Oxford_Guide_to_English_Grammar
.pdf17 NOUNS AND NOUN PHRASES
In expressions with man/woman + noun, both parts change to the plural. women jockeys (= jockeys who are women)
d After a year or an abbreviation, the plural ending can be apostrophe + s. the 1950s/the 1950's most MPs/most MP's
2 Use
a We use the singular to talk about one thing.
The door was closed. |
We waitedfor an hour. |
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There was only one passenger. |
I've lost myjob. |
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b We use the plural for more than one.
The doors were all closed. We waitedfor one and a quarter hours. There were hundreds of passengers. I've got one or two jobs to do.
NOTE Some nouns are always plural, e.g. clothes, goods. • 154(1)
c For a negative or unknown quantity, we normally use the plural.
There were no passengers on the bus. Have you read any good books lately?
NOTE
We can use the singular after no meaning 'not a single one'.
No passenger(s) came to the driver's help when he was attacked.
146 The possessive form
1 Form
To form the possessive we add an apostrophe + s to a singular noun; we add an apostrophe to a plural noun ending in s; and we add an apostrophe + s to a plural
notending in s.
Singular + 's s-plural + ' Other plurals + 's
my friend's name my friends' names the children's names
For pronunciation, • 290(4).
aAfter a singular noun ending in s, we normally add 's: the boss's office, Chris's address. But after a surname ending in s, we can add just an apostrophe: Perkins' room/Perkins's room,
Yeats' poetry/Yeats's poetry. We can pronounce Perkins' 
or 
bIf there is a short phrase after the noun, then the possessive ending comes after the phrase. the people next door's cat/the cat belonging to the people next door
cWe can leave out the noun after the possessive if the meaning is clear without it.
That umbrella is my friend's.
dPronouns ending in one/body and the pronouns one, each other and one another can be possessive.
I found someone's coat here. |
They visit each other's rooms. |
e We can add an apostrophe + s to a phrase with and. |
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I've just been to Peter and Zoe's |
flat. |
This is much more usual than Peter's and Zoe's flat.
f We can sometimes use two possessive forms together.
Anita is my cousin - my mother's brother's daughter.
PAGE 185 146 The possessive form
2Use
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 theJulia's coat
For a coat ofJulia'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 ofmy 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 ofthe 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 ofGlastonbury's jewellery
thejewellery ofthe Duchess ofGlastonbury
NOTE
The of-pattern is sometimes possible for relations between people. theyoungman'smother/themotheroftheyoungman
c We normally use the of-pattern with things.
the start ofthe match |
the bottom ofthe bottle |
the day ofthe carnival |
the end ofthe film |
dWe 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 ofScotland |
the company's head office |
the head office ofthe company |
the magazine's political views |
the political views ofthe magazine |
4 Some other uses of the possessive
aThere'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'sjacket.
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NOUNS AND NOUN PHRASES |
PAGE 186 |
b |
Wefound a bird's nest. |
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It was a man's voice that I heard.
Here man's modifies voice, like an adjective. It tells us what kind of voice. Compare a male voice.
cThe girl's reply surprised us.
Roger's actions were later criticized.
This pattern is related to The girl replied. For more examples, • 149(1).
NOTE The of-pattern is sometimes possible: the actions ofRoger.
dThe hostages' release came unexpectedly. Susan's promotion is well deserved.
This pattern is related to They released the hostages.
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NOTE |
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The of-pattern is possible here: the release ofthe hostages. And we always use the of-pattern |
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with things rather than people. |
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the release ofthe information. NOT the information's release |
e |
That man's stupidity is unbelievable. |
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The player'sfitness is in question. |
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This pattern is related to That man is stupid. We use it mainly with humans. |
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NOTE The of-pattern is also possible: the stupidity of that man. |
5 The pattern yesterday's newspaper
The possessive can express time when.
Have you seen yesterday's newspaper?
Next month'sfigures are expected to show an improvement.
It can also express length of time.
We've booked a three weeks' holiday.
There's going to be about an hour's delay.
NOTE
a Sunday's newspaper is a newspaper on one specific Sunday, e.g. last Sunday. A Sunday newspaper is a type of newspaper, one that appears on Sundays.
b We can also use the following patterns to express length of time.
a holiday of three weeks |
a delay ofone hour |
a three-week holiday |
a one-hour delay |
6 AtAlec's, to the butcher's etc
We can use the possessive without a following noun when we talk about someone's home or shop.
