Saxon Genitive ('s) vs Of Exercises

English has two main ways to show possession: the Saxon genitive (using 's) and the of structure. Use 's with people and animals: 'Maria's brother,' 'the dog's lead.' Use 'of' with things and abstract ideas: 'the colour of the wall,' 'the end of the road.' This is the basic rule, and it works for most situations. Time expressions are an important exception — they use 's even though they are not people: 'today's meeting,' 'yesterday's news,' 'a week's holiday.'

Some fixed phrases also break the general rule: 'the world's population,' 'London's museums,' and 'the company's decision' all use 's with non-human nouns. In these cases, English treats the noun as if it has a personality or identity. When a noun ends in -s (a plural or a name like James), you can write either 'James's car' or 'James' car' — both are accepted. The important thing is to be consistent within the same piece of writing. Learning when to use 's and when to use 'of' will make your English sound more natural and is frequently tested in Cambridge A2 and B1 examinations.