POSSESSIVES Meaning and
Definition
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Possessives are a grammatical category that indicates ownership or possession of something or someone. They are used to show a relationship of belonging between the possessor and the object possessed.
In English, possessives are typically formed by adding an apostrophe followed by an "s" ('s) to the end of a noun, e.g., "John's car" or "the cat's tail." However, there are some exceptions and different forms are used depending on the ending of the noun. For example, if the noun already ends in "s," only an apostrophe is added, such as "Carlos' house" or "the girls' toys." Possessive pronouns, on the other hand, do not use an apostrophe and are used instead of a noun to indicate ownership, such as "mine," "hers," or "yours."
Possessives can also be used to show non-literal relationships of possession, such as time and location. For instance, "a week's time" or "the city's history."
While primarily used to show possession, possessives can also indicate other relationships, such as origin or composition. For example, "my mother's recipe" or "the book's author." They are an essential component of English grammar and are used in both written and spoken language to convey the relationships between people, objects, and ideas.
Common Misspellings for POSSESSIVES
Etymology of POSSESSIVES
The word possessives ultimately derives from the Latin word possessivus, which means concerned with possession. The Latin term is derived from the verb possidere, meaning to possess, which is composed of potis, meaning able or powerful, and sedere, meaning to sit. The Latin term possessivus was transformed into possessif in Old French and eventually adopted into Middle English as possessif. Over time, the term was pluralized to possessives.
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