Are you curious whether to use 'business's or business' or businesses?' Don't worry, I am going to explain each to you.
Before we get started, here is a quick overview in case you are short on time:
If you are still confused or would like to learn more about how and when to use each form of business, keep reading!
Business's, business', and businesses' are all possessive forms of the noun business. The difference between them is that business's and business' are both singular possessive, and businesses' is the plural possessive form of the noun.
So, how do you know which singular possessive version to use?
Well, the truth is, it depends. In most cases, business's is preferable. However, in informal communications or texts that do not adhere to a specific style guide, business' is also acceptable.
Even after someone explains the difference between these possessive forms of business, knowing which to use can be confusing. So, here are some tips with examples.
So, if I was writing a casual email to a friend or family member, I might say:
Do you know the business' return policy? This outfit looks terrible on me.
Or:
Do you know the business' customer service number? I need to contact them about my order.
For example, you would write something like:
The business's rent was overdue, and the owner had no idea how he would come up with the money.
As an example, I might write:
The business's taxes were due, but the accountant was out sick.
Or:
The business' taxes were due, but the accountant was under the weather.
For example, you could write:
The businesses' proposals had to be submitted by January 31st to be considered for the contract.
To get a better understanding of the meaning of business's let's look at the definition of business.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines 'business' as a noun that means:
There is no specific definition for business's however, when you add an apostrophe s to the end of a singular word, it shows singular possession.
So, business's means that a single business possesses or owns something.
You just learned the definition of business, so let's look at how adding an apostrophe to the end without an s changes the meaning.
Business' means the same thing as business's. Both mean that one business has possession or owns something.
Businesses is the plural form of business. So, businesses' is the plural possessive form of the noun, meaning multiple businesses possess something.
The pronunciation of these three forms of business only confuses things. Nevertheless, here is a quick pronunciation guide you can reference.
biz-nuhs-iz
biz-nuhs-iz
biz-nuh-suhz
Now, read these sample sentences using each business version to ensure you know and remember how to use each possessive form.
Finally, let's quickly recap what you learned about the difference between business's or business' or businesses':
Remembering can be challenging even after learning what each of these words means and how to use them. So, if you need a reminder, you can always return to this page for a quick review of this lesson.
And if you want to improve your grammar and spelling skills, check out a few other guides before you go.
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