Topic Four (1.4): You and your family

In this topic you will learn about words used for different family members and how to use the possessive apostrophe ‘s and s’ when writing about something that belongs to one, or more than one, person or thing.

Please work through the following sections in your coursebook, completing all listed exercises:

How many words for family members can you remember? In 30 seconds see how many words you can think of.
Page 26, Exercise 1 – In the box there are words used for different family members. Match these words to the definitions a to h.
Page 26, Exercise 2 – We often use more informal words for members of our family. Look at the words in the box. Who do they refer to? Some words refer to the same relative.
Page 26, Exercise 3 – Write the answers to the questions a to h. Read the Use of English Apostrophes ‘s and s’ box on page 27 to help you correctly use the possessive apostrophe. Once you have completed answering the questions read the questions and your answers out loud.
Page 27, Exercise 4 – Put the apostrophes in the right position in sentences a to f. Look again at the Use of English Apostrophe ‘s and s’ box before you start this exercise. Pay particular attention to the difference between apostrophe s (‘s) and s apostrophe (s’)
Page 27, Exercise 5 – Listen to track 06. Answer the questions a to f. You can listen to the track more than once. Once you have completed all your answers, check that your apostrophes are in the correct place.

LISTEN – Track 06

Page 27, Exercise 6 – Imagine that you have had an email from a distant relative who is researching your family history. Look at the New Message box in Exercise 6 for examples of questions you could be asked. Write your reply. You can use the examples in the Reply box in Exercise 6 to help you write your answer. You can also use the vocabulary in Exercises 1 and 2, as well as the expressions used in Exercise 4 to help you.

To build your vocabulary related to the family, watch the video below and make a note of any phrases that are relevant to you and which you would like to use.

WATCH – Talking about your family in English (British Council)

Test how many English words you know for family members by completing the interactive crossword below. Remember to check your answers afterwards.

In this lesson, you have been introduced to the use of apostrophes ‘s and s’ in English. These are used to indicate possession and can be confusing.

In English, you usually show that something belongs to someone by adding ‘s to a noun or the name of a person, e.g., My mum’s car is over there. Jane’s bag is on the chair.
We can also add ‘s to a noun referring to an animal, e.g. the parrot’s
‘s is also used to show that something belongs to a group of people or institution, e.g., It’s the town hall’s responsibility to ensure that the car park is well maintained.
‘s is also used after nouns and names referring to places, e.g., Madrid is Spain’s largest city.
If a person’s name ends with s, we can put an apostrophe after the final letter, e.g., Lewis’ hat is blue.
When a plural noun ends in s, we only use the apostrophe to make the possessive and we place it after s, e.g., My parents’ house is huge.

You can practise the use of ‘s and s’ here:

Watch the video about the possessive apostrophe. This is a complicated area of grammar, so take your time.

WATCH – Apostrophe Trick (YouTube)

If you would like to check your answers to the exercises in this topic, please consult this document here. Download here.
The section with the answers is highlighted in yellow.
If you would like to access the audioscript(s) for this topic, please click here. Download here.