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English grammar does not have a system of cases similar to Russian, but it does have its own special case, which 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 it? As you probably already guessed, today we will talk about the possessive case of nouns in English. Let's study this branch of the 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 actions. 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 pronunciations. When it is preceded by a voiceless consonant, it is read as Russian S, and if the last letter of the stem is a voiced consonant or vowel, then s is pronounced as 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 from total number There are a few exceptions, 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) – Iforgotendthisstories.

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 –DressesactressesVeryexpensive.
• 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 –Onthisstreeta bunch ofwomen'sshops.
• He bought the deer's horns at the souvenir shop –INsouvenirshopHeboughtthesedeerhorns.
• The children's pictures are simple and bright –Thesechildren'sdrawingssimpleAndbright.

Possessive inanimate nouns have the same construction as 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 special difficulties. But before solving the exercises, it is necessary to understand the exceptions already mentioned.

Possessive case of nouns in English - table of exceptions

It so happened historically that some inanimate nouns form possessive forms like animate persons, i.e. adding an apostrophe and s. Let's look at such situations using a table.

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 English you often need to answer questions whose? whom? what? etc. In this case we will be dealing with the possessive case. In most cases, the possessive case (possessive case) refers to animate nouns that denote living beings (there are more such words in number). It is to living beings that a quality, sign or object belongs. In this case, the possessive case in English is formed using the ending -s, preceded by an apostrophe (’).

Examples:

• a boy’s sweater => boy’s sweater;
• my mom’s recipe => my mom’s recipe;
• her grandmother’s favorite plaid => her grandmother’s favorite plaid.

Possessive case in English - what is it and why is it needed?

The case is appropriate to apply to people who are the owners of something (qualities, property, characteristics, etc.), and to animals, for example, my cat’s bowl. There is nothing complicated in understanding the rule, as it might seem at first glance. Here are a few examples that will clearly show what we are talking about:

• a boy's best days - better days boy (whose?);
• a policeman’s rule - a policeman’s rule (whose?).

But! Children’s cakes - children’s cakes (whose?).

You should notice that in the last example the structure of the rule is different from the others: an apostrophe after the ending -s (childrens’), rather than before it (policeman’s). This is explained by the fact that in the last example the noun is plural, not single.

Below is a table with examples in which the possessive case can be formed in English in different ways:

These examples can be turned into effective exercises, if you repeat them every day and do different combinations and combinations. For example, instead of ‘’at the baker ′ s'' say ''at the confectionery's'' (in the pastry shop), etc. Simple, easy, but most importantly – effective!

Reference: there are nouns that end with two letters -s => -ss. What to do when this happens? In this case, to a word with twice the amount of -ss, simply add an apostrophe and the ending –s: boss 's pen => boss pen.

On a note! For many, it seems like a problem when you need to make a plural in the possessive case if the words are already in the plural. To understand what we are talking about, let's look at the rule using examples:

• birds’ nests - bird's nests or nests of birds.

As you can see from the example, the word birds is already in plural, so there is no need to add another ending -s. You just need to put an apostrophe, it turns out => birds ’ .

One more example:

• the secretaries’ working hours– working hours of secretaries.

Here the situation is similar: the word secretaries is already in plural, as in the previous example, so we just add an apostrophe (’) and we’re done.

On a note! Although inanimate nouns rarely have the possessive case, there are a number of nouns that do have it. This includes words that denote distance and time. Vivid examples:

second, minute, hour, day, night, week, month, year, fortnight.

• In an hour or two 's time - in an hour or two;
• a night 's nap - night sleep;
• a day’s moment - the moment of the day.

And one more nuance. If we are talking about countries and cities, then we also add the ending –s to them:

• London 's theater - theater in London;
• Poland’s products - products of Poland;
• Greece’s financial situation - financial situation of Greece;
• Moldova’s culture - the culture of Moldova.

• World's food problem - global food problem;
• World's health organization - World Health Organization;
• Nature's protection - protection of nature;
• Ship's official number - the official number of the ship.

Important! To learn the lesson, you need to do the exercises regularly. One immediately after completing the lesson to consolidate the information, and then repeat it a few days later so that the information received is not forgotten.

