PRÁCTICA GRAMATICAL DEL

INGLÉS

THE NOUN PHRASE

Prof. Titular: Fabián Negrelli

Prof. Asistente: Candelaria Luque Colombres

CICLO LECTIVO 2020

Práctica Gramatical del Inglés Com B-C – 2020 - The Noun Phrase – Lesson 3
The Genitive Case

Different ways of making the possessive form of nouns:

1. We add ​‘s​ to singular nouns. This is called the “​inflected”​ genitive.

the girl’s toys Sam’s bedroom Keat’s poems

2. With some proper names (chiefly classical ones) ending in “​s​”, we generally use
only the apostrophe; however the apostrophe ‘s can also be used:
Hercule​s​’ labours / Hercules’s labour
St. Agne​s​’ Eve / St. Agnes’s Eve
Mose​s​’ laws / Moses’s laws
Sophocle​s​’ play/ Sophocles’s plays
Sherlock Holme​s​’ best friend / Sherlock Holmes’s best friend
Archimede​s​’ law / Archimedes’s law

3. For plural nouns ending in “​s​” we add apostrophe only.

the boys’ house the soldiers’ horses the babies’ toys

4. For plural nouns not ending in “​s​” we add “​’s​”

the men’s room the women’s Society the children’s voices

5. The apostrophe “​s​” forms an additional syllable when the noun ends in a
sound to which the ​’s cannot be added in the same syllable. This occurs
with proper nouns and monosyllabic words.

fox’s horse’s James’s judge’s witch’s

6. When two or more nouns possess the same object, we add the ​’s to the last
noun. In this case, the genitive is called ​the group genitive​. It is also called a
group possessive or phrasal possessive. Group genitive constructions are more
common in everyday speech than in formal writing.

Caroline and Susan’s sister went away last night.

This is Aunt Susan and Uncle Martin’s house.

Práctica Gramatical del Inglés Com B-C – 2020 - The Noun Phrase – Lesson 3
7. When two or more nouns possess an object of the same kind, we add an
’s​ to each. In this case, the genitive is called ​the coordinated genitive​.

John’s and Arthur’s shoes want polishing

Stella’s and Paul’s cars are brand new.

8. With compounds and names consisting of several words, the last word
takes the ​’s.

My brother-in-law’s car
Henry the Eight’s wives
The Prince of Wales’s helicopter
Crosse and Blackwell​’s tea
Bryant and May’s matches

Different uses of the Genitive Case

1. The genitive form with apostrophe “s” is used with personal nouns and
personal indefinite pronouns to indicate possession, as in:

my father’s name John’s house the girl’s toys

We wish to know / somebody’s opinion
/ somebody else’s opinion

2. The genitive case can be used as an adjective to qualify or describe a noun.

It denotes “connected with”.

a master’s degree a boy’s college woman’s clothes

3. The apostrophe form is also used in expressions of ​time, distance, weight,

value, volume or capacity and other measurements​.

Time: a week’s holiday – a year’s absence – tomorrow’s weather

yesterday’s news – a ten hours’ delay

Weight: a pound’s weight of sugar

Value: a shilling’s worth of fruit – ten dollars’ worth of steak

Distance: a five miles’ drive – a boat’s length

Práctica Gramatical del Inglés Com B-C – 2020 - The Noun Phrase – Lesson 3
 Volume: a twenty litres’ tank – etc.

However, there is a tendency to put “a” before such expressions and use them
as ​adjectives​: a three day job, a ten minute speech, a fifty minute walk. In this
case, such constructions are singular in form and take a singular verb:

A twenty minute walk​ every morning helps to keep me fit.

A three year course ​in physics is a very hard one.

The constructions “twenty minute”, “three year”, are adjectival, i.e. they are used
as adjectives before a noun. As adjectives in English have no plural form in
English, the plural ending is not used.

Other examples:

a three day job a fifty kilo sack of sugar

a ten minute walk a ten pound note
a fifty minute lesson a twenty litre tank
a five mile run a two gallon jar
a thousand kilometre race a ten penny piece
a three ton lorry a three penny stamp

4. The apostrophe form is used with dignified objects (objects which are
unique):

the sun’s rays Nature’s children

the moon’s light Heaven’s door
the earth’s surface

5. The genitive with apostrophe is also used with some geographical or

institutional names.

