15 .   Use of the possessive/genitive case and of + noun

A .    The possessive case is chiefly used of people, countries or animals as shown above. It can also be used:

1      Of ships and boats: the ship's bell, the yacht's mast

2     Of planes, trains, cars and other vehicles, though here the of construction is safer:

a glider's wings or the wings of a glider

the tram's heating system or the heating system of the train

3     In time expressions'

a week's holiday          today's paper                 tomorrow's weather

in two years' time        ten minutes' break         two hours' delay a ten-minute break, a two-hour delay are also possible: We have ten minutes' break/a ten-minute break

4     In expressions of money + worth:

£l's worth of stamps      ten dollars' worth of ice-cream

5     With for + noun + sake: for heaven's sake, for goodness' sake

6     In a few expressions such as'

a stone's throw      journey's end      the water's edge

7     We can say either a winter's day or a winter day and a summer's day or a summer day, but we cannot make spring or autumn possessive, except when they are personified: Autumn's return.

8     Sometimes certain nouns can be used m the possessive case without the second noun, a/the baker's/butcher's/chemist's/flonst's etc  can mean 'a/the baker's/butcher's etc. shop'.

Similarly, a/the house agent's/travel agent's etc. (office) and the dentist 's/doctor 's/vet 's (surgery):

You can buy it at the chemist's        He's going to the dentist's Names of the owners of some businesses can be used similarly:

Sotheby's, Clandge's

Some very well-known shops etc call themselves by the possessive form and some drop the apostrophe: Foyles, Harrods

Names of people can sometimes be used similarly to mean '      .'s house':

We had lunch at Bill's.       We met at Ann's.

B.     of + noun is used for possession.

1     When the possessor noun is followed by a phrase or clause.

The boys ran about, obeying the directions of a man with a whistle. I took the advice of a couple I met on the train and hired a car

2     With inanimate 'possessors', except those listed in A above:

the walls of the town      the roof of the church      the keys of the car However, it is often possible to replace noun X + of + noun Y by noun Y + noun X in that order:

the town walls      the church roof      the car keys The first noun becomes a sort of adjective and is not made plural:

the roofs of the churches = the church roofs (see 16) Unfortunately noun + of + noun combinations cannot always be replaced in this way and the student is advised to use of when in doubt.