1.7
Possessive Nouns
OBJECTIVES • To identify and use possessive nouns • To form singular and plural possessive nouns
DAILY MAINTENANCE Assign Practice Book page 3, Section 1.7. After students finish, 1. Give immediate feedback. 2. Review concepts as needed. 3. Model the correct answer. Pages 4–5 of the Answer Key contain tips for Daily Maintenance.
WARM-UP As a class, brainstorm a list of 20 classroom objects students can see from their desks. Ask the question “Whose is it?” about each object and write the answer on the board. As an example, begin with eraser and the teacher’s eraser. If students use possessive pronouns such as our soccer field, have them rewrite the possessive pronouns as possessive nouns, such as the students’ soccer field. Then repeat the activity, switching the singular nouns to plural and the plural nouns to singular.
noun. Leave the chart on the board to use with Exercise 2.
PRACTICE EXERCISES 1 & 4 As students identify possessive nouns, have them tell whether the noun is singular possessive or plural possessive. Have students explain how they know. EXERCISE 2 Have volunteers add the words in the exercise to the chart on the board. Remind students that certain words, such as sheep, are spelled the same in the singular and the plural form, and so the
1.7
Possessive Nouns
The big pyramid was actually a ruler’s tomb.
To form the singular possessive, add -’s to the singular form of the noun. My friend’s report was on ancient Egypt.
To form the possessive of plural nouns ending in s, add an apostrophe only. The kings’ tombs held their mummies. Archaeologists’ work has uncovered the secrets of ancient Egypt.
To form the possessive of plural nouns that do not end in s, add -’s. Women’s influence on ancient Egyptian government was often great.
The possessive of proper nouns ending in s is usually formed by adding -’s. Alexandria Parsons’s book on ancient Egypt has fun activities for kids.
The possessive of compound nouns is formed by adding -’s to the end of the word. My brother-in-law’s vacation to Egypt was full of adventures. My brothers-in-law’s vacations were two months apart.
TEACH
14 • Section 1.7
EXERCISE 3 As students work, help them determine whether each noun should be singular possessive or plural possessive. Then have them use the rewritten phrase in a sentence. Invite volunteers to share some of their sentences.
A possessive noun expresses possession or ownership. In this sentence the tomb belonged to a ruler. The word ruler’s is a possessive noun.
Read from a piece of writing that the class is currently reading. Emphasize the possessive nouns.
Read aloud the definition of a possessive noun and the example. Begin a chart on the board with the headings Singular, Singular Possessive, Plural, and Plural Possessive. Have volunteers read aloud the rules for writing the possessive forms of nouns. After each rule is read, have a volunteer use the examples to fill in the chart on the board. Point out that the plural of a noun must be formed before an apostrophe is added to make a plural possessive
singular and plural possessive forms will be spelled the same. Also remind students that words such as woman and child have irregular plural forms. Have students check a dictionary if they are unsure of the plural form of a word. Leave the chart on the board to use during the Cooperative Learning Teaching Option.
EXERCISE 1 Identify the possessive noun in each sentence.
1. King Tut’s tomb was discovered in 1922. 2. Howard Carter’s discovery was one of the most important archaeological finds ever made.
3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
The archaeologist’s labors paid off after seven years. Lord Carnarvon’s funding allowed the excavation to continue. The Egyptian laborers’ patience also helped uncover the tomb. Surprisingly, the ruler’s tomb and mummy were intact. Tomb robbers’ attempts to take major objects had failed. The amazing discovery captured people’s imagination. The world’s attention was focused on the tomb. Historians’ views of the find revealed their complete awe.
Mask of Tutankhamen
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Section 1.7