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# possessive

adjective (possessive, more possessive, most possessive); noun (the possessive — grammar)

«possessive» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Possessive means wanting to keep something or someone all to yourself and not wanting to share. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/possessive/#m1)
2. (grammar) Possessive words show that something belongs to someone, such as «my», «your», «his», «hers», «its», «our», «their», or a noun with an apostrophe and s, like «Sam's». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/possessive/#m2)
3. (noun, grammar) The possessive is the form of a word that shows owning. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/possessive/#m3)

### In the lessons

In grammar lessons, pupils learn the possessive apostrophe: the dog's bone (one dog), the dogs' bones (many dogs), and possessive pronouns and determiners. In everyday life and stories, a possessive friend gets jealous if you play with others, and a possessive dog guards its toy. Common phrases: «possessive apostrophe», «possessive pronoun», «possessive determiner», «possessive of», «get possessive».

### Examples

- The possessive apostrophe in «Mia's coat» shows the coat belongs to Mia. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/possessive/#x1)
- «Mine», «yours» and «theirs» are possessive pronouns. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/possessive/#x2)
- My dog gets very possessive about his ball. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/possessive/#x3)
- She was possessive of her new felt-tip pens. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/possessive/#x4)
- Add an apostrophe to make the possessive: the children's toys. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/possessive/#x5)
- A possessive friend may not like you having other friends. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/possessive/#x6)
- «Its» is possessive, but «it's» means «it is». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/possessive/#x7)

### Note

Grammar trap: «its» (possessive, no apostrophe) vs «it's» (it is). Possessive pronouns like «hers», «ours», «yours» never take an apostrophe. Plural nouns ending in s take the apostrophe after the s: the girls' changing room.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «possessive» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/possessive/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«possessive» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/possessive.html) on Mova free.