Jose Carillo's English Forum

English Grammar and Usage Problems => Use and Misuse => Topic started by: Sky on April 16, 2012, 08:14:04 AM

Title: Do we need to put 's to the following?
Post by: Sky on April 16, 2012, 08:14:04 AM

1. ...essay introduction or essay's introduction (I know an English-language teacher from a university in Australia using "essay's introduction," but what I have learned is "essay introduction," confused now).

2. ...bank card or bank's card...

3. ....student card or student's card...


Thanks

Title: Re: Do we need to put 's to the following?
Post by: Joe Carillo on April 17, 2012, 04:30:38 PM

The general rule is to use the apostrophe-s for the possessive form of proper nouns and generic names of living or tangible entities, as in “Alicia’s dilemma,” “Manila’s nightlife,” “the planet’s survival,” “Jupiter’s 66 confirmed moons,” “the monkey’s back,” and “the beetle’s lifespan.” Awkward-sounding possessives often result when the apostrophe-s is used for the possessive of inanimate things or abstract concepts, as in “table’s edge” (better: “edge of the table”), “fairy’s tales” (better: “fairy tales”), “democracy’s enemies” (better: “enemies of democracy”), and “sin’s wages” (better: “wages of sin”); such constructions should be routinely avoided. Of course, there are some exceptions to the rule against using the apostrophe-s for the possessive of inanimate things, such as “the razor’s edge” and “a doorknob’s function.”

Based on the above guidelines, both the possessive forms “essay introduction” and “essay’s introduction” fail the euphony test; the better form is “introduction to the essay.” “Bank card” sounds better than “bank’s card,” and “student card” sounds better than “student’s card.”

When in doubt, use the possessive form that doesn’t sound dissonant or jarring to the ear. I would say that the ultimate criterion for using or not using the apostrophe is how badly the construction sounds when said aloud.

Title: Re: Do we need to put 's to the following?
Post by: mika23 on April 19, 2012, 09:03:02 AM

I think when we use the word " student card" without 's means it is a pronoun and student here is considered as adj. I think both cases are right, but depending on your purpose you can choose a suitable answer. Using 's when we want to empasize the possession.

Title: Re: Do we need to put 's to the following?
Post by: syntheticgras on April 19, 2012, 10:07:20 AM

Great post with excellent idea! I appreciate it. Thanks so much and let keep on sharing your stuffs.

Title: Re: Do we need to put 's to the following?
Post by: DavidVilla08 on April 19, 2012, 03:19:37 PM

Great post with excellent idea! I appreciate your post. Thanks so much and let keep on sharing your stuffs.