* The dog wagged its tail excitedly. ("its" is the possessive noun referring to the dog)
* The children shared their toys. ("their" is the possessive noun referring to the children)
* That's my favorite book. ("my" is the possessive noun referring to the speaker)
* The company's profits were down this quarter. ("company's" is the possessive noun referring to the company)
Possessive nouns show ownership or possession. They can be formed in a few ways:
* Adding 's to a singular noun: "The dog's tail," "The boy's toy"
* Adding an apostrophe to a plural noun ending in s: "The students' desks," "The cats' food"
* Adding 's to a plural noun not ending in s: "The children's toys," "The men's hats"
* Using possessive pronouns: "my," "your," "his," "her," "its," "our," "their"