We're all meeting at Dave's (house/flat).
There's a policeman outside the McPhersons' (house/flat). Is there a baker's (shop) near here?
I was sitting in the waiting-room at the dentist's.
We can also use company names.
I'mjust going to Tesco's to get some bread. We ate at Maxime's (Restaurant).
There's a Barclay's (Bank) on the university campus.
NOTE Many companies leave out the apostrophe from their name: Barclays (Bank).
PAGE 187 147 Two nouns together
147 Two nouns together
1 We often use one noun before another.
a tennis club money problems a microwave oven
The first noun modifies the second, tells us something about it, what kind it is or what it is for.
a tennis club = a club for playing tennis vitamin pills = pills containing vitamins a train journey = a journey by train
a phone bill = a bill for using the phone
NOTE
When two nouns are regularly used together, they often form a compound noun; • 283. But it is often difficult to tell the difference between two separate nouns and one compound noun, and the difference is not important for the learner of English.
2Sometimes there is a hyphen (e.g. waste-bin), and sometimes the two nouns are written as one (e.g. armchair). There are no exact rules about whether we join the words or not. • 56(5c)
3The stress is more often on the first noun.
'tennis club |
ma'chine-gun |
'car park 'fire |
alarm |
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But sometimes the main stress comes on the second noun. |
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cardboard 'box |
microwave 'oven |
town 'hall |
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There are no exact rules about stress, but for more details, • (5). |
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4 The first noun is not normally plural. |
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The Sock Shop |
a picture gallery |
an eye test |
a book case |
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NOTE
Some exceptions are a sports shop, careers information, customs regulations, a clothes rack, a goods train, systems management, an arms dealer. For American English, • 304(2).
5 Here are some examples of the different kinds of noun + noun pattern.
a |
a coffee table (= a table for coffee) |
a car park |
security cameras |
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a cricket ball |
an oil can (= a can for holding oil) • (6) |
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NOTE
aThe stress is on the first noun: a 'coffee table.
bWe can use a gerund, e.g. a sewing-machine (= a machine for sewing). • 283(2)
b |
a warfilm (= a film about war) |
a crime story |
pay talks |
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a gardening book |
a computer magazine |
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NOTE The stress is on the first noun: a 'war film.
c |
a chess player (= someone who plays chess) |
a lorry driver |
music lovers |
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a concrete mixer (= a machine that mixes concrete) |
a potato peeler |
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afood blender |
a sweet shop (= a shop that sells sweets) |
a biscuitfactory |
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steel production(=the production of steel) |
life insurance |
car theft |
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NOTE
The stress is usually on the first noun: a 'chess player. Compare these two phrases. Noun + noun: an 'English teacher (= someone who teaches English) Adjective + noun: an English 'teacher (= a teacher who is English)
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PAGE 188 |
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d |
a summer holiday (= a holiday in summer) |
the morning rush |
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afuture date |
breakfast television |
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a country cottage (= a cottage in the country) |
a motorway bridge |
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Swindon station |
a hospital doctor |
a world recession |
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NOTE
In these examples we usually stress the second noun: a summer 'holiday. But there are many exceptions, e.g. 'evening classes, a 'Glasgow woman.
e |
a plastic bag (= a bag made of plastic) |
a paper cup |
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a brick wall |
a glass vase |
a tin can |
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NOTE The main stress is on the second noun: a plastic 'bag. |
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the oven door (= the door of the oven) |
the town centre |
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factory chimneys |
the river bank |
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NOTE
aThe main stress is usually on the second noun: the town 'centre.
bWith top, bottom, side, back and end we normally use the of-pattern.
the bottom ofthe valley |
the end of the motorway NOT the motorway end |
But we can say roadside, |
hillside, hilltop and clifftop. |
They stood by the roadside/ the side ofthe road.
