Add 's to irregular plural nouns; children's games, the men's club, sheep's wool.

- add an apostrophe (') after the -s of regular plurals: the girls' uniforms.

- add 's to names ending in -s: Charles's address, Doris's party, St James's Park. Famous names ending in s just add ('); Yeats' poetry. This is pronounced /s/or/iz/.

 

Write: Rewrite these sentences using 's, s', or just an apostrophe ('). 1 This bicycle is for a child... This is a child's bicycle. 2 This pen belongs to the teacher... 3 He described the career of the actress … 4 That's a job for a stewardess... 5 These toys belong to the children... 6 This is a club for women... 7 It's a school for girls... 8 This is the lounge for residents... 9 This umbrella belongs to James... 10 That hat belongs to Doris...

 

2.8B Apostrophe s ('s/s'), compound noun, or of? [> leg 2.47-48,2.50]

1 When we want to show possession with things, we can use of: the leg of the table. However, we often prefer to use a compound noun instead of of. the table-leg [> 2.2B]. - hyphen ['haif(ə)n] дефіс

2 We must use of when we can't form a compound noun: the book of the film (Not *the film's book"); the top of the box (Not 'the box's top*) You can only learn these from experience. If you are in doubt, use of.

Write: Only where possible, use an apostrophe to show possession in these sentences. 1 That's the voice of a man That’s a man’s voice. 2 I can't see the bottom of the box … 3 That's the decision of the committee... 4 It's the fault of no one... 5 This is a copy of the poetry of Keats... 6 That's the leg of the table... 7 Where's the key of the car?... 8 That's the bell of the village church that you can hear... 9 These are the stables of the horses...

 

2.8C The use of 's and s' with non-living things: 'an hour's journey' [> LEG 2.49-50] We use 's and s' with some non-living things:

- fixed phrases: the earth's surface, journey's end, the ship's company

- time phrases (singular): an hour's journey, a day's work, a month's salary

- time phrases (plural): two hours' journey, two days' work, two months' salary

Write: Use 's or s' only where possible with these:

1 a delay of an hour an hour’s delay 2 a journey of two days … 3 the shade of the tree... 4 the book of the film... 5 the inside of the box... 6 the price of success...7 work of seven years..... 8 the surface of the earth … 9 at the door of death... 10 an absence of a year...

 

2.8D Omission of the noun after 's [> leg 2.513] We generally omit the noun after 's when referring to work-places, shops, and houses: at the doctor's, rather than at the doctor's surgery, my mother's rather than my mother's house.

Write: What could we use in place of the words in brackets?

1 Your mother/father has gone to (the shop owned by the hairdresser) the hairdresser' s / barber’s. 2I'll meet you at (the shop owned by the chemist). 3 I'm going to spend the night at (the house owned by my aunt). 4 We were married in (the church dedicated to St Andrew).

5 I bought this at (the department store owned by Marks and Spencer)

 

2.8E Write: Put in compounds and 's and s' constructions in this story. MIND YOUR SKIN!

We have become very conscious of conservation these days. A lot of people won't buy any goods made from (skins of animals) animal skins. In many parts of the world, it is now unthinkable for a person to dress in (a coat made of the skin of a leopard) ²... We realize that (the wildlife of the earth)³ ... needs protection. This affects such things as (clothing worn by children)⁴ ...and (coats worn by ladies)⁵ ...If (a fur coat worn by an actress)⁶... attracts admiration these days, it is probably created from man-made materials. Of course, we still farm animals for their skins, but the notice I saw in a shop recently must have been (the revenge of the crocodiles)⁷ ... It was selling crocodile-skin bags and offering the following service: ('skins of customers')⁸ ... made up'! Mind your skin!

 

3 Articles3.1 The indefinite article: 'a/an' (1)

3.1 A General statements with 'a/an' and zero (0) [> leg з.7.3.9.1-2,3.19.1]

1 A and an have exactly the same meaning. We use a in front of consonant sounds (a man, a year) and an in front of vowel sounds (аn umbrella, an eye, an hour),

2 We can talk about people or things 'in general' with a / an or with the plural - 0 [> 3.5A]. Instead of: Cats are domestic animals. (= 'cats in general') We can say: A cat is a domestic animal. (= 'cats in general')

Write: Make the singular sentences plural and the plural sentences singular.

1 A small computer isn't expensive Small computers aren't expensive. 2 A quartz watch doesn't last for ever... 3 І like plays with messages... 4 I admire politicians who are sincere... 5 A big city is always fascinating... 6 Even an efficient system can break down... 7 A road map is always out of date... 8 A rule is meant to be broken... 9 Restaurants shouldn't charge too much... 10 How much do car radios cost?... 11 A bus leaves here every hour...12 How long does a letter take to get here?…

 

3.1 В The 'plural form' of 'a/an' [> leg 3.5-6,3.9.1-2]