’s = IS or HAS

🔁 ‘S — Is or Has

Many learners get confused because ’s can mean three different things: Is, Has, or Possession. In this lesson we focus on ‘s for is or has.

🎯 Level: Beginner, Intermediate ⏱ Time: 5 minutes 📘 Category: Grammar

 
 

📚 ’s = IS

Use ’s = IS when it is followed by:

1️⃣ Adjectives

✅ John’s tired.
→ John is tired.

✅ The movie’s interesting.
→ The movie is interesting.

❌ John’s eaten tired. (wrong — adjective)

Use ’s = IS when it is followed by:

2️⃣ -ING verbs (present continuous)

✅ She’s working late.
→ She is working late.

✅ It’s raining again.
→ It is raining again.

👉 Pattern: ’s + verb-ing = IS

 

💬 ’s = HAS

Use ’s = HAS when it is followed by a past participle .

Common past participles:

done • eaten • finished • gone • seen • made

✅ John’s finished.
→ John has finished.

✅ She’s eaten already.
→ She has eaten already.

❌ John’s late. (late = adjective, not V3)

👉 Pattern: ’s + past participle = HAS

📚Compare the Meaning

Sentence meaning
John’s tired. John is tired.
John’s working. John is working.
John’s finished. John has finished.
John’s late. John is late.
‘S: Is or Has
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🚨 Very Common Mistakes

❌ John’s eaten tired.
❌ She’s gone tired.

   Why?
   👉 HAS cannot be followed by adjectives.

🧠 Quick Test

Ask yourself:

Can I replace ’s with IS or HAS?

If IS works → adjective / -ing
If HAS works → past participle

 

🔁 Mini Practice

Choose IS or HAS:

  1. She’s ____ done. → HAS
  2. He’s ____ angry. → IS
  3. It’s ____ raining. → IS
  4. They’ve finished. (no ’s here — plural)
 

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Horario de atención: Lunes a viernes, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.