2 3 4 Flashcards
(15 cards)
What is possession in English used to express?
: It is used to show that something belongs to or is associated with someone or something.
What are the main ways to express possession in English?
With possessive determiners, possessive pronouns, the Saxon Genitive (-’s), the of-construction, and possession verbs like “have” or “own”.
What are examples of possessive determiners?
My, your, his, her, our, their.
What are examples of possessive pronouns?
Mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs.
What is the Saxon Genitive?.
A possessive construction formed by adding -’s or ’ to a noun (e.g., “John’s book”).
. When do you use just an apostrophe (’) in the Saxon Genitive?
With plural nouns ending in “s” (e.g., “the teachers’ lounge”).
. When is the of-construction used instead of the Saxon Genitive?
Usually with inanimate objects (e.g., “the door of the house”).
What influences the choice between -’s and of-construction?
Factors like animacy, emphasis, and formality.
What is a double genitive?
A: A structure combining “of” and “-’s” (e.g., “a friend of Tom’s”).
What is the group genitive?
The -’s is added to the end of a compound or full noun phrase (e.g., “my sister-in-law’s car”).
. What is a genitive with ellipsis?
The noun is omitted when it’s clear from context (e.g., “That’s Peter’s [book]”).
What is the difference between possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns?
Adjectives modify a noun (e.g., “my book”), while pronouns replace it (e.g., “mine”).
How is possession shown with verbs?
Using verbs like “have”, “own”, “belong to”.
Give an example of a noun that expresses possession.
. Owner”, “master”, “property”, “belongings”.
Why is expressing possession hard for Spanish speakers?
- Because Spanish often uses the of-construction and lacks a direct Saxon Genitive equivalent
