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:
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. **
1.1.
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: Of is 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) The "of" form is normally obligatory when expressing the relation of a part to a whole
(or a whole to its parts)
B7 the top of the stairs
.
B8
the back of the building
B9 A collection of paintings
B10 The middle of the report
We can NOT say:
B71x: the stairs' top .
B81x: the building's back.
However there sometimes is a choice
when the part is expressed as adjective+noun
B11 The top floor of
the building
B111 The building's top floor
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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