oxford_guide_to_english_grammar

PAGE 185
146 The possessive form
2 Use
We use the possessive form to express a relation, often the fact that someone has
something or that something belongs to someone.
Julia's coat Emma's idea my brother's friend the workers' jobs
The possessive usually has a definite meaning. Julia's coat means ' the coat that
belongs to Julia'. But we do not say the with a singular name.
NOT the Julia's coat
For a coat of Julia's, • 174(5).
3 Possessive form or of?
a There is a pattern with of which has the same meaning as the possessive.
my friend's name/the name of my friend
Sometimes we can use either form. But often only one form is possible.
your father's car NOT the car of your father
the beginning of the term NOT the term's beginning
In general we are more likely to use the possessive form with people rather than
things and to talk about possession rather than about other relations.
b
We normally use the possessive with people and animals.
my friend's sister the dog's bone the Atkinsons' garden
But we use the of-pattern with people when there is a long phrase or a clause.
It's the house of a wealthy businessman from Saudi Arabia.
In the hall hung the coats of all the people attending the reception.
Sometimes both patterns are possible.
the Duchess of Glastonbury's jewellery
the jewellery of the Duchess of Glastonbury
NOTE
The of-pattern is sometimes possible for relations between people.
the young man's mother/the mother of the young man
c
d
We normally use the of-pattern with things.
the start of the match the bottom of the bottle
the day of the carnival the end of the film
We can use both patterns with nouns that do not refer directly to people but
suggest human activity or organization, for example nouns referring to places,
companies or newspapers.
Scotland's rivers
the rivers of Scotland
the company's head office the head office of the company
the magazine's political views the political views of the magazine
4 Some other uses of the possessive
a
There's a children's playground here.
You can use the customers' car park.
The possessive form can express purpose. A children's playground is a playground
for children. Other examples: a girls' school, the men's toilet, a boy's jacket.