Possessive case. Possessive case in English. Divide and conquer: the possessive case in English

And numerals, which serve to connect words in a sentence. But cases in English, which are variants of the same word (word form), still exist. Fortunately, there are only 3 of them: objective, subjective and possessive. Let's talk about each one of them. C'mon.

Subjective and objective cases in English

To understand the concept of the objective case, we will have to go back in time and remember a little school course Russian language. We all remember that the subject is a word in the nominative case. As for the rest of the nouns and pronouns in the sentence, they will most often be objects. IN English everything follows the same principle. A pronoun or noun is either the subject ( subject), or an addition ( object). Recall that the subject answers the question “who?” So what"? (nominative). It's easy to guess that subject will stand in subjective case, A additions- V objective case.

A man saw a dog near a building.

There are 3 nouns in this sentence: a man, a dog and a building.
First place, as always, is subject for which it is used subjective case in English. Followed by addition a dog, which, accordingly, is in objective case. As can be seen from the example, the form of the noun has not changed.

Object case for pronouns

With nouns everything is simple - they do not change their form for both cases (subjective and objective). But pronouns have their own special form in case they do not take the place of the subject:

I saw him, and he saw me.

Possessive case in English

If everything is more or less clear with the subjective and objective cases, since they correspond to the case forms of the Russian language, then we do not have the possessive case. We answer questions of belonging (“whose?”, “whose?”, “whose?”, “whose?”) with an adjective. And in English this function is performed by the category of case of nouns and pronouns.

However, the implementation of the possessive function will be different for nouns and pronouns.

To indicate ownership of nouns, use "" s“Moreover, the ending is added to the noun to which something belongs.

This is my mother's bag
This is mom's bag.

If noun ends with hissing or " s", then they simply add apostrophe :

I"ll take my parents" car.
I'll take my parents' car.

It should be distinguished possessive case «" s» from verb abbreviations « is» — «" s».

I like John's new blazer.

Whose new blazer is it? Jonah, that's why John's — possessive case noun John.

I think John's right.

What is John doing? Is right, so John's — reduction from John is right.

Now let's look at some special cases of using the possessive ending "" s»:

• If the plural form of a noun ends not on « s", then we use full version possessive ending - apostrophe + « s": mouse - mice. The main character is mice"s King.- The main character is the King of Mouse.
• In English there are compound nouns consisting of several words. As a rule, they are written with a hyphen. to such words "" s" is added after the very last word: We all waited for The-Boy-Who-Lived's speech.- We were all waiting for the speech of the boy who lived.

The possessive case of inanimate nouns is formed using the preposition “ of", not endings "" s" (the headquarter of the company). But there are exceptions for:

• Planets - Jupiter's size.
• Newspapers and organizations - Times's editor UNESCO's operation.
• Distances and times - ten meter"s height,a minute"s business.
• Seasons and months - summer's sadness, July's hit.
• Cities and countries - Minsk's Main Square, Russian"s elite force.

Words like nature, ship, nation, country,car, water, city, boat, ocean and town - ship's crew, nation's pride car's engine etc.

Pronouns to express belonging also have their own form:

My son is the smartest in his class.
My son is the smartest in his class.

As can be seen from the example, after possessive pronoun must be a noun. However, pronouns have an absolute form, which allows them to be used without a noun or in a different position (not just in front).

He was a friend of mine.
He was my friend.

Where are your socks? -I don't know, but yours are there.
Where are your socks? - I don’t know, but yours are there.

That's all absolute forms of possessives pronouns:

Got me thinking... Who am I writing this to? It was not enough to become a schizo. I’d better go spin the slots ----------

Conclusion

Cases in English perform slightly different functions than in Russian. This can cause difficulties when translating and trying to express your thoughts. But there are only three of them, and the method of formation is easier than in the Russian language - you do not need to remember the spelling of endings, based on such complex concepts as declension, gender and number.

To improve your skills in using English cases, as well as practice using them and clarify the remaining nuances, use the services of an online tutor. It's quick, simple and doesn't even require you to leave your home. Try it ;)

Big and friendly EnglishDom family

What is case? This is a category in grammar that shows the relationship of a noun with other words in a sentence. Today we are talking about what role the possessive case of nouns plays and how it is formed in the English language.

History of the language

Case is an integral “attribute” of a noun. In ancient times, Old English was rich in cases. It contained nominative, genitive, dative, accusative and instrumental cases. However, its descendant, modern English, cannot boast such a number. In his “arsenal” there are only two cases - common (Common case) and possessive (Possessive case).

