Possessive nouns are used to show ownership.

Read these sentences.

• The voice of Mrs. Cruz broke through the sound sleep of the children.

• The water reached up to the ankles of Mr. Cruz.

• They were able to save the reports of Elena in the computer.

• The losses of the family did not make them lose their faith in God.

The italicized phrases in the sentences show possession or ownership.

There is a shorter way of showing ownership.

Look at the italicized phrases in the following sentences.

• Mrs. Cruz's voice broke through the children's sound sleep.

• The water reached up to Mr. Cruz's ankles.

• They were able to save Elena's reports in the computer.

• The family's losses did not make them lose their faith in God.

Note how possession or ownership is expressed.

The possessive noun always comes before what it owns or has.

An apostrophe and an -s (-'s) are added to the name of the owner to show possession or ownership.