Question 1

How can I tell if 's means is, has, or possession?

Accepted Answer

Look at what comes after the 's to decide its meaning. If 's is followed by an adjective ("She's happy"), a noun phrase with "a" or "the" ("He's a teacher"), or an -ing form ("Tom's cooking dinner"), it usually means "is." If 's is followed by a past participle like "been," "gone," "finished," or "done" ("She's been abroad"), it usually means "has." If 's is followed by a noun that belongs to the person ("Maria's bag," "the teacher's desk"), it shows possession. Reading the full sentence makes the meaning clear — in most cases, only one interpretation makes sense.

Question 2

When does 's mean has in a sentence?

Accepted Answer

The 's means "has" when it appears before a past participle, forming a present perfect sentence. Common examples include "She's gone home" (she has gone), "He's finished the report" (he has finished), and "The train's already left" (the train has already left). You can confirm this by expanding the contraction: if "has" makes a grammatically correct sentence, that is the intended meaning. This use of 's is very common in spoken English but less common in formal writing, where "has" is usually written in full. Cambridge A2 and B1 exams test this pattern regularly.

Question 3

Do all nouns use 's for possession?

Accepted Answer

Most nouns can use 's for possession, but there are important patterns to know. People and animals commonly take 's: "the girl's phone," "the cat's toy." Time expressions also use 's: "today's news," "last week's meeting." However, for things and abstract ideas, English often prefers "of" instead of 's: "the colour of the wall" sounds more natural than "the wall's colour." Some fixed phrases break this pattern — "the world's population" and "London's parks" are both widely accepted. As a general guide, use 's for people, animals, and time, and use "of" for objects and abstract ideas.

Apostrophe S: Has, Is, or Possessive?

Quick Rule

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-ed vs -ing Adjectives

Conditionals

Present Perfect

Reported Speech

Passive Voice

Past Simple