Meaning

It is not difficult to guess the meaning of the possessive case. The name speaks for itself: “to attract” - to belong. In other words, it reflects the belonging of any object, quality or characteristic to another object:

• The boy’s ball - The boy’s ball (the boy owns the ball);
• The doctor’s pen - The doctor’s pen (the pen belongs to the doctor);
• The driver’s car - The driver’s car (the car belongs to the driver).

It should be noted that only animate nouns have the possessive case form in English (boy, doctor, driver). If we are talking about the belonging of one object to another inanimate object, then the construction with the preposition of (the door of the car) is used.

Education

As you can see from the examples above, possessive nouns in English are formed using an apostrophe (‘) and an ending (-s). The rule is simple and understandable, but not without its peculiarities and nuances. These are detailed in the following table:

Rule	Examples
If a word ends with the letter s, then there are two possible options for adding an apostrophe and ending -s	Robert Burns's poems - poems by Robert Burns Robert Burns’ poems - poems by Robert Burns
Nouns in plural form the possessive case with a single apostrophe	Pupils’ desks - student desks Sisters’ hats - sisters’ hats Dogs’ tails - dog tails
A number of nouns that are exceptions and form a plural not according to general rules, in the possessive case they “acquire” an apostrophe and an ending	Men’s suits - men’s suits (men’s suits) Women’s dresses - women’s dresses (women’s dresses) People’s passports - passports of people
If it is necessary to say that an object simultaneously belongs to two or more persons, then the apostrophe and the ending - s are used after the last	Father and mother’s house - father and mother’s house (they own the house jointly)
If an object belongs to two or more persons, but each separately, then an apostrophe and the ending - s are used after each noun	Tolstoy’s and Dostoevsky’s books - books by Tolstoy and Dostoevsky (they wrote them separately from each other)
Compound nouns consisting of two lexemes are added with an apostrophe and an ending S to the base of the last element in the group	ticket inspector's rules - inspector's rules

Inanimate nouns denoting distance and time can take the possessive case (six months’ trip, a night’s walk). Exceptions also include combinations consisting of the names of cities, countries, the words Earth (Earth), world (world), nature (nature), ship (ship): world’s end - end of the world, nature’s protection - protection of nature.

The possessive case in English also has names Possessive Case or Genetive Case. If you want to say that something belongs to someone, you must use possessive case. As a rule, the possessive case can only be used with animate nouns, but there are some exceptions,
which we will talk about below. By the way, I also have a wonderful one for testing knowledge on the possessive case. If you are looking for exercises on the possessive case -

In English, the possessive case is expressed by 's (apostrophe es) or simply " (apostrophe).

Prince’s duty - the duty of (who? whose?) the prince;

Students’ books - textbooks of (whose? whose?) students.

As you may have noticed, it is convenient to translate phrases containing the possessive case from the end.

Formation of the possessive case in English.

only apostrophe (‘) in the following cases:

1. with plural nouns, if the plural is formed by adding the ending -S /-ES

• doctors’ advice – advice from doctors,
• boys' trains - boys' trains.

1. with Greek polysyllabic first and last names ending in –S

• Socrates' works - works of Socrates,
• Xerxes’ army – army of Xerxes.

1. with famous surnames ending in –S

• Yeats' poetry - Yeats's poetry,
• Burns'poems - poems by Burns

(however, some grammars allow a double spelling in this case: Dickens' novels or Dickens's novels).

To form the possessive case we will use only apostrophe es (‘s) in the following cases:

1. with singular nouns

• the girl’s eyes – the girl’s eyes,
• the Dad’s study – dad’s office.

1. With plural nouns, if the plural was not formed according to the rule of adding the ending -S / -ES.

• сhildren's games - children's games,
• women's wishes - women's wishes.

Pay attention to education possessive case of compound nouns. There is a difference here with the formation of the plural. Let's look at this point in more detail, since even very competent and competent people often make mistakes on this issue. knowledgeable people. So let's look at the plate.

More examples:

The editor-in-chief’s order - order of the editor-in-chief

The commander-in-chief’s qualification – qualification of the commander-in-chief

The passer-by’s comment – ​​comment from a passerby

A special feature of the possessive case in English is the existence of the so-called group possessive case - group genitive. Group genitive denotes the phenomenon of adding "s or ' not to one noun, but to

• Group of nouns

Mum and dad's wish - the desire of mom and dad

• to a whole phrase containing a noun

the secretary of states’s private room – personal room of the Secretary of State

• to the group noun + pronoun

someone else’s benefit – someone’s benefit

• to a phrase with a numeral at the end

in an hour or two’s time - in an hour or two

Please note. That in such cases "s or ' are added exclusively to the final element. The only time you have to be careful is when it comes to belonging to more than one noun.