Ireland’s beauty The National Bank’s employees

Virginia’s senators Oxford University’s history
the world’s problems London’s traffic

6. The genitive is frequently used elliptically, i.e. without a headword, when

referring to business, building, etc. This is called the “​independent
genitive​”.

Práctica Gramatical del Inglés Com B-C – 2020 - The Noun Phrase – Lesson 3
 We’ve been to St. Paul’s. (Cathedral)
I’ll be at my sister’s this afternoon. (house)
She bought it at Hartridge’s. (shop)
She was taken to St. Mary’s (Hospital)
Are you going past the baker’s? (shop)
Lunches at Freddie’s are served until two p.m. (restaurant)

7. We also use the possessive ​‘s​ in some expressions of time.

yesterday’s newspaper / last week’s concert / next year’s plans

a fortnight’s holiday / a moment’s rest

8. Collective nouns may take ​the inflected genitive:​

the committee’s decision

Parliament’s power

9. English has a few set expressions consisting of apostrophe form + noun, in

which the genitive form has become fixed and the resulting phrase is an
idiom.

to have something at one fingers’ ends

to be a stone’s throw (away from)
to be at death’s door
to keep someone at arm’s length
for goodness’ sake
at one’s wits’ ends
in my mind’s eye
in / out of harm’s way
for old times’ sake

10. If we want to describe something unusual and different about a person, we

can use the ​of form​ to indicate something special.

Pavarotti has the voice ​of an angel​.

Stephanie has the hands ​of an artist​.

11. The double genitive​.

Práctica Gramatical del Inglés Com B-C – 2020 - The Noun Phrase – Lesson 3
It is also called a ​double possessive,​ ​oblique genitive,​ and p​ostgenitive​.
The ​double genitive​ is a phrase in which possession is indicated by the
preposition ​of​ followed by the possessive form of a noun or pronoun in ​a friend
of Eric's​. In other words, i​t combines the ​inflected genitive with the ​of
construction.​

He’s a friend ​of​ John​’s.​ (one of John’s friends)

She is a cousin ​of ​my father​’s.
He is a political associate ​of​ the President​'s​.
She is a sister ​of​ my mother​’s.
She is a relative ​of​ my uncle​’s.
This is a play ​of​ Shakespeare​’s.
This is an old dress ​of​ my mother​’s.

Notice that the first noun has indefinite reference (a friend …, a cousin …) and the
second noun must be definite and human (John’s, hers, my mother’s)

This construction is important because it helps to make a difference between:

a portrait of Rembrandt (genitive of quality; a portrait showing Rembrandt)

a portrait of Rembrandt’s (one painted by him or belonging to him)

Or between:

a criticism of Shaw (= an opinion about Shaw)

a criticism of Shaw’s (= opinions by Shaw)

The Double Genitive is common in English when we want to emphasize the

person who possesses rather than the thing which he/she possesses.

It is one of Daniel’s habits to get up early.

It was one of my father’s favourite expressions.
It is one of Mary’s weaknesses to eat too many sweets.
Any idea of yours would be welcome.

The Double Genitive is also ​used to show contempt, arrogance, or a desire

to ridicule on the part of the speaker​. We should use words such as this,
that, these or those before the noun.

These shoes of Henry’s.

Práctica Gramatical del Inglés Com B-C – 2020 - The Noun Phrase – Lesson 3
 That silly old hat of Mary’s.
Those dirty hands of yours.
This idea of yours.

When we want to say that someone owns more than one of something, we can
use two possessives: ​of +´s

Robin was reading a novel ​of​ Peter​’s​.

(Peter has several novels)

I borrowed a pair of gloves ​of​ Sue​’s​.

(Sue has more than one pair of gloves)

12. The apostrophe form is not normally used with inanimate beings, instead,
we use a phrase with “of”. This is sometimes called ​the periphrastic
genitive.​

the leg of the chair the bank of the river the top of the hill
the top floor of the building the base of the statue

In some cases, there is an alternative form:

the side of the road = the roadside

hill = the hillside
mountain = the mountainside

the walls of the town = the town walls

13. The apostrophe form is not used with a noun which is postmodified by a
phrase or a relative clause.

by the car
The camera of the man in front of the church is very expensive
who comes from Australia

The son of the man ​who rents our flat​ is a doctor.

The son of the man ​visiting us tonight​ is a doctor.

Práctica Gramatical del Inglés Com B-C – 2020 - The Noun Phrase – Lesson 3