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General English · A1

Whose and possessive ’s

Ask who owns something and show possession with a name or noun.

What you will learn

  • Ask whose something is.
  • Place the apostrophe with singular and plural owners.
  • Distinguish whose from who’s.

Narsa kimniki ekanini so‘rash uchun whose ishlatiladi. Egani ism bilan aytsak, ’s qo‘shamiz: Lola’s bag — Lolaning sumkasi.

Put the owner first, then ’s and the thing owned: my aunt’s house. A regular plural owner already ends in s, so add only an apostrophe: the girls’ room. An irregular plural without final s takes ’s: the children’s room. Whose asks about ownership, not who a person is.

Grammar Tables

On small screens, swipe tables sideways.

Owner + possession
OwnerAddExample
one person / bitta odam’sthe boy’s hat; Rano’s coat
regular plural ending in s’the boys’ hats; my parents’ car
irregular plural without s’sthe men’s shoes; the children’s books
two shared owners’s on the last nameAli and Lola’s house
Two question patterns
With the noun firstWith this/theseAnswer
Whose pen is this?Whose is this?It’s Kamol’s pen. / It’s Kamol’s.
Whose gloves are these?Whose are these?They’re my sister’s gloves. / They’re my sister’s.
Whose is not who’s
FormMeaningExample
whosebelonging to whom / kimningWhose bike is this?
who’swho is / kimWho’s that man?

Examples

Singular owner

My uncle’s flat is on the third floor.

Amakimning kvartirasi uchinchi qavatda.

Plural owner

The students’ classroom is upstairs.

Talabalarning sinfxonasi yuqori qavatda.

Irregular plural

The women’s coats are near the door.

Ayollarning paltolari eshik yonida.

Noun omitted in the answer

Whose scarf is this? It’s my mother’s.

Bu sharf kimniki? Onamniki.

One shared shop

Ali and Sara’s shop is closed.

Ali va Saraning do‘koni yopiq.

Common Mistakes

Avoid: the book of Lola

Use: Lola’s book

For a person’s possession, ’s is the usual natural pattern.

Avoid: my parents’s house

Use: my parents’ house

Parents is a plural ending in s; add only an apostrophe.

Avoid: the childrens’ toys

Use: the children’s toys

Children is already plural and has no final s before the possessive ending.

Avoid: Who’s bag is this?

Use: Whose bag is this?

Ask about ownership with whose. Who’s means who is.

Practice & Feedback

Practise freely. Scores stay on this page only and reset when you leave or reload. Feedback appears after checking each exercise.

1 · Show the owner

Choose the answer that fits the meaning and grammar.

1. The coat belongs to one boy / Palto bitta bolanikidir.
2. The car belongs to both parents / Mashina ota-onanikidir.
3. The toys belong to the children / O‘yinchoqlar bolalarniki.
4. The phone belongs to Malika / Telefon Malikaniki.
5. The bags belong to two women / Sumkalar ikki ayolniki.
6. The room belongs to several teachers / Xona bir nechta o‘qituvchiniki.
7. The shoes belong to one man / Tufli bitta erkakniki.
8. Ali and Rano share one café / Bitta umumiy kafe.
9. The room belongs to two sisters / Xona ikki opa-singilniki.
10. The bicycle belongs to my aunt / Velosiped xolamniki.

Answer every question to check this exercise.

2 · Whose or who’s?

Type only the missing word or words. Read the clue carefully.

1. ___ keys are these? They’re Odil’s. (whose/who’s)
2. ___ your new teacher? Mr Karim. (whose/who’s)
3. ___ bag is on the desk? My brother’s. (whose/who’s)
4. ___ at the door? My cousin. (whose/who’s)
5. Whose shoes ___ these? (be)
6. Whose jacket ___ this? (be)
7. The books belong to one girl: the ___ books. (girl + possession)
8. The bags belong to several boys: the ___ bags. (boys + possession)
9. The hats belong to the men: the ___ hats. (men + possession)
10. Whose pen is this? It’s ___. (Lola + possession)

Answer every question to check this exercise.

3 · Ask and answer

Choose the answer that fits the meaning and grammar.

1. Choose the correct question / To‘g‘ri savol.
2. Choose the correct plural question / Ko‘plikdagi savol.
3. Whose is this hat? It belongs to one sister.
4. Whose are these coats? They belong to my brothers.
5. In Rano’s hungry, ’s means…
6. In Rano’s lunch, ’s shows…
7. A room for several children / Bir nechta bola uchun xona.
8. Two books, one teacher owns both / Ikkala kitob bitta o‘qituvchiniki.
9. Two owners share one home / Ikki egaga tegishli bitta uy.
10. Choose a question about a person’s identity / Odam kimligini so‘rang.

Answer every question to check this exercise.

Review

  • One owner: ’s. Regular plural owner: s’. Irregular plural: ’s.
  • Whose asks ownership; who’s means who is.
  • Ask about two objects at home using whose.
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