We looked at the phrase mum and dad's wish - the desire of mom and dad. In this context, we are talking about the common desire of mom and dad. In this case, "s or ' is added to the final element. If the phrase were slightly different mum"s and dad's wishes in the meaning of the wishes of mom and dad (each has their own), then "s or ' would be added to each element.

So in the phrase Bach’s and Mozart’s music we add “s to each element, since Bach and Mozart do not have common music - it is different for everyone.

Cases of using the possessive case in English.

We do not have the right to use Possessive Case in English in the same way as we use in Russian. Sometimes membership relations need to be expressed using a phrase with of.

So, for example, we cannot say table's leg - the leg of the table, we must say - the leg of the table.

So when can you use the genetive case?

The possessive case in English is used:

• with nouns denoting people and animals

the swallow’s nest – swallow’s nest

Molly’s idea – Molly’s idea

• with words indicating time or distance

night’s rest – night rest

a month absence – month-long absence / month-long absence

a minute’s silence - minute silence

a mile’s distance – distance in a mile

Please note that with the words today, yesterday and tomorrow, both options for forming the possessive case are possible:

today's papers = the papers of today

• with names of countries and cities

Britain’s museums – museums of Britain

London's sights - sights of London

• with newspaper names

the Guardian's analysis

• with names of organizations and words company, firm, government, organization

the company’s plans - company plans

the Geographical Society’s gold medal – gold medal Geographical Society

• with the words world, country, nation, town, city

the nation’s wealth - the well-being of the nation

• with the words ship, boat, car

the car’s wheel – car wheel

• with the names of planets and satellites

the sun's rays - sun rays

• with some inanimate nouns in fixed expressions

Absolute genitive and double genitive

Absolute genitive

Typically, a construct containing a possessive case has the following structure:

Noun (numeral/pronoun) in the possessive case + noun

However, there are also cases when a noun in the possessive case is not followed by another noun. In such a case, we are dealing with absolute possessive case(Absolute genetive). It is used in several cases:

• to avoid repetition (tautology)

Our car is faster than Peter’s.

• after the preposition of

A friend of my mother’s, a cousin of my husband’s

• for names of stores, places and other establishments

At the butcher’s, at the baker’s, at Timothy’s, at my uncle’s

St. Paul's (Cathedral), St. James's (Palace)

Double genitive

It is rare to find a noun defined by two consecutive phrases in the possessive case:

• My mother’s father’s people – people of my mother’s father
• The boy’s half-hour’s run – a boy’s half-hour run

This phenomenon is called the double possessive case - Double Genitive.

IN English grammar there is no system of cases similar to the Russian one, but there is a special case that has no analogue in Russian. More precisely, there are such constructions in our language, but they relate to a completely different part of speech - adjective. What is this? As you probably already guessed, today we will talk about the possessive case of nouns in English. Let's study this branch of English language system and learn how to use it correctly by working on this skill with the help of an exercise.

In fact, English nominally has three case forms: subject, object and possessive. Why nominal? Because in practice, visible changes to the word occur only in the possessive case . The remaining two cases are a kind of marker for revealing the syntactic role of the word.

The subject form, as the name suggests, always belongs to the subject, that is, the subject performing the action. The objective case of nouns indicates that these words play the role of a complement in a sentence. But, again, we repeat, this theoretical knowledge will be of little use in practice, because in both cases the noun will have the same dictionary form. Putting a noun in the possessive case is another matter. Here the form changes, and a special grammatical sign appears. But we'll talk about this in more detail in the next section.

Meaning and formation of the possessive form

To express the belonging of objects to a person or other entity, the possessive form of words is used. In Russian it is given by adjectives, and in English by nouns. There are several ways to form this case.

Singular

Singular words are characterized by two constructions. If we are talking about describing an animate person, then the stem of the word undergoes changes: an apostrophe ‘ and ending s are added to its ending.

• Sheneeds Jack 's phonenumber – She needs Jack's phone number.
• Itis mother 's birthdaytoday - Today is mother's birthday.

This rule applies even when words end in –s or similar sounds.

• Liz 's exercisesweresimpler – Lisa’s exercises were simpler.
• It is hard, but it is such an actress's life –Thishard,Butthat's how it islifeactresses.
• It is Mr. Fox's letter -ThisletterMr.Fox.

It is important to note that this ending has different options pronunciation. When it is preceded by a voiceless consonant, it is read as Russian S, and if, last letter the stem is a voiced consonant or vowel, then s is pronounced like Russian Z. A separate case is when the word ends in –s and similar combinations (-sh, -ch, -se, -x). In such a situation, the ending is voiced in Russian IZ. For quick memorization these rules, it is recommended to do short exercises to read the examples aloud with correct pronunciation.

As for the inanimate category, it is possible to form the possessive case of nouns in English only with the help of a preposition. Let us immediately note that there are several exceptions from the total, but they will be discussed separately.

