The term goose’s is the singular possessive form of goose. E.g., “The goose’s eggs hatched this morning.” Furthermore, geese’s is the plural possessive of goose. E.g., “Geese’s migration routes are often hundreds of miles long.” Also, the word geeses’ is incorrect grammar, and you should not use it.
The following chart shows the correct forms of the word goose.
| Singular | Goose |
| Plural | Geese |
| Singular possessive | Goose’s |
| Plural possessive | Geese’s |
As you can see, the word goose does not have a standard plural form because there is no “s” at the end of the word, as with most plurals. Instead, goose becomes geese in the plural form.
Due to this plural form, the word goose also doesn’t have a standard plural possessive. We form the plural possessive of goose by adding an apostrophe and “s” to geese.
The following sentences show the different forms of goose in context.
- Singular: The goose attacked the little boy to protect its young.
- Plural: People often believe that geese are aggressive animals.
- Singular possessive: A goose’s egg is larger than a chicken or duck egg.
- Plural possessive: Geese’s fatty layer provides insulation in cold weather.
Additionally, the word geeses’ is incorrect because the plural form of goose does not have an “s” at the end.
Now, keep reading the rest of the page to find out more about using the different forms of the word goose.
Goose’s
The word goose’s is the singular possessive form of the word goose. That means you use it when you want to indicate that something belongs to one goose.
It can be a physical part of the goose, as shown in this example:
- The goose’s eye was hurt because it got trapped in some wire.
In addition, you can use it to refer to the actions or temperament of a goose.
- The goose’s aggressive behavior scared the children.
- The goose’s bite made my daughter’s finger bleed.
Geese’s
The term geese’s is the plural possessive form of the word goose. Therefore, you should use it when you want to say that things belong to more than one goose.
The fact that geese does not have an “s” like most plurals means that the plural possessive is slightly different from standard plural possessives.
You can use geese’s to refer to something belonging to several geese, as shown in this example:
- The geese’s nest was in some trees on a lake island.
Furthermore, you can also use it to refer to all geese, as shown in the following example:
- Geese’s thick plumage keeps them warm in winter.
Geeses’
The word geeses’ is wrong, and you should not use it in any piece of writing.
Although other plural possessive words have an apostrophe at the end, geese is different because the plural form has no “s.”
Therefore, the correct plural possessive form is geese’s rather than geeses’.
- Correct: The geese’s habitat is on an uninhabited island.
- Incorrect: The geeses’ habitat is on an uninhabited island.