Let's sum it up

The formation of the possessive case is a relatively easy topic in English. There is nothing complicated here. The only thing you need to do to learn a topic well is to practice as often as possible. When doing something around the house, translate it into English. For example, you are asked to heat up soup. Instantly imagine that you are in an English cafe, translate the phrase and ask: ‘Whose soup is to be reheated?’ Whose soup is to be reheated? ''This is my brother's portion.'' It's my brother's portion. And so every day. Remember: success comes to those who try to get it. Believe in yourself and success!

P.s. and don’t forget to regularly do exercises in which you have to create the possessive case. The more often you repeat examples, the faster you will learn and remember them. Simple exercises for children and adults will help them learn the rules for forming the possessive case and help expand their lexicon. We encourage you to come up with your own examples. Don't be afraid to make mistakes! On the contrary, mistakes teach you, so talk as much and often as possible.

English, being an analytical language, does not, by and large, distinguish between cases, since nouns do not have endings (the exception is the ending in number). All relationships between words in a sentence are conveyed through prepositions.
However, in grammar it is generally accepted that the English language still has two cases - common (in fact, the dictionary version of the word, which is used in the vast majority of cases) and possessive ( Possessive Case). Let's get straight to the point:

A beautiful house of my friend’s sister. - Beautiful house my friend's sisters.

We tried to screw it up as best we could. In this sentence there are as many as three manifestations of such a phenomenon as the possessive case:

friend 's sister - friend's sister
house of...sister- sister's house
my friend's is my friend

What is the possessive case?

The possessive case is a modifier of the noun that comes after it. The word in the possessive case answers the question “Whose”?

We decided to rephrase this wonderful definition a little and make it more understandable:

The possessive case denotes “owner” (a word with apostrophe or preposition of) object or phenomenon (following word). It turns out that:

a siste r's house = sister- owner (therefore stands with an apostrophe), and house- what belongs to her

friend 's sister = friend- the owner, and sister(rather tongue-tied, but clearly) belongs to him.

a leg of the table= table- owner (that’s why there is a preposition before the word of, expressing the meaning “whose?”), and leg- what belongs to the table.

Formation of the possessive case

The possessive case will be formed differently with animate and inanimate nouns. Here we are talking about possessive case forms.

Animate nouns

The possessive case can be formed animate nouns by adding ‘s singular. Let's call this “pure form”:

mother 's car - mom's car = (whose?) mom's car
Jack 's friend - Jack's friend = (whose?) Jack's friend
cat 's rug - cat rug = (whose?) “cat” rug

In English, nouns in the possessive case always stand before defined by the word (“owner - object”).

In plural we only add apostrophe ‘. The form of the word itself already has an ending -s/ -es. Piling up a large number of sibilants is not welcome in English:

cat s’ tails - cats' tails
sister s’ family name - sisters' surname

There are a number of nouns that form their plural by changing their root vowels or word form. Such words will form the possessive case by adding the traditional s':

women 's clothes - women's clothing
children 's toys - children's toys

Possessive case with inanimate nouns

In practice, it is generally accepted that inanimate nouns form the possessive case by resorting to preposition of- we will call this the “prepositional” form. In this case, the “owner” stands after a preposition and after the defined word:

the roof of the house= house - owner ( of conveys the meaning of the question “whose?”) - roof (whose? what?) of the house

the door of the library- door (whose? which?) of the library

Can't do without exceptions! There are a number inanimate nouns, which will form the possessive case traditional way - 's. These words can be grouped according to the following characteristics:

1. nouns denoting time And adverbs of time/ distance/ cost:
a month’s holiday - time
today's paper - adverb of time
a kilometer’s walk - distance
two dollar's worth - cost

2. nouns denoting celestial bodies:

sun's rays

3. collective nouns relating to groups or communities of people/ pronouns replacing animate nouns:

our family's house - group
nobody’s business - pronoun

Possessive pronouns

Another manifestation of the possessive case can be found in possessive pronouns.

In the case where there is a desire to use a pronoun without a subsequent noun, it partially acquires the characteristics 's.

