Grammar: A2 - ✨ Grammar Essentials: ✏️ Writing Mechanics - Expanding - Lesson 3: Punctuation: Apostrophe for Possession with plural nouns (the students' bags)

✨ Lesson 3: The Apostrophe for Possession (the students' bags)

In our last lesson, we learned to show possession for a singular noun by adding an apostrophe + s ( 's ), like "the student's book".

Today, we will learn how to show possession for plural nouns¹ (more than one). There are two simple rules to learn.

Rule 1: For Regular Plurals² ending in '-s' → Add only an apostrophe (').

This is the most common rule. If the plural noun already ends in 's', we do not add another 's'. We just add the apostrophe after the 's'.

• The books belong to the students → the students' books.
• The guesthouse is for the tourists → the tourists' guesthouse.
• The home of my parents → my parents' home.

Rule 2: For Irregular Plurals³ NOT ending in '-s' → Add 's.

For irregular plural nouns that do not end in 's' (like children, men, people), we use the same rule as for singular nouns: we add an apostrophe + s ( 's ).

• The toys belong to the children → the children's toys.
• The opinion of the people → the people's opinion.
• The clothes for men → men's clothes.

Summary: Singular vs. Plural Possession

This table helps you see all the rules together.

Noun	Meaning	Possessive Form	Example
student	One student	student's	The student's uniform is white.
students	Many students	students'	The students' uniforms are white.
child	One child	child's	The child's name is Lina.
children	Many children	children's	The children's names are Lina and Vuthy.

🧠 Practice Quiz: Write the Possessive Phrase

Use the possessive apostrophe to rewrite these phrases.

1. the recommendations of the tourists
   → the tourists' recommendations
2. the classroom for the students
   → the students' classroom
3. the meeting for the women
   → the women's meeting
4. the car belonging to my parents
   → my parents' car

📝 Homework: Correct the Sentences

Choose the correct possessive form for each sentence.

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1. My two (sister's / sisters') names are Leakena and Srey Mom.

2. The (child's / childrens') toy is on the floor.

3. Where is the (men's / mens') bathroom?

4. All of the (drivers' / driver's) tuk-tuks are parked outside.

Vocabulary Glossary

1. Plural Noun: (Noun) - នាមពហុវចនៈ (niam pohuvochna) - A noun that refers to more than one person or thing. ↩
2. Regular Plural: (Noun) - ពហុវចនៈធម្មតា (pohuvochna thoam'mada) - A plural noun that is formed by adding '-s' or '-es'. ↩
3. Irregular Plural: (Noun) - ពហុវចនៈមិនទៀងទាត់ (pohuvochna mĭn tieng'toăt) - A plural noun that does not follow the normal rules (e.g., child → children). ↩