Am I correct with this summary about possessives?

Members help members on grammar, vocab, pronunciation...

Moderator: EC

Post Reply
kimconu
Member
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2018 9:11 am
Status: Learner of English

Am I correct with this summary about possessives?

Post by kimconu »

I. Say about people:

I. 1. When we say about a certain man or some certain men, we say:

a This is a man’s wallet. He is working over there.

b These are a man’s wallets. He is working over there.

c This is some men’s wallet. They are working over there. (In this case, we don’t say “This is men’s wallet.” Because men = all men, so the word “men” will be a general noun )

d These are some men’s wallets. They are working over there. (In this case, we don’t say “These are men’s wallets.” Because men = all men, so the word “men” will be a general noun)



I. 2. When we say about a particular man or particular men using the word “the”, we say:

a I met a man and a woman last night and this is the man’s wallet.

b I met a man and a woman last night and these are the man’s wallets.

c I met some men and a woman last night and this is the men’s wallet.

d I met some men and a woman last night and these are the men’s wallets.





I. 3. When we say about a general man or general men, we say:

a This is a man’s wallet.

b These are (some) man’s wallets.

c This is a men’s wallet.

d These are (some) men’s wallets.



e This is the man’s wallet.

f These are the man’s wallets.

g This is the men’s wallet.

h These are the men’s wallets.



II. Say about birds:

II. 1. When we say about a certain bird or some certain bird, we say:

a This is a bird’s cage. It was dead yesterday.

b These are a bird’s cages. It was dead yesterday.

c This is some birds’ cage. They were dead yesterday. (In this case, we don’t say “This is birds’ cage.” Because birds = all birds, so the word “birds” will be a general noun )

d These are some birds’ cages. They were dead yesterday. (In this case, we don’t say “These are birds’ cages.” Because birds = all birds, so the word “birds” will be a general noun)



II. 2. When we say about a particular bird or particular bird using the word “the”, we say:

a I bought a dog and a bird yesterday and this is the bird’s cage.

b I bought a dog and a bird yesterday and these are the bird’s cages.

c I bought a dog and some bird yesterday and this is the birds’ cage.

d I bought a dog and some bird yesterday and these are the birds’ cages.



II. 3. When we say about a general bird or general birds, we say:

a This is a bird’s cage.

b These are (some) bird’s cages.

c This is a birds’ cage.

d These are (some) birds’ cages.



e This is the bird’s cage.

f These are the bird’s cages.

g This is the birds’ cage.

h These are the birds’ cages.



Thank you for all your help! I hope it's not wrong.
User avatar
Firefox
Rising Star
Rising Star
Posts: 220
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2019 6:57 am
Status: Other

Re: Am I correct with this summary about possessives?

Post by Firefox »

That's a summary? :roll:
User avatar
AtlantaEI
Member
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Nov 27, 2018 8:51 pm
Status: Other
Location: Atlanta, GA

Re: Am I correct with this summary about possessives?

Post by AtlantaEI »

Hi kimconu!

You did a great job, but here's a few critiques:
I1C just doesn't seem plausible. It implies that a group of men share one wallet, which doesn't make sense. However, it is technically grammatically correct. The same critique can be made for I2C. In II1C, you could say, "This is the birds' cage." II2C and II2D should read, "I bought a dog and some birds." II3C should read, "This is the/some birds' cage" or "This is a bird's cage."
Good work!
Atlanta English Institute - Language is Power
www.atlantaenglishinstitute.com
Post Reply