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English grammar

Possession: ’s, of, and a friend of mine

C1 · Advanced Nouns and describing Questions 10

The rule

’s is normal for people, animals, organisations, places and time: the company’s profits, Europe’s future, a week’s holiday, today’s paper. of is usual for things and abstractions (the end of the film, the roof of the house) and for long or complex possessors, where ’s would pile up awkwardly: the daughter of the man next door is better in writing than the man next door’s daughter. The double genitive a friend of mine, a colleague of Sarah’s means one of several. With two owners, one ’s shows shared possession (Tom and Anna’s house), two show separate possession (my mother’s and my father’s cars), and a group genitive puts ’s at the end of the whole name (the King of Spain’s visit). Measures work two ways: ten minutes’ walk or a ten-minute walk — in the compound the noun stays singular. And at the dentist’s, at Maria’s mean the place or home.

Pattern

people / organisations / places / time + ’s · things / long possessors: the … of … · a friend of mine / of Sarah’s · Tom and Anna’s (shared) · Tom’s and Anna’s (separate) · ten minutes’ walk · a ten-minute walk · at the dentist’s / at Maria’s

Examples

  1. The company’s profits have doubled since last year.

  2. The hotel is only ten minutes’ walk from the station.

  3. A colleague of mine recommended this restaurant.

  4. We stayed at my aunt and uncle’s house in Leeds.

Common mistakes

  • Wrong: She is a friend of me.

    Right: She is a friend of mine.

    The double genitive uses the possessive pronoun: of mine.

  • Wrong: We had a two-hours meeting.

    Right: We had a two-hour meeting.

    In a compound adjective the noun stays singular.

  • Wrong: The house’s roof is leaking.

    Right: The roof of the house is leaking.

    For parts of things, of usually sounds more natural.

Practice questions

Try each one yourself first, then open “Show answer” for the solution and the reason.

  1. 1Choose the correct sentence.

    1. The end of the film was disappointing.
    2. The end’s film was disappointing.
    3. The film’s end it was disappointing.
    4. The ending of film’s was disappointing.
    Show answer

    Answer: A The end of the film was disappointing.

    A part of a thing: the end of the film.

  2. 2Fill in the gap.

    The station is five minutes’ _____ from here.

    1. walks
    2. walked
    3. walk
    4. walking
    Show answer

    Answer: C The station is five minutes’ walk from here.

    five minutes’ walk: the measure takes the possessive.

  3. 3This sentence is wrong. Choose the fix.

    He is an old friend of my.

    1. He is an old friend of me.
    2. He is an old mine friend.
    3. He is an old friend of mine.
    4. He is an old friend of my own.
    Show answer

    Answer: C He is an old friend of mine.

    Double genitive: a friend of mine.

  4. 4Choose the correct sentence.

    How many houses are there?

    We visited Tom and Anna’s house.

    1. Three houses
    2. One house they share
    3. No house at all
    4. Two separate houses
    Show answer

    Answer: B One house they share

    One ’s after both names = shared possession.

  5. 5Change the sentence.

    Use a compound adjective.

    The meeting lasted two hours.

    1. It was a two hour’s meeting.
    2. It was a meeting two-hour.
    3. It was a two-hour meeting.
    4. It was a two-hours meeting.
    Show answer

    Answer: C It was a two-hour meeting.

    Compound adjective: number + singular noun.

  6. 6Choose the correct sentence.

    1. The decision’s government surprised everyone.
    2. The government decision’s surprised everyone.
    3. The governments’ decision’s surprised everyone.
    4. The government’s decision surprised everyone.
    Show answer

    Answer: D The government’s decision surprised everyone.

    An organisation takes ’s.

  7. 7Put the words in the right order.

    I’m having dinner at Maria’s tonight

    Show answer

    Answer: I’m having dinner at Maria’s tonight.

    at Maria’s = at Maria’s home.

  8. 8Choose the correct sentence.

    Which is the most natural?

    Talking about a neighbour’s daughter.

    1. the man who lives next door’s daughter
    2. the next door lives man’s daughter
    3. the daughter man next door’s
    4. the daughter of the man who lives next door
    Show answer

    Answer: D the daughter of the man who lives next door

    With a long possessor, of avoids an awkward pile-up.

  9. 9Fill in the gap.

    Have you seen _____ paper? There’s an article about our street.

    1. of today
    2. today
    3. todays
    4. today’s
    Show answer

    Answer: D Have you seen today’s paper? There’s an article about our street.

    Time takes ’s: today’s paper.

  10. 10This sentence is wrong. Choose the fix.

    The children’s of the neighbours are very noisy.

    1. The neighbours’ children are very noisy.
    2. The childrens of the neighbours are very noisy.
    3. The neighbour’s childrens are very noisy.
    4. The neighbours children’s are very noisy.
    Show answer

    Answer: A The neighbours’ children are very noisy.

    Plural owner ending in -s: the neighbours’.

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