Hello there! As an expert in the field of English grammar, I'm here to help you understand the intricacies of possessive forms, particularly focusing on the possessive form of the word "parents."
When we talk about possessive forms in English, we're discussing how to show ownership or a close relationship between two entities. In the case of "parents," we're looking at a plural noun that signifies more than one parent. The rules for forming possessive forms in English can be a bit tricky, but I'll break it down for you step by step.

Firstly, it's important to note that the possessive form is used to indicate that something belongs to or is associated with someone or something. For singular nouns, we typically add an apostrophe followed by an "s" ('s). However, when dealing with plural nouns that already end in "s," the rules are slightly different.

For plural nouns ending in "s," we generally add an apostrophe after the "s" to form the possessive case. This is because adding another "s" might make the word sound awkward or be difficult to pronounce. In the case of "parents," since it's a plural noun that ends in "s," we follow it with just an apostrophe to indicate possession. Thus, the possessive form of "parents" is "parents'."

Let's look at a few examples to illustrate this:

1. The parents' car: Here, we're indicating that the car belongs to both parents together.
2. The parents' decision: This suggests that the decision is made collectively by the parents.
3. The parents' children: This phrase indicates that the children are the offspring of the parents.

Now, if you're referring to something that belongs to one specific parent, and that parent is also plural (like "the boys" or "the girls"), you would still add the apostrophe after the "s" to show possession. For example:

1. The boys' room: This means the room belongs to the boys collectively.
2. The girls' toys: This suggests that the toys are owned by the girls as a group.

It's also worth mentioning that when you're talking about a singular noun that indicates a group or a family, you would still add an apostrophe and an "s" to form the possessive. For instance:

1. The Johnsons' house: Here, "Johnsons" is a plural form of the surname, indicating a family, and the possessive form is "Johnsons'."

In summary, the possessive form of "parents" is "parents'" when you're referring to something that belongs to both parents or a group of parents. If you're talking about a singular noun that represents a group, you would add an apostrophe and an "s" to form the possessive.

I hope this explanation clarifies the concept of possessive forms in English, particularly for the word "parents." If you have any more questions or need further clarification, feel free to ask!

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Then we add "s" as needed. (Here, we don't need the final "s" because parents is plural noun that ends in "s.") The result is parents'. If the friendship "belongs" to one parent: The parent has the friendship, so we immediately follow parent with the apostrophe.Sep 20, 2011read more >>