Possessive
structures in English
- use of of
and 's
"Should
I use "of"
or an "s"
structure?"
Sadly there's no absolute rule to
tell you whether you need to use, or can use, a "possessive" form
with "of",
on one with "'s".
The
simple rule
that you can "only use 's with people" is a very
broad generalisation,
with lots
of exceptions. Besides, there are a lot of cases
where, even with
people, you cannot use 's.
So here are the main
forms of
"possession", and some examples to remember:
The first thing to determine is: is the "possessor" animate or inanimate?
1)
Animates: HUMAN
POSSESSORS,
OR
ASSIMILATED:
1.1. In
cases of true possession: 's
is normal.
A1)
The accountant's car
wouldn't start.
A2) The dog's leg was broken
With
qualities,
attributes or actions: 's is common.
A3)
Madonna's reputation is
international.
A4) The dog's name was Jackson.
A5) The Queen's arrival was delayed.
These can also be easily expressed using of.
A31)
The reputation of Madonna is international.
A41) The name of the dog .....
There is a difference
in emphasis between the two alternatives: examples A3-A5
emphasize the possessor,
A31 and A41 emphasize the quality
or attribute. In A5, the "possessor" is the
subject of the verbal noun following it.
Situations
in which there is no
choice:
Sometimes
however, even though both forms are theoretically possible, the structure
of a
sentence will determine the choice of expression, as a word may have
to stand next to other words qualifying it: for example
A32) The
reputation of Madonna,
the American singer,
is international
We can NOT
say:
A32X)
**
Madonna's reputation, the American singer, is international. **
Examples A1 and A2 will be rephrased using "of" if this is
structurally essential:
A
11) This is the car of the accountant I had lunch with yesterday.
Clearly, the other theoretical option gives the wrong meaning!
A
11x) **
This is the accountant's car I had lunch with yesterday. **
1.2.
Possessive adjectives:
There is no choice when possession is indicated by a possessive adjective, such
as his, my, your, etc.
A91 Your
loss is my gain
A92 I took my brother to see our grandfather.
A92x I
took the brother of me to see the grandfather of us.
1.3.
Relating a part to a whole (animates)
Use of "of" is obligatory
when expressing the relation of a
part to a plural
whole
A6
the rest of the
people,
A7
the majority of voters
We
can NOT
say:
A61x:
the
people's rest,
A71x: the
voters' majority
Of
and 's are
both possible (depending on sentence structure) when
expressing the relation of a
part to a unitary (single)
whole.
A8
The man's arm
was broken, or
A81 The arm of the man
was broken
2.
Inanimate
possessors
For qualities, attributes,
actions, or parts: Ofis
the usual
structure, but 's may
be possible; The
unusual "'s"
form can be used
with some
familiar nouns for stress, or for reasons of sentence
structure.
B1
The cost
of the operation
was enormous.
B2
The condition of the goods
we received was not very
satisfactory
B3
The launch of the new book was very successful.
B31
The new book's launch was very successful.
B4
Where's the
lid of the
saucepan?
B5
The front
end of the
car was
smashed up.
B6 The departure of the train was delayed for an hour.
B61
The train's departure was delayed for an hour.
In examples B3 and B6, the
sentence could be rephrased using subject and verb instead of the
possessive structures.
B32
The new book was
launched very successfully (subj. + passive verb)
B62 the train
departed an hour later than planned (subj. + active verb)
2.1.
Relating a part to a whole (inanimates) or a group to its constituents
The "of" form is normally obligatory when expressing the relation of a part to a whole
(or a whole to its parts)
when the part has no meaning unless it refers to a whole.
B7
the
top of the stairs
.
B8
the back of the building
B9 The middle of the report
The same is usually true when expressing the relation of a unit to a group
(or a group to its units)
when the group is defined by the units of which it is
composed.
B10
A collection of paintings
B11 A group of trees
We
can NOT
say:
B71x:
the stairs' top .
B81x: the
building's back.
B101x A paintings'
collection
However
there sometimes
is
a choice
when the part is expressed as adjective+noun,
or when the part
is more important in the phrase than the whole (B 13, B131),
B12
The top floor of
the building
B121 The building's top floor
B 13 The roof of the building was on fire
B 131 The building's roof was on fire
3.
Complemental noun groups
"of"
is essential, except in a few specific cases.
C1)
The
theory
of relativity. NOT
:
the relativity's
theory
C2) The director of marketing. NOT
:
the marketing's
director
Complemental
noun
groups
can often be rephrased as compounds,
without 's:
C11)
the
relativity theory
C21) the marketing director
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