Duration expressions as modifiers

5.143 You can also use time expressions involving a cardinal number and a general time word to modify nouns. Note that an apostrophe is added to the time word.

Four of those were sentenced to 15 days' detention.

They want to take on staff with two years' experience.

This use of cardinal numbers is describe in paragraph 2.248.

5.144 Time expressions are also used as compound adjectives to modify count nouns.

They all have to start off with a six month course in German.

I arrived at the University for a three month stint as a visiting lecturer.

Compound adjectives are explained in paragraphs 2.98 to 2.107.

Contents of Chapter 6

page

Contents 1

Editorial team 6

Introduction 6

Note on Examples 10

Guide to the Use of the Grammar 11

Glossary of grammatical terms 13

Cobuild Grammar Chart 21

Contents of Chapter 1 22

1 Referring to people and things 26

Introduction to the noun group 26

Identifying people and things: nouns 28

Things which can be counted: count nouns 29

Things not usually counted: uncount nouns 31

When there is only one of something: singular nouns 33

Referring to more than one thing: plural nouns 34

Referring to groups: collective nouns 36

Referring to people and things by name: proper nouns 37

Nouns which are rarely used alone 38

Sharing the same quality: adjectives as headwords 39

Nouns referring to males or females 40

Referring to activities and processes: '-ing' nouns 41

Specifying more exactly: compound nouns 42

Referring to people and things without naming them: pronouns 44

Referring to people and things: personal pronouns 44

Mentioning possession: possessive pronouns 47

Referring back to the subject: reflexive pronouns 47

Referring to a particular person or thing: demonstrative pronouns 48

Referring to people and things in a general way: indefinite pronouns 49

Showing that two people do the same thing: reciprocal pronouns 51

Joining clauses together: relative pronouns 51

Asking questions: interrogative pronouns 52

Other pronouns 53

Identifying what you are talking about: determiners 54

The specific way: using 'the' 54

The specific way: using 'this', 'that', 'these', and 'those' 57

The specific way: using possessive determiners 58

The general way 60

The general way: using 'a' and 'an' 61

The general way: other determiners 62

Contents of Chapter 2 65

2 Giving information about people and things 70

Introduction 70

Describing things: adjectives 71

Information focusing: adjective structures 72

Identifying qualities: qualitative adjectives 72

Identifying the class that something belongs to: classifying adjectives 73

Identifying colours: colour adjectives 74

Showing strong feelings: emphasizing adjectives 75

Making the reference more precise: postdeterminers 76

Special classes of adjectives 76

Position of adjectives in noun groups 78

Special forms: '-ing' adjectives 80

Special forms: '-ed' adjectives 81

Compound adjectives 84

Comparing things: comparatives 86

Comparing things: superlatives 87

Other ways of comparing things: saying that things are similar 89

Indicating different amounts of a quality: submodifiers 91

Indicating the degree of difference: submodifiers in comparison 94

Modifying using nouns: noun modifiers 96

Indicating possession or association: possessive structures 97

Indicating close connection: apostrophe s ('s) 98

Other structures with apostrophe s ('s) 98

Talking about quantities and amounts 99

Talking about amounts of things: quantifiers 99

Talking about amounts of things: partitives 102

Referring to an exact number of things: numbers 105

Referring to the number of things: cardinal numbers 105

Referring to things in a sequence: ordinal numbers 108

Referring to an exact part of something: fractions 109

Talking about measurements 110

Talking about age 112

Approximate amounts and measurements 113

Expanding the noun group: qualifiers 114

Nouns with prepositional phrases 115

Nouns with adjectives 117

Nouns with non-finite clauses 118

Contents of Chapter 3 119