LONGMAN ENGLISH GRAMMAR PRACTICE

2.8 The genitive

2.8C

Study:

i**i

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:

2.8D

Study:

l**i

Use 's or s' only where possible with these.

1 a delay of an hour О^Ып^^еШ/О^^ 6 the price of success

2 a journey of two days 7 work of seven years

3 the shade of the tree 8 the surface of the earth

4 the book of the film 9 at the door of death

5 the inside of the box 10 an absence of a year....

Omission of the noun after's [> LEG 2 .51 ]

We generally omit the noun after's when referring to work-places, shops, and houses:

the doctor's, rather than 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 has gone to (the shop owned by the hairdresser)

2 I'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 marged in (the church dedicated to St Andrew)

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

2.8E Context

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)

rf^M 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!