6A milk bottle is a bottle for holding milk. Milk refers to the purpose of the bottle. A bottle of milk is a bottle full of milk. Milk refers to the contents of the bottle.
a milk bottle |
a bottle ofmilk |
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Purpose: |
a wine glass |
a jam jar |
a bookshelf |
Contents: |
a glass of wine |
a jar ofjam |
a shelfofbooks |
7 There are more complex patterns with nouns.
a We can use more than two nouns. |
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Eastbourne town centre |
a plastic shopping-bag |
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a life insurance policy |
security video cameras |
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Somerset County Cricket Club |
summer activity holiday courses |
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We can build up phrases like this.
an air accident (= an accident in the air)
an investigation team (= a team for investigating something) an air accident investigation team
(= a team for investigating accidents in the air)
PAGE 189 |
148 Phrases after a noun |
b We can use adjectives in these complex noun patterns. |
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a comprehensive road atlas |
a handy plastic shopping-bag |
a 'Sunuser' solar heating system |
British Channel Island Ferries |
NOTE
We can also sometimes use a phrase with a preposition. state-of-the-arttechnology asensationalend-of-seasonsale
148 Phrases after a noun
1 We can use a clause or phrase after a noun to modify it.
Clause: thefact that I got there first • 262 (7) some of those people who called • 272 a lot of time to spare • 124
Phrase: all these boxes here every day ofthe week a hot mealfor two
2The phrase after the noun can be a prepositional phrase, an adverb phrase, an adjective phrase or a noun phrase.
Prepositional phrase: When will I meet the girl ofmy dreams?
Adverb phrase: We don't talk to the people upstairs. Adjective phrase: The policefound parcelsfull ofcocaine. Noun phrase: The weather that day was awful.
The phrase modifies the noun, tells us more about it.
The prepositional phrase is the most common.
The periodjust after lunch is always quiet.
I'd love an apartment on Fifth Avenue.
A man with veryfair hair was waiting in reception.
The idea of space travel has always fascinated me.
What are the prospectsfor a peaceful solution?
For noun + preposition, e.g. prospects for, • 237.
NOTE
We can use a pattern with of with the names of places or months. It is rather formal.
Welcome to the city of Coventry.
Here is the long-range weather forecast for the month of June.
3We can sometimes use two or more phrases together after a noun. Here are some examples from British newspapers.
Passengers on some servicesfrom King's Cross, Euston and Paddington will need a boarding pass.
Violence erupted at the mass funeral of African National Congress victims of last week's massacre at Ciskei.
Chris Eubank recorded hisfourth successful defence ofthe WBO supermiddleweight championship at Glasgow on Saturday with a unanimous points win over America's Tony Thornton.
We can also use a mixture of phrases and clauses.
The baffling case ofa teenage girl who vanished exactly twenty years ago has been re-opened by police.
17 NOUNS AND NOUN PHRASES |
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149 Nominalization
1 Some noun phrases are equivalent to clauses.
Clause |
Noun phrase |
The residents protested. |
the residents' protests |
Someone published the document. |
the publication ofthe document |
The landscape is beautiful. |
the beauty ofthe landscape |
Expressing an idea in a noun phrase rather than a clause is called 'nominalization'. Here are two examples in sentences.
The residents' protests were ignored.
The government opposed the publication ofthe document.
In written English, this is often preferred to The residents protested, but they were ignored. For an example text, • 53(2).
NOTE
For the subject of the clause we use either the possessive form or the of-pattern.
Clause |
Noun phrase |
The visitor departed. |
the visitor's departure/the departure of the visitor |
The scheme succeeded. |
the scheme's success/the success ofthe scheme |
The telephone rang. |
the ringing ofthe telephone |
2 An adverb in a clause is equivalent to an adjective in a noun phrase.
Adverb in clause |
Adjective in noun phrase |
The residents protested angrily. The landscape is amazingly beautiful.
The residents' angry protests were ignored. Discover the amazing beauty ofthe landscape.
3 Look at these examples. |
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Verb + object |
Noun + preposition + object |
They published the document. |
the publication ofthe document |
Someone attacked the President. |
an attack on the President |
They've changed the law. |
a change in the law |
He answered the question. |
his answer to the question |
The most common preposition here is of. For noun + preposition, • 237.
PAGE 191
18
Agreement
150 Summary
Singular and plural verbs • 151
Subject-verb agreement means choosing the correct singular or plural verb after the subject.
The shop opens at nine. The shops open at nine.
Points to note about number and agreement
Singular and plural subjects • 152
Phil and Janice have invited us round.
Two hours is a long time to wait.
One of, a number of, every, there etc • 153
A number of problems have arisen.
Every cloud has a silver lining.
