy's book is red,. (One boy)
2. The boys' books are red. (Two or more boys)
3. She's a teacher. ( = She is a teacher)
4. He's eaten. (= He has eaten. We know that the word is "has" because "eaten" is a past participle.)
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5. The dog has a tail. The dog's tail is wagging.
6. The two dogs have tails. The dogs' tails are wagging.
7.It is Sunday. It's Sunday.
8. Mona has written a letter. Mona's written a letter.
May 19, 2013
3
's can mean two things.
It can be an abbreviated of is.
It's a rock. = It is a rock.
The wall's tall. = The wall is tall.
The garden's green. = The garden is green.
If there is an article or an adjective after 's, it's always this form.
's can also indicate possession:
John's cat = The cat the John has
The king's crown = The crown the king has
When there is a noun without an article directly afterwards, this is the meaning it usually takes. In third person plural (when an article is not compulsory), you have to use your judgement.
s':
The cat's fur = the fur the cat has.
If you're talking about cats in plural, then there is already is an 's' there anyway. When there already is an 's', you at the apostrophe after the 's'.
The cats' fur = the fur the cats have
The leaves' colour = The colour of the leaves
May 19, 2013
3
They can show possession. For example: The girl's shirt is blue. If the noun 'girl' is plural, you use s'. The girls' shirts are blue.
The 's can also be a contraction of 'is or 'has'. For example: He's my brother=he is my brother.
She's got two books= She has got two books.
May 19, 2013
hat daily planner was her's, not Soos Ramirez's.
October 7, 2021
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imene-hoc
Language Skills
Arabic, English, French, Hebrew
Learning Language
English, French, Hebrew
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