PE-75: Possession: 's, s' and of
Where the apostrophe goes, when to use 'of' instead, and the one place you must never put an apostrophe at all.
PE-75: Possession: 's, s' and of
Uzbek marks possession with one clean suffix: Alining kitobi. English gives you two competing tools — 's and of — plus an apostrophe that moves depending on whether the owner is singular or plural. And it hides one trap that even native speakers fall into daily.
In this lesson you will learn
- Where the apostrophe goes: 's or s'
- When to use of instead
- The shop and home shortcut: at the doctor's
- The trap: never use an apostrophe to make a plural
1. Where the apostrophe goes
| Owner | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| singular | 's | the boy's book (one boy) |
| plural ending in -s | s' | the boys' books (several boys) |
| irregular plural | 's | the children's toys |
| name ending in -s | 's or ' | James's car / James' car |
| two owners together | last one only | Jasur and Afsona's house |
My sister's room is small, but my sisters' rooms are both big.
Opamning xonasi kichkina, lekin opalarimning xonalari ikkalasi ham katta.
One sister vs several sisters — the apostrophe's position is the only clue.
2. 's or of?
Use 's for…
- people: my father's car
- animals: the dog's tail
- time: today's lesson, a week's holiday
- places & groups: Uzbekistan's history
Use of for…
- things: the door of the car
- parts: the end of the film
- long phrases: the name of the girl I met
- abstract: the beginning of the year
Afsona's notebook was on the table at the end of the lesson.
Dars oxirida Afsonaning daftari stolda edi.
With things, English often prefers a compound noun — two nouns side by side — over of: the car door, the kitchen window, a school bag. Remember from PE-15 that the first noun stays singular.
3. The shop and home shortcut
A lovely English habit: 's alone can mean somebody's shop, office or home. The noun disappears because everybody knows it.
I'm going to the doctor's. — We had dinner at my aunt's. — She works at the baker's.
Shifokorga boryapman. — Xolamnikida ovqatlandik. — U nonvoyxonada ishlaydi.
the doctor's = the doctor's surgery; my aunt's = my aunt's house.
4. The double possessive: a friend of mine
English has one more pattern that looks strange but is completely normal — possession marked twice, once with of and once with 's or a possessive pronoun.
She's a friend of mine. — He's a cousin of Afsona's. — That old car of my father's still works.
U mening doʻstim. — U Afsonaning amakivachchasi. — Otamning oʻsha eski mashinasi hamon yuradi.
Use it when you mean "one of several": a friend of mine = one of my friends.
She's a friend of me.
She's a friend of mine. / She's my friend.
5. The trap: never an apostrophe for plurals
The teacher's are in the staff room.
The teachers are in the staff room.
And the pair you met back in PE-5, which follows the same logic:
its = belonging to it (the dog wagged its tail) · it's = it is / it has (it's raining)
its — uning (narsa) · it's — bu ... dir
Possessive pronouns never take an apostrophe: its, yours, hers, ours, theirs.
6. Common mistakes
This is my brothers car. (one brother)
This is my brother's car.
The childrens' toys are everywhere.
The children's toys are everywhere.
The leg of the table's is broken.
The table leg is broken. / The leg of the table is broken.
The dog wagged it's tail.
The dog wagged its tail.
We stayed at my grandmother house.
We stayed at my grandmother's house.
Practice
1 Add the apostrophe: the students books (many students)
Show answer
the students' books. A plural already ending in -s takes the apostrophe after the s.
2 's or of: the roof ___ the house · my ___ friend bike
Show answer
the roof of the house (a thing) · my friend's bike (a person).
3 What does this mean? I'm going to the dentist's.
Show answer
To the dentist's surgery / clinic. The noun is left out because everyone knows what it is.
4 Correct it: We sell fresh apple's and orange's.
Show answer
We sell fresh apples and oranges.
Plurals never take an apostrophe.
5 What is the difference? (a) my sister's friends (b) my sisters' friends
Show answer
(a) I have one sister. (b) I have two or more sisters. One apostrophe, a whole family difference.
Key words — Kalit soʻzlar
- Possessionegalik
- Apostropheapostrof (')
- Ownerega, egasi
- Compound nounqoʻshma ot
- Rooftom
- Taildum
- To waglikillatmoq
- Staff roomoʻqituvchilar xonasi
- Surgery (doctor's)qabulxona
- Baker'snonvoyxona
🎯 Remember this
- Singular owner → 's · plural owner ending in s → s' · children → children's.
- 's for people, animals, time and places · of for things and parts.
- the doctor's, my aunt's = their place — the noun is left out.
- Never an apostrophe for a plural: two books, not
two book's. - Possessive pronouns take no apostrophe: its, yours, hers, theirs.