The category of case

Case is a grammatical category which shows relation of the noun with other words in a sentence. It is expressed by the form of the noun.

English nouns have two cases: the common case and the genitive case. However, not all English nouns possess the category of case; there are certain nouns, mainly nouns denoting inanimate objects, which cannot be used in the genitive case.

The common case is unmarked, it has no inflexion (zero inflexion) and its meaning is very general.

The genitive case is marked by the apostrophe s (’s).

The form of the possessive/genitive case

1. ’s is used with singular nouns and plural nouns not ending in s:

a man’s job the people’s job

men’s work the crew’s quarters

a woman’s intuition the horse’s mouth

the butcher’s (shop) the bull’s horns

a child’s voice women’s clothes

the children’s room Russia’s export

*** If a singular nouns end in s, there are two possible forms:

1. Add an apostrophe and –s: Thomas’s book

2. Add only an apostrophe: Thomas’ book

Plural nouns that end in -s take an apostrophe at the end :

the girls' dresses the students’ hostels

the eagles’ nest the Smiths’ car

2. classical names ending in s usually add only the apostrophe:

Pythagoras’ Theorem Archimedes’ Law Sophocles’ plays

3. we use ’s after more than one noun:

Jack and Jill’s wedding Mr. and Mrs. Carter’s house

4. With compounds, the last word takes the ’s:

my brother-in-law’s guitar

Names consisting of several words are treated similarly:

Henry the Eight’s wives the prince of Wales’s helicopter

’s can also be used after initials:

the PM’s secretary/briefcase the VIP’s escort

*** when the possessive case is used, the article before the person or thing “possessed”:

the daughter of the politician = the politician’s daughter

the plays of Shakespeare = Shakespeare’s plays

The use of the possessive/genitive case and of-phrase

The genitive case is used:

1. With nouns denoting persons and animals.

John’s idea the swallow’s nest the mare’s back

With other nouns (denoting inanimate objects or abstract notions) the of + noun phrase is used: the back of the train, the legs of a table.

2. With nouns denoting time and distance, such as minute, moment, hour, day, week, month, year, inch, foot, mile and adverbs: today, yesterday, tomorrow, etc.

a moment’s delay a month’s absence

an hour’s drive a mile’s distance

today’s newspaper a few minutes’ silence

a week’s time yesterday’s telephone conversation

a night’s rest

With these nouns the of-phrase is impossible:

today’s paper = сьогоднішні газети

the papers of today ≠ газети сьогоднішнього дня

3. With the names of countries and towns.

Britain’s national museums

Canada’s population

London’s ambulance services

4. With the names of newspapers and nouns denoting different kinds of organizations.

the Guardian’s analysis, the company’s plans, the firm’s endeavours,

the government’s policy, the organization’s executive board.

5. Often with the nouns world, nation, country, city, town:

the world’s top guitarists, the nation’s wealth

6. With the nouns ship, boat, car:

the ship’s crew, the car’s wheel

7. With nouns denoting planets: sun, moon, earth

the sun’s rays, the earth’s life

8. With some inanimate nouns in the following set expressions:

to one’s heart content, at death’s door, at arm’s length, out of harm’s way,

a needle’s eye, at a stone’s throw, to move at a snail’s pace, at the water’s edge.

*** When the genitive case is used as a premodifier of a noun, it’s called the dependent genitive. However there are some cases when the noun in the genitive case is not followed by the headword and then it stands for the whole noun phrase. This is the so-called absolute genitive. It is used:

1. To avoid repetition:

Our house is better than Mary’s (than Mary’s house)

2. After the preposition of:

An old friend of my mother’s, that cousin of my husband’s

3. To denote shops as the butcher’s, the baker’s, the grocer’s, the chemist’s,

or institutions, where genitive is usually a saint’s name:

St. Paul’s (Cathedral), St. James’s (Palace)

or places of residence:

at Timothy’s, at my uncle’s