For most inanimate nouns, the possessive construction consists of several components.

• I forgot the end (1) of (2) the story (3) – Iforgotendthishistory.

Let's look at a few more examples to test this scheme.

• This page of the book is yellow –Thispagebooksyellow.
• I heard the sound of the train – Iheardsoundtrains.
• My friend sat at the end of the hall – MyFriendsatVendhall

Plural

For animate nouns, the formation of possessive forms has some nuances.

Those words that already have the ending –s in the plural, when putting them in the possessive case, add only an apostrophe to the ending of the stem.

• There are boys' toys in the box –INthisboxlietoysboys.
• The actresses' dresses are very expensive –DressesactressesVerydear ones.
• The Browns' house was built in 1986 –HouseBrownswasbuiltin 1986.

Nouns that have a special plural form form the possessive form using the combination '+s.

• There are a lot of women's shops in the street –Onthisstreetmanywomen'sshops.
• He bought the deer's horns at the souvenir shop –INsouvenirshopHeboughtthesedeerhorns.
• The children's pictures are simple and bright –Thesechildren'sdrawingssimpleAndbright.

The possessive case of inanimate nouns is identical in construction to the singular form.

• The legs of the chairs were broken –Legsthesechairswerebroken.
• I often walk on the roofs of the buildings – IoftenI'm walkingByroofsbuildings.
• My wife likes the flowers of the fields – mywifelike itfieldflowers.

As can be seen from the examples, the formation of possessive forms does not cause any particular difficulties. But before solving the exercises, it is necessary to understand the exceptions already mentioned.

Possessive case of nouns in English - table of exceptions

Historically, some inanimate nouns form possessive forms according to the type of animate persons, i.e. adding an apostrophe and s. Let's look at such situations using a table.

Categories	Words	Examples
Indication of place, name of object	dentist’s office, baker’s shop, hairdresser’s salon, chemist’s shop, McDonald’s restaurantAndT.p.	Tomorrow I must go to the dentist's office . Tomorrow I have to go to the dentist. They had lunch at McDonald's . They had lunch at McDonald's.
Names of countries and cities.	Berlin's, England's, Spain's, Prague's, Warsaw'sAndT.p.	I have never walked in the Warsaw's streets . I have never walked the streets of Warsaw. I don't know Spain's traditions . I don't know Spanish traditions.
Time notation.	moment's silence, hour's, day's, May'sAndT.p.	It was moment's silence. Thiswasmomentsilence. We are going to our dacha in the May's holidays . We are going to our dacha on the May holidays.
Distance measures	miles', kilometers'AndT.p.	This building is at 14 miles' distance from this house. This building is 14 miles away from this house.
Special words	river’s, company’s, town’s, moon’s, city’s, sun’s, world’s, ocean’s, Earth’s	I have visited many city's museums . I visited many city museums. We have been discussing our company's future for 2 hours, when Peter offered a great idea. We had been discussing the future of our company for two hours when Peter came up with a great idea.

Now we have fully examined the construction of the possessive case of nouns and are prepared to successfully complete the practical exercise. See you in new classes!

In the case when in the general case it is used without a preposition, it the relationship to other words in a sentence is determined solely by the place occupied in the sentence. If the noun is located before the predicate, then it is subject and corresponds to the nominative case in Russian. If it's worth after the predicate, then it is direct object and is more often used in the accusative case.

• The student(Student: noun as subject) recognized the teacher (recognized the teacher).
• The teacher recognized student(student: direct object).

Between the predicate and the noun, which is a direct object, there can be another noun in the general case without a preposition, denoting a person. Such a noun is indirect object and corresponds to the dative case in Russian.

A noun in the possessive case responds to whose question? - whose? whose? whose?, serves as a definition denoting the ownership of an object. Only animate nouns are used in the possessive case.

Formation of the possessive case

In the singular, the possessive case is formed by adding the ending -"s.

• The girl's hat - Girl's hat
• The hourse's leg - Horse's leg

In the plural, the possessive case is formed by simply adding an apostrophe:

• The boys" books - Boys' books
• The workers" tools - Workers' tools

If there are two or more persons possessing the object, then the ending of the possessive case is added to the last noun:

• Mary and Helen's flat is large - Peter and Helen's apartment is large

Use of the possessive case

When a noun (friends), defined by a noun in the possessive case (Kate's), has with it other definitions (best), then the noun in the possessive case (Kate's) comes before them (best):

• Kate's friends - Katya's friends
• Kate's best friends - Katya's best friends

Along with a noun in the possessive case, a noun with a preposition is used to express ownership of.

• My friend's father = The father of my friend - My friend's father