Притяжательный падеж существительных.

В современном английском языке существительное имеет два падежа – общий (common case) и притяжательный (possessive case). Существительное в общем падеже не имеет особого окончания. Существительное в притяжательном падеже служит определением к другому существительному, обозначая принадлежность предмета.

Притяжательный падеж образуется путем прибавления окончания ‘s к форме общего падежа. Притяжательный падеж в основном передает различные отношения принадлежности, передает отношение части и целого, авторство:

Ex: Mary’s cat. Cat’s tail. Shakespeare’s sonnets.

Exercises

EX. 1. Look at the nouns given below and say what nouns are derivative and what are simple.

Dictation, student, school, object, builder, construction, freedom, darkness, foundation, worker, constructor, water, delegation, tradesman, engineer, nation, soil, drain, improvement, architecture, work.

EX. 2. Define the function of a noun in the following sentences.

1. This man opened his own building company. 2. He looked at the building site. 3. Mr. Bergman is a very talented architect. 4. We made a mixture. 5. Our wall newspaper is very exciting. 6. I saw this worker in the morning. 7. She has become an engineer. 8. My sister remained a secretary. 9. He was building his house with pleasure. 10. They finally finished the construction of this building.

EX. 3. Look at the following nouns and say what are countable and what are uncountable. Translate into Russian.

Cup, air, sugar, city, oil, house, water, apple, tea, time, cigarette, tobacco, coffee, butter, dollar, money, cheese, bread, cake, train, window, frame, ship, gold, university, meat, ocean, friendship, meeting, government, freedom, wall, instrument, ice, darkness, machine, coin, hour, armchair, idea, love, stone.

EX. 4. Put the following nouns into plural form.

Star, mountain, tree, king, man, woman, city, boy, goose, dress, toy, baby, flower, plate, bookshelf, ball, train, plane, window, door, cigarette, egg, girl, box, sheep, place, library, photo, pen, hero, leaf, fish, month, day, bus, stop, company, deer, swine, play, cap, party, tomato, computer, soup, roof, life, valley, datum, mother-in-law, Chineze, chef, Negro, pair, key, lady.

EX. 5. Put the following sentences into plural form.

Remember that:

This is – these are; that is – those are; there is – there are; it is – they are

1. This man is an engineer. 2. This woman is a famous architect. 3. My tooth is white. 4. A potato is a vegetable and a cherry is a fruit. 5. This key is made of steel. 6. This shoe is too large for my foot. 7. My uncle has a huge building company. 8. There is a flower in the vase. 9. In the farm-yard we could see an ox, a sheep, a cow, and a goose. 10. The cat has caught a mouse. 11. This strawberry is still green. 12. Is this a good match? 13. That house is new. 14. I held up my foot to the fire to warm it. 15. Do you have a knife?

EX. 6. Put the following sentences into plural form. Translate.

1. This is a scary movie. 2. There is a man in the hall. 3. The man is an American, and the woman is a Swiss. 4. In the story a policeman helps a child. 5. A student must enjoy life. 6. My son keeps a white mouse in the box. 7. A cat is a cute animal. 8. We have a good chance. 9. A refrigerator keeps fish fresh. 10. It’s a new business center.

EX. 7. Put the following sentences into singular form. Translate.

1. Men who dink and drive are criminals. 2. Housekeepers must be economical. 3. Secretaries should know computers and languages. 4. Politicians must be good leaders and speakers. 5. Horror movies are not for little children. 6. Partners should be honest people. 7. Hours passed before the police came. 8. Accountants must be good at figures. 9. We can see sheep. 10. There are geese in the pond.

EX. 8. Remake the sentences like it is shown in the example: