Possessive Nouns
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Skill: Writing singular and plural possessive nouns
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About this worksheet
A possessive noun shows that something belongs to someone. Instead of writing "the tail of the cat," we can write "the cat's tail." The apostrophe is small, but where it goes changes the meaning: the girl's kite belongs to one girl, while the girls' kites belong to more than one. This third-grade worksheet practices both kinds of possessive nouns in three short parts.
In Part A, students rewrite phrases where one person or thing owns something, such as "the desk of the teacher," by adding an apostrophe and s: the teacher's desk. In Part B, the nouns that own something are plurals that already end in s, such as birds and players, so students add only an apostrophe: the birds' nests. Part C covers irregular plural nouns that do not end in s, such as children, mice, and geese. These words get an apostrophe and s, just like singular nouns: the children's books.
How to use it: teach a simple two-question routine. First, ask, "Who or what owns something?" Then ask, "Does that word already end in s?" If it does not, add 's. If it is a plural that ends in s, add just the apostrophe. Remind students that possessive nouns are different from plural nouns. Plurals mean more than one and do not use an apostrophe at all. Reading each finished phrase aloud helps students check that it makes sense.
The answer key shows every phrase written with the correct possessive noun. This worksheet supports Common Core standard L.3.2.d (form and use possessives). Review our Plural Nouns worksheet first, and pair this sheet with our Contractions worksheet, since both use apostrophes.