POSSESSIVE CASE

Examine the following sentences -

1. This is Madhur's mobile.

2. Was that your sister's bag?

3. My father's office is far from here.

In each of these sentences you can see a pair of nouns - one of which is the name of the possessor and the other the name of the thing possessed. 

A noun or pronoun used to show possession is said to be in the Possessive Case. 

In these sentences each of the nouns - Madhur's, sister's, father's is in the Possessive Case.

The Possessive Case is sometimes called the Genitive Case.

The Possessive answers the question  - Whose?

Whose mobile is this? - Madhur's

Now read the following sentences -

1. Giri's son is lazy.

2. The honey bee's sting is painful.

In these sentences the nouns in the Possessive Case are in the singular number, and the Possessive Case is formed by adding an apostrophe (') and (s)

Now Examine the following sentences  -

1. Many girls' books are stolen.

2. I saw rows of beggars' tents. 

As you see, the nouns in the Possessive Case are here in the plural number.

As the plural nouns themselves end in (s), only the apostrophe (') is used and not another (s).

1. The children's bats are broken. 

2. These oxen's humps are large.

In these sentences the nouns in the Possessive case are in the plural number but do not end in (s).

Therefore the apostrophe (') and (s) are used (as in the singular).

The Possessive Case is chiefly used when the Noun denotes some living thing.

Thus we say - boys bags, cat's legs, Bhavya' kurti.

When the Noun devotees anything without life, possession is generally expressed by the preposition of, followed by the Noun in the Objective case; as,

1. The leg of the chair ( not - the chair's leg )

2. The cover of the book ( not - the book's cover )