The standard singular possessive form of process is process’s. E.g., “The process’s efficiency was remarkable.” However, the possessive form process’ is also commonly found in both British and American English. E.g., “The process’ outcome surprised everyone.”
The chart provides a helpful overview of the four forms of the words process:
| Form | Example |
| Singular | Process |
| Plural | Processes |
| Singular possessive | Process’s / Process’ |
| Plural possessive | Processes’ |
The regular singular possessive is process’s, although the alternative process’ is also common.
Here are some examples of the different terms in context:
Singular: Understanding the scientific process is crucial for students.
Plural: Researchers are exploring multiple processes to enhance productivity.
Singular possessive: The process’s impact on the environment was thoroughly studied.
Plural possessive: The processes’ variations led to diverse experimental outcomes.
Furthermore, many people also use the alternative form of the singular possessive. As shown in this example:
- “The process’ outcome exceeded expectations.”
However, the Chicago Manual of Style and the AP Stylebook both state that you should use process’s as the singular possessive form of process.
Perhaps you are still unsure how to use possessive forms of process? If that is the case, please keep reading the rest of the article to learn more about the rules and see more examples of the various forms of the term process.
Process’
The term process’ with no additional “s” is another singular possessive form of process. However, the version process’ is generally viewed as the least standard of the two forms.
Despite this perception, the term process’ is more common than process’s in British English and was more common in American English until the early 2000s.
- The process’ adaptability impressed the team.
In everyday writing, whether you choose to use process’ or process’s is your choice.
However, in AP Style and Chicago Manual of Style, you should use process’s instead because process is not a proper noun, so you do not omit the final “s.”
“The process’s effectiveness was evident in the results.”
Process’s
Process’s is the most correct grammatical singular possessive form of process.
It is also the version you should use for AP Style and the Chicago Manual of Style.
- “The process’s timeline was carefully outlined in the report.”
You use the term process’s to indicate something belongs to a process. However, in many cases, people often use process as an adjective or change the word order, which avoids using the possessive altogether.
As shown in these examples:
- The scientific process was explained step by step.
- The unique process characteristics fascinated the researchers.
Processes
The term processes is the standard plural form of process. Therefore, you use it to talk about several processes simultaneously.
You can specify the number of processes, for example:
- Companies implement various processes to streamline operations.
Also, you can refer to all processes in general or within a specific field.
For example:
- Understanding biological processes is fundamental to medical research.”
- Globalization has accelerated economic processes.
When you are referring to more than one process, you should take care that the word order is not possessive. In these cases, you need to use the plural possessive form.
- The processes’ efficiency was evident in the overall improvement.