Singular Possessives

Words that show ownership are called possessive nouns. An apostrophe (') is used to show the ownership.

Rule

1. To show possessive of singular nouns add 's.
   Example: 

   Nathan => Nathan's fault
   Mama => Mama's medicine bag
   the stranger => the stranger's coat
   Duffy => Duffy's tail

Practice -  Underline the word in each sentence which shows ownership.

1. If this man had Mama's locket, he must have seen Pa.
2. In the dawn light I saw Molly's face, pale with tiredness.
3. He wore cloth pants like Pa's trousers, but his shirt, leggings, and moccasins were fashioned of buckskin.
4. The moccasins were all prettied up with beadwork and some things that looked like they might be the stickers off a porcupine's back.
5. I felt numb from the long night of walking and the horrible truth about Ezra's silence.

Underline the word or words in each sentence which show(s) ownership. Place apostrophes where they belong in the sentences.

6. I grabbed Mollys hand and held on.
7. Duffy and Win ran past us and began joyously licking Pas face.
8. Pas left trouser leg was cut off, revealing a wound that circled around his calf.
9. I stroked Mollys hair and said, "Molly, Pa's not going to die."
10. He handed her Mamas locket and nodded his head toward Pa.
11. She used to bathe Mr. Thurstans wound.
12. While Molly and I watched closely, he took a cloth and washed Pas wound with the solution that Molly had made.
13. Something dangled from it, and I realized with horror that it was Ezras tongue.
14. In Weasels hand was Pas gun.
15. It did seem that Pas face was a more normal color, and the hectic red spots on his cheeks were gone.
16. He saved Pas life, it looks like, and then came to get us, to bring us here.

In the blank space write the possessive form of the word which is written in parentheses.

17. _____________  eyes grew large, and she made a face at me as Ezra took ashes from a bowl and mixed them with some of the cornmeal mush. (Molly)
18. While the pot simmered, Ezra removed the poultice from _____________  leg, and Molly bathed the wound again. (Pa)
19. I watched _____________  face as he looked at _____________  leg, but I couldn't read anything in it. (Ezra, Pa)
20. The X was _____________  house. (Ezra)
21. Then, while he pretended to be running again, _____________  legs suddenly buckled under him, and he fell to the ground. (Ezra)
22. What happened to _____________  gun? (Pa)
23. I could see the animal pens and _____________  small flower garden that Molly and I had tried to keep up. (Mama)
24. But looking down at it now, it looked like it was made from the little carved wooden toys Pa and Mama had bought for me from Isaac the _____________   sack. (Peddler)
25. _____________   answer had been long and complicated and had seemed to make him sad. (Pa)
26. I thought about Weasel cutting out _____________   tongue and killing Indians and poor settlers and Miz Tizz, too. (Ezra)

Write a sentence about the life of Miz Tizz. Use the possessive form of the word, Miz Tizz.

27. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
    
    ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
     

-----------Key-----------

1. If this man had Mama's locket, he must have seen Pa.
2. In the dawn light I saw Molly's face, pale with tiredness.
3. He wore cloth pants like Pa's trousers, but his shirt, leggings, and moccasins were fashioned of buckskin.
4. The moccasins were all prettied up with beadwork and some things that looked like they might be the stickers off a porcupine's back.
5. I felt numb from the long night of walking and the horrible truth about Ezra's silence.

6. I grabbed Molly's hand and held on
7. Duffy and Win ran past us and began joyously licking Pa's face.
8. Pa's left trouser leg was cut off, revealing a wound that circled around his calf.
9. I stroked Molly's hair and said, "Molly, Pa's not going to die."
10. He handed her Mama's locket and nodded his head toward Pa.
11. She used to bathe Mr. Thurstan's wound.
12. While Molly and I watched closely, he took a cloth and washed Pa's wound with the solution that Molly had made.
13. Something dangled from it, and I realized with horror that it was Ezra's tongue.
14. In Weasel's hand was Pa's gun. . .
15. It did seem that Pa's face was a more normal color, and the hectic red spots on his cheeks were gone.
16. He saved Pa's life, it looks like, and then came to get us, to bring us here.

17. Molly's
18. Pa's
19. Ezra's, Pa's
20. Ezra's
21. Ezra's
22. Pa's
23. Mama's
24. Peddler's
25. Pa's
26. Ezra's

27. Answers will vary.