The term brother’s is the singular possessive form of brother. For example, “That is my brother’s motorcycle.” Also, the plural possessive is brothers’. For instance, “Those are my brothers’ laptops.” Finally, the plural version of brother is brothers, with no apostrophe. For example, “My brothers are both adventurous travelers.”
Overview of the four different forms of brother:
| Form | Example |
| Singular | Brother |
| Plural | Brothers |
| Singular possessive | Brother’s |
| Plural possessive | Brothers’ |
When discussing something belonging to just one brother, you need to put the apostrophe before the “s” at the end of the word. However, when discussing something belonging to more than one brother, you should put the apostrophe after the “s” at the end of the term.
Examples to highlight the difference:
Singular: I only have one brother, who is my role model.
Plural: I have five brothers, and each has a unique talent.
Singular possessive: That is my brother’s favorite restaurant.
Plural possessive: My brothers’ tastes in music are diverse. They enjoy various genres.
Please continue reading the rest of the article, where we explain in more detail how to use the plural and possessives of the term brother.
Brother’s
You can use the term brother’s to indicate that something belongs to a single brother. For these situations, you need to put the apostrophe between the “r” and the “s.”
Examples:
- He forgot to return his brother’s camera after borrowing it.
- I am helping organize my brother’s surprise birthday party.
- I found my brother’s notes on the kitchen counter.
- His brother’s passion for sports is contagious.
- Did you see the sculpture in my brother’s studio? It’s impressive!
- She inherited her brother’s love for cooking.
When using this singular possessive form, ensure that the item you refer to belongs to the brother. Items can be physical possessions, traits, or non-tangible aspects like personality or experiences.
Brothers’
The word brothers’ with the apostrophe at the end is the plural possessive form of the word brother.
Therefore, you can use brothers’ to refer to things that belong to two or more brothers.
Examples:
- My two brothers’ motorcycles are parked in the garage.
- Brothers’ joint efforts in the project resulted in success.
Always take care when using brothers’ that you are referring to a plural quantity of brothers.
More examples:
- I visited my brothers’ shared workshop over the weekend.
- The brothers’ collaboration in the tech industry was innovative.
- The brothers’ preferred vacation destination is the mountains.
- Their brothers’ perspectives often differ on social issues.
- Can you recognize the brothers’ laughter when they are together?
- The brothers’ combined skills in photography gained them recognition.
- It’s surprising, but the brothers’ birthdays are all in the same season!
- I borrowed the brothers’ cookbook; they have some delicious recipes in there.
- The brothers’ childhood memories were captured in a scrapbook.
- All of the brothers’ instruments are neatly arranged in the music room.
Now, let’s see how to correctly use brothers in a sentence.
Brothers
The term brothers is the plural form of brother. Therefore, you should not add an apostrophe when you write about brothers and do not mention something that belongs to them.
Examples:
- Next week I am meeting both of my brothers for a hiking trip.
- Next week I am meeting both of my brothers’ colleagues for the first time.
More examples:
- My four brothers are planning a camping expedition next month.
- The twin brothers pursued different artistic endeavors but remained close.
- The brothers formed a software development team and worked on innovative projects.
- Have you met the Anderson brothers? They are known for their community service.
- Many people assume brothers share everything, but mine have distinct hobbies.
- At the family reunion, the three brothers reminisced about their childhood adventures.
- Although the brothers grew up in the same household, they developed unique career paths.
- The movie depicts the bond and challenges of six brothers on a thrilling journey.
- Their bond is unbreakable; the brothers support each other through thick and thin.
- The brothers always have a special tradition they follow whenever they reunite after a long time apart.
