Question

Read the below sentence and rewrite in using possessive case appropriately:
Chess is the favourite game of both Paul and John.
a)Paul and John’s favourite sport is Chess.
b)Paul’s and John’s favourite sport is Chess.
c)Paul and Johns favourite sport is Chess.
d)Paul’s and John favourite sport is Chess.

Answer 1

Hint: Singular nouns are used to name one person, place, thing, or animals, whereas plural nouns are used to specify that there is more than one person, thing, animal, or place in a sentence.

Complete step-by-step answer:

 As given in the hint, there are two main nouns that specify the quantity of a noun.
Let’s look at the above-given sentence: We can understand that the sentence specifies two people who love to play chess. Here, we can see a link between the two nouns. Hence, we will only use the apostrophe with the second noun.
So, let’s form the possessive case of the plural and singular nouns to show possession of the noun:
    ● The possessive case of a singular noun is made by adding an apostrophe and a ‘s’ at the end of the word. Example- The teacher’s pet, my friend’s dog, etc.
    ● The possessive case of a plural noun is made by adding only an apostrophe when the noun ends in ‘s’, but we add both an apostrophe and a ‘s’ if the noun ends in any other letter than ‘s’.
Example- Students’ notebooks, ten weeks’ vacation, etc.
Let’s examine the given options:
a)This option is appropriate as it includes both Paul and John’s possession. Hence, it is the correct option.
b)The composition of the sentence is inappropriate, as both the nouns have been affixed with an apostrophe. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
c)There should be an apostrophe between ‘John’ and ‘s’. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
d)The apostrophe should be affixed with the second noun. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
The correct answer is Option ‘a’.

Note: It is important to remember the rules of apostrophes and possessive cases to avoid getting confused between the possessive case of plural and a singular noun.