Nouns with a plural form • 154
Physics is myfavourite subject.
Pair nouns • 155
These shorts are nice.
Group nouns • 156
The company is/are building a newfactory.
Number in the subject and object • 157
We all wrote down our names.
NOTE
For The dead are notforgotten, • 204.
For The French have a wordfor it, • 288(1d).
151 Singular and plural verbs
1 In the third person there is sometimes agreement between the subject and the first (or only) word of a finite verb phrase.
The house is empty. The houses are empty.
Here we use is with a singular subject and are with a plural.
An uncountable noun takes a singular verb.
The grass is getting long.
18 AGREEMENT |
PAGE 192 |
With a present-tense verb there is agreement. |
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The window is broken. |
The windows are broken. |
The office has a phone. |
The offices have phones. |
The garden looks nice. |
The gardens look nice. |
There is agreement with be, • 84(2), have, • 85(2), and a present-simple verb (look). A third-person singular subject takes a verb form in s.
NOTE
aA modal verb always has the same form.
The window(s) might be broken.
bFor the subjunctive, • 242.
We recommend that the pupil receive a special award.
3 With a past-tense verb there is agreement only with be.
The window was broken. |
The windows were broken. |
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With other verbs, there is only one past form. |
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The office(s) had lots ofphones. |
The garden(s) looked nice. |
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NOTE
For the subjunctive were, • 242(3).
If the story were true, what would it matter?
152 Singular and plural subjects
It is usually easy to decide if a subject is singular or plural, but there are some points to note.
1 TWO or more phrases linked by and take a plural verb.
Jamie and Emma go sailing at weekends.
Both the kitchen and the dining-roomface due west. Wheat and maize are exported.
But when the two together express something that we see as a single thing, then we use a singular verb.
Bread and butter was all we had.
2When two phrases are linked by or, the verb usually agrees with the nearest.
Either Thursday or Friday is OK.
Either my sister or the neighbours are looking after the dog.
3A phrase of measurement takes a singular verb.
Ten miles is toofar to walk. Thirty pounds seems a reasonable price.
Here we are talking about the amount as a whole - a distance of ten miles, a sum of thirty pounds, not the individual miles or pounds.
Titles and names also take a singular verb when they refer to one thing.
'Star Wars' was a very successfulfilm.
The Rose and Crown is that old pub by the river.
4A phrase with as well as or with does not make the subject plural.
George, together with some ofhisfriends, is buying a race-horse.
A phrase with and in brackets does not normally make the subject plural.
The kitchen (and ofcourse the dining-room) faces due west.
PAGE 193 |
153 One of, a number of, every, there etc |
After not only... but also, the verb agrees with the nearest phrase.
Not only George but also his friends are buying the horse.
NOTE
A phrase in apposition does not make the subject plural.
George, my neighbour, often goes to the races.
5If a phrase comes after the noun, the verb agrees with the first noun.
The house between the two bungalows is empty.
6A phrase or clause as subject takes a singular verb.
Through the trees is the quickest way.
Opening my presents was exciting.
7 Even if the subject comes after the verb, the verb agrees with the subject.
A great attraction are the antique shops in the old part ofthe town.
Here a great attraction is the complement. It describes the subject, the antique shops.
153 One of, a number of, every, there etc
1 After a subject with one of, we use a singular verb.
One ofthese letters isforyou.
2When a plural noun follows number of, majority ofor a lot of, we normally use a plural verb.
A large number ofletters were received. The majority of people have complained. A lot of people have complained.
Here a number ofetc expresses a quantity.
NOTE |
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When number means 'figure', it agrees with the verb. |
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The number of letters we receive is increasing. |
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b Amount agrees with the verb. |
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A large amount ofmoney was collected. |
Large amounts ofmoney were collected. |
c |
After a fraction, the verb agrees with the following noun, e.g. potato, plants. |
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Three quarters (ofa potato) is water. |
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Almost half (the plants) were killed. |
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3We use a singular verb after a subject with every and each and compounds with every, some, any and no.
Every pupil has to take a test.
Each day was the same as the one before. Everyone has to take a test.
Someone was waiting at the door. Nothing ever happens in this place.
But all and some with a plural noun take a plural verb.
All the pupils have to take a test.
Some people were waiting at the door.
NOTE
When each follows a plural subject, the verb is plural.
The pupils each have to take a test.