Ampersand Lab

Intermediate grammar · Lesson 81 · B1

-'s (your sister's name) and of ... (the name of the book)

Use -'s for people and animals, of for things and ideas; either for organisations and places; and -'s with time words such as yesterday's paper and ten minutes' walk.

Start the lesson

18Steps · about 34 minutes

In this lesson

-'s for people and animalsA4 screens of questions
sister's or sisters'B1 screen of questions
of for things and ideasC1 screen of questions
Organisations and places: eitherD1 screen of questions
Time: yesterday's paper, a week's holidayE2 screens of questions
Put it together+2 screens of mixed questions

Point A of 5

-'s for people and animals

Use -'s mostly for people or animals. It can stand without a noun after it.

Avoid tacking -'s onto a long phrase: the dog of the woman who lives upstairs, not the woman who lives upstairs's dog.

Note also a woman's coat (a coat for a woman), a girl's name, a bird's nest.

  • Ryan's laptop isn't working. (not the laptop of Ryan)
  • How old are Chris's kids? (not the kids of Chris)
  • What's your sister's name?
  • Mind the dog's tail.
  • This isn't my scarf. It's my sister's.
  • my mate's mum
  • the dog of the woman who lives upstairs

Point A · Exercise 81.1 · part 1 of 4

In some of these sentences -'s or -s' is more natural. Write OK, or rewrite the part in bold.

  1. Example

    Who is the owner of this pub?

    OK

    AnswerWho is the owner of this pub?

  2. Example

    Where do the cousins of Leah live?

    Leah's cousins

    AnswerWhere do Leah's cousins live?

  3. Is this the coat of your brother?

  4. Sign your name at the bottom of the form.

  5. I've never met the husband of Lucy.

  6. What's the name of the dog of Tom and Mia?

Point A · Exercise 81.1 · part 2 of 4

In some of these sentences -'s or -s' is more natural. Write OK, or rewrite the part in bold.

  1. Nobody knows the reason for the delay.

  2. I can never remember the title of that film.

  3. The friends of your children are at the door.

  4. Do you know the price of the tickets?

Point A · Exercise 81.1 · part 3 of 4

In some of these sentences -'s or -s' is more natural. Write OK, or rewrite the part in bold.

  1. The garden of our neighbours is tiny.

  2. The hair of Dev is very long.

  3. My office is at the back of the building.

  4. I missed the wedding of my cousin.

Point A · Exercise 81.1 · part 4 of 4

In some of these sentences -'s or -s' is more natural. Write OK, or rewrite the part in bold.

  1. Kim is the sister of a woman I worked with.

  2. Did you like the house of the grandparents of Leo?

  3. What is the meaning of this phrase?

  4. What do you think of the plans of the council?

Point B of 5

sister's or sisters'

With a singular noun, -'s. With a plural noun ending in s, just an apostrophe: -s'. With a plural that does not end in s (men, women, children, people), -'s.

You can put -'s after more than one noun.

  • my sister's room (one sister)
  • Mrs Okoro's house
  • my sisters' room (two or more sisters)
  • the Okoros' house (Mr and Mrs Okoro)
  • the men's changing room
  • a children's book
  • Ben and Holly's children

Point B · Extra practice

Write -'s or -s' after the noun in brackets.

  1. My room is next to mine. (sister, one)

  2. My bedroom is huge. They share it. (sisters, two)

  3. The changing room is on the left. (men)

Point C of 5

of for things and ideas

Things and ideas normally take of. Position words always do: the start, middle, end of, the top, bottom of, the front, back, side of.

  • the depth of the pool (not the pool's depth)
  • the title of the film
  • the owner of the chip shop
  • the end of the month (not the month's end)
  • the top of the hill
  • the back of the bus

Point C · Extra practice

Write the words in brackets with of.

  1. I can't remember . (the title / the film)

  2. We sat at . (the back / the bus)

  3. The rent is due at . (the end / the month)

Point D of 5

Organisations and places: either

For an organisation (a group of people), -'s or of both work. Places take -'s happily too.

  • the council's decision
  • the decision of the council
  • the club's success
  • the city's parks
  • the world's population
  • Scotland's First Minister

Point D · Extra practice

Write the words in brackets with -'s.

  1. was to close the library. (the council / decision)

  2. is over eight billion. (the world / population)

  3. are lovely in spring. (the city / parks)

Point E of 5

Time: yesterday's paper, a week's holiday

Use -'s with time words: yesterday's, today's, tomorrow's, next week's, Monday's.

Also with periods of time, with -s' for plurals: a week's holiday, three weeks' holiday, ten minutes' walk.

  • Have you still got yesterday's paper?
  • Next week's quiz has been cancelled.
  • I've got a week's holiday from Monday.
  • Jen has got three weeks' holiday.
  • Our flat is close to the beach. It's only five minutes' walk.

Point E · Exercise 81.3

Write a new sentence beginning with the words given.

  1. Example

    The match on Saturday has been called off. Saturday's match has been called off.

    AnswerSaturday's match has been called off.

  2. The storm last week brought down a lot of trees. Last .

  3. The only swimming pool in the town has shut. The .

  4. The coastline of Cornwall is very rugged. Cornwall's .

  5. Tourism is the biggest employer in the town. The town's .

Point E · Exercise 81.4

Use the information to complete the sentences.

  1. Example

    If I set off at 9, I reach the coast around midday. The coast is roughly three hours' drive away. (drive)

    AnswerThe coast is roughly three hours' drive away.

  2. If I leave the office at 5.30 and walk to the station, I get there at 5.50. So the station is away. (walk)

  3. My course ends on 1 July and starts again on 1 September. So I've got . (holiday)

  4. The baby woke at 1 a.m. and finally settled at 4. So last night I lost . (sleep)

Put it together · Exercise 81.2 · part 1 of 2

Which is right? Write the correct form.

  1. Example

    Mind the dog's tail. (dog / dog's / dogs')

    AnswerMind the dog's tail.

  2. It's my birthday on Friday. (mother / mother's / mothers')

  3. Those look lovely. Shall we get some? (pears / pear's / pears')

  4. shoes are so expensive. (Children / Children's / Childrens')

  5. Glasgow is largest city. (Scotland / Scotland's / Scotlands')

Put it together · Exercise 81.2 · part 2 of 2

Which is right? Write the correct form.

  1. Your brothers and sisters are your aunts and uncles. (parents / parent's / parents')

  2. I took loads of in Cornwall. (photos / photo's / photos')

  3. This isn't my jacket. It's . (someone else / someone else's / someone elses')

  4. Have you read any of poems? (Burns / Burns's / Burnses')

Lesson 81 · Result

How you did

Next lesson: myself/yourself/themselves etc.Back to the course

–Right

Each point

A. -'s for people and animals–Not checkedB. sister's or sisters'–Not checkedC. of for things and ideas–Not checkedD. Organisations and places: either–Not checkedE. Time: yesterday's paper, a week's holiday–Not checkedPut it together–Not checked