Possessive 's and Whose: Tom's Car, Whose Is This?
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 's to show who owns something and 'Whose' to ask about ownership.
- Add 's to a person: Tom's car.
- Use 's after the name: Sarah's book.
- Use 'Whose' for questions: Whose is this?
Overview
- Tom's car (the car belongs to Tom)
- my sister's phone (the phone belongs to my sister)
- the dog's bone (the bone belongs to the dog)
- the students' books (books belonging to the students)
- my parents' house
- Whose bag is this? — It's Maria's.
- Whose car is that? — It's my dad's.
- Tom's happy. (= Tom is happy — contraction of is)
- Tom's car is red. (= possessive — the car belongs to Tom)
Possessive Formation
| Owner | Apostrophe | Possessive Form |
|---|---|---|
|
Tom
|
's
|
Tom's
|
|
Sarah
|
's
|
Sarah's
|
|
The dog
|
's
|
The dog's
|
|
My friend
|
's
|
My friend's
|
|
The boss
|
's
|
The boss's
|
|
The cat
|
's
|
The cat's
|
Possessive vs Contraction
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Whose
|
Possession
|
Whose bag?
|
|
Who's
|
Who is
|
Who's there?
|
Meanings
The possessive 's indicates that a person or entity owns or is associated with an object. 'Whose' is the interrogative form used to inquire about ownership.
Possession
Indicating ownership of an object.
“John's phone.”
“The cat's toy.”
Inquiry
Asking about the owner of an item.
“Whose bag is this?”
“Whose keys are those?”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Owner + 's + Object
|
It is Tom's car.
|
|
Negative
|
It is not + Owner + 's + Object
|
It is not Tom's car.
|
|
Question
|
Whose + Object + is + this?
|
Whose car is this?
|
|
Short Answer
|
It is + Owner's
|
It is Tom's.
|
|
Plural Owner
|
Owners' + Object
|
The students' books.
|
|
Irregular Plural
|
People's + Object
|
The people's choice.
|
Spectre de formalité
The vehicle belongs to Mr. Smith. (Describing a car)
This is Mr. Smith's car. (Describing a car)
That's Smithy's ride. (Describing a car)
That's his whip. (Describing a car)
Possession Map
People
- Tom's De Tom
Animals
- Cat's Del gato
Whose vs Who's
Decision Flow
Is it a question?
Possessive Types
Singular
- • Tom's
- • Sarah's
Plural
- • Students'
- • Teachers'
Exemples par niveau
This is Tom's car.
Este es el coche de Tom.
Whose is this?
¿De quién es esto?
It is Sarah's book.
Es el libro de Sarah.
Is this John's pen?
¿Es este el bolígrafo de John?
Whose phone is ringing?
¿De quién es el teléfono que suena?
My brother's dog is big.
El perro de mi hermano es grande.
Whose keys are these?
¿De quién son estas llaves?
That is the teacher's desk.
Ese es el escritorio del profesor.
Whose idea was this project?
¿De quién fue la idea de este proyecto?
The company's policy is clear.
La política de la empresa es clara.
I found someone's wallet.
Encontré la billetera de alguien.
Whose turn is it to drive?
¿A quién le toca conducir?
The government's decision surprised everyone.
La decisión del gobierno sorprendió a todos.
Whose responsibility is this task?
¿De quién es la responsabilidad de esta tarea?
It is a matter of the artist's choice.
Es una cuestión de elección del artista.
Whose perspective should we consider?
¿La perspectiva de quién deberíamos considerar?
The nation's future depends on today's youth.
El futuro de la nación depende de la juventud de hoy.
Whose narrative are we following?
¿La narrativa de quién estamos siguiendo?
The scientist's hypothesis was proven correct.
La hipótesis del científico fue probada correcta.
Whose authority is being challenged?
¿La autoridad de quién está siendo cuestionada?
The poem's imagery evokes a sense of loss.
La imaginería del poema evoca una sensación de pérdida.
Whose legacy will endure the test of time?
¿El legado de quién perdurará la prueba del tiempo?
The organization's structure is inherently hierarchical.
La estructura de la organización es inherentemente jerárquica.
Whose interpretation of the law prevails?
¿La interpretación de la ley de quién prevalece?
Facile à confondre
They sound identical.
Both use s.
Apostrophe placement.
Erreurs courantes
Toms car
Tom's car
Whose is he?
Who is he?
The car of Tom
Tom's car
Who's book is this?
Whose book is this?
The dogs's bone
The dog's bone
Whose are these keys?
Whose keys are these?
It is my friends house
It is my friend's house
The childrens' toys
The children's toys
Whose the owner?
Who's the owner?
The house of my friend's
My friend's house
The boss' office
The boss's office
Whose to blame?
Who's to blame?
The company's' assets
The company's assets
Structures de phrases
This is ___'s ___.
Whose ___ is this?
It is my ___'s ___.
The ___'s ___ is very ___.
Real World Usage
Check out my friend's new photo!
Whose turn is it?
I understand the company's goals.
Whose bag is this?
It's the customer's order.
Whose notebook is this?
Names ending in S
Whose vs Who's
Plurals
Inanimate objects
Smart Tips
Be consistent. Pick either 's or ' and stick to it.
Check if you mean 'who is'. If so, use Who's.
Remember the apostrophe goes after the s for plurals.
If it sounds awkward with 's, use 'of'.
Prononciation
Sibilant endings
If the name ends in an 's' sound, add an 'iz' sound.
Question intonation
Whose bag is ↗this?
Rising pitch at the end for questions.
Mémorise-le
Moyen mnémotechnique
Apostrophe S shows who owns the mess!
Association visuelle
Imagine a tiny apostrophe acting like a hook, grabbing the object and pulling it toward the owner.
Rhyme
Add an apostrophe and an S, to show who owns the success.
Story
Tom lost his car keys. He asked, 'Whose keys are these?' Sarah said, 'They are Tom's keys.' Now Tom is happy.
Word Web
Défi
Look at 5 items in your room and say out loud: 'This is [Name]'s [Item]'.
Notes culturelles
Americans use 's very frequently for almost everything.
British English often uses 'of' for inanimate objects more than Americans.
Australians often shorten names and add 's to them.
The 's is a remnant of the Old English genitive case ending -es.
Amorces de conversation
Whose phone is that?
Whose turn is it to speak?
Whose opinion do you value most?
Whose legacy will be remembered?
Sujets d'écriture
Erreurs courantes
Test Yourself
This is ___ (Tom) car.
___ is this bag?
Find and fix the mistake:
The dogs's bone is here.
The car of Sarah.
A: Whose keys are these? B: They are ___.
is / car / Tom's / this
Whose / Who's
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Score: /8
Exercices pratiques
8 exercisesThis is ___ (Tom) car.
___ is this bag?
Find and fix the mistake:
The dogs's bone is here.
The car of Sarah.
A: Whose keys are these? B: They are ___.
is / car / Tom's / this
Whose / Who's
Tom / Car
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
Mostly yes, but for inanimate objects, 'of' is often safer in formal writing.
You can add 's or just an apostrophe. Both are accepted.
No, you can use it for anything you are asking about.
It is a contraction of 'who is'. It has nothing to do with possession.
If the plural ends in s, just add an apostrophe: Students'.
Yes, 'Today's news' or 'Yesterday's meeting' are very common.
Yes, the core rule is universal across English-speaking countries.
Confusing 'Whose' and 'Who's'.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
de
English puts the owner first.
de
English uses a suffix.
Genitive case
German has more complex case endings.
no
English uses an apostrophe.
Idafa
English uses a clitic.
de
English is a suffix-based system.