It is my car. - It is mine.
your room - yours
his toy - his
her boyfriend - hers
its leg - its
our house - ours
thier cafe - theirs

This is called the absolute form of a possessive pronoun, which can replace a noun.

P.S. Words in the possessive case have the same properties as possessive pronouns and displace the article. If “owners” are two or more words, apostrophe joins the latter:

Mary and Jack 's flat - Mary and Jack's apartment

In English you can find a number of stable expressions in which the possessive case will be formed against the rules, for example:

for goodness ’ sake - for God's sake

Although goodness is an inanimate and abstract noun, the possessive case is expressed in a “pure” form.

We wish you interesting practice and success!

Victoria Tetkina

There are only two cases in English: common ( common case) and possessive ( possessive/ genetive case).

Common case the letter is not indicated by anything (compare: in Russian, each of the six cases has its own ending), but the meaning of phrases and sentences is clear to us due to the strict order of words in a sentence and the use of prepositions. Let's give an example. "The teacher said "Hello" to the pupils." - ""The pupils said "Hello" to the teacher". In translation into Russian, we change the word order and use the Russian language cases for translation: said to the teacher - said (to whom?) to the teacher, Dative case; written by Pushkin - written (by whom?) by Pushkin, Instrumental case.

Possessive used to show possession. To form the possessive case, we add the ending - "s" to the animate noun in the singular; in the plural, simply an apostrophe -.

For example, Julia's lipstick is Julia's lipstick, a boy's bag is a boy's bag, pupils' books are student books, a driver's license is a driver's license.

As you can see, most often the possessive case is translated into Russian by the genitive case.

Features of the use of the possessive case

It would seem that forming the possessive case form is as easy as shelling pears, but there are pitfalls here too.

1. If the noun is singular, add -"s, even if the noun ends in -s, for example, a waitress"s uniform, an actress"s salary.

Doubts about this arise when writing proper names: St. James's Park - St. James's Park (in London), Charles's car - Charles's car, Doris's party - Doris's party. But to the names of famous and famous people just add an apostrophe. For example, William Yeats" poetry - the poetry of William Yeats (Irish poet and playwright), Socrates" son (son of Socrates).

2. If the noun is plural, add only an apostrophe. For example, girls" skirts, the parents" apartment. But if the plural noun is irregular (see irregular plural nouns), then add -"s. For example, sheep's wool, the men's club, children's toys.

3. Add -"s only to the last noun, if there are several of them, or to the last element of a complex noun. For example, my friend Nataly"s keys - the keys of my friend Natasha, Mary"s new friends - Masha's new friends, her mother-in -law's house - her mother-in-law's house.

4. When we are talking about a workplace, a store, an office, a house, after - "s the second noun can be omitted. For example, I was at the doctor"s yesterday. (=at the doctor"s office). I am at my grandmother"s (= at my grandmother"s house). I need to go to the baker"s (=baker"s shop, bakery)/ the florist"s (flower shop) / the confectioner's (confectionery shop) / at the dry-cleaner's (in the laundry room).

5. If a noun refers to a whole phrase, then this phenomenon is called Group Genitive. Let's give an example.

Helen and Bob's car (they have one car for two).

The man I saw yesterday's son (son of the man I saw yesterday).

Someone else's benefit (someone else's benefit).

A friend of mine's bad habit (my friend's bad habit).

What about inanimate nouns?

When we want to show that something belongs to an inanimate object, use the preposition "of": the leg of the table. But native speakers prefer a shorter version, that is, a complex noun without a bunch of articles: the table leg.

If it is impossible to form a compound noun, then we use the preposition "of". For example, the top of the box. You need to remember such expressions. Experienced linguists feel whether a phrase sounds or not. When in doubt, use "of". In many cases, both forms are correct. For example, the hand of the clock (clock hand) = the clock hand.

Set expressions with inanimate nouns in the possessive case

These expressions need to be remembered.

P.S. The possessive case of a noun in English is a difficult topic to study, because students are trying to draw a parallel with the Russian language, where nouns have 6 cases, but there is no possessive case, but there are possessive pronouns. In English, the possessive case expresses ownership and nothing more. In fact, everything is very simple.