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Nouns in combination: my father’s house

Possessive ’s and other determiners​

A possessive ’s structure acts as a determiner (Determiners: a/an and the; my, your, etc; this, that, etc) in a noun phrase. Compare:

  • a car
  • this car
  • his car
  • Jack’s car

A noun cannot normally have an article or other determiner with it as well as a possessive word (see here). Definite articles are usually dropped when possessives are used.

  • the car that is Jack’s = Jack’s car (not the Jack’s car) or Jack’s the car

But a possessive word may of course have its own article.

  • the car that is the boss’s = the boss’s car

When we want to use a noun with a/an or this/that, etc as well as a possessive, we usually use the of mine, etc construction (see here).

  • She’s a cousin of Jack’s. (not … a Jack’s cousin.)
  • I saw that stupid boyfriend of Angie’s yesterday. (not … that Angie’s stupid boyfriend …)

Meanings of the ’s structure​

We use the ’s structure most often to talk about possessions, relationships and physical characteristics, especially when the first noun refers to a person or animal, or to a country, organisation or other group of living creatures.

  • That’s my father’s house. (not … the house of my father)
  • Emily’s brother is a lawyer. (not The brother of Emily …)
  • I don’t like Alice’s friends much.
  • Dan’s eyes are like yours.
  • There’s something wrong with the cat’s ear.
  • Scotland’s climate is getting warmer.
  • What do you think of the company’s management?

We also use the structure to talk about things that people, etc produce.

  • I didn’t believe the girl’s story.
  • Have you read Jack’s email?
  • What are Norway’s main exports?
  • The government’s decision was extremely unwise.

With some words for people’s actions, we can use either ’s or a structure with of.

  • the Queen’s arrival OR the arrival of the Queen
  • the committee’s second meeting OR the second meeting of the committee

An of-structure is preferred when the ‘possessing’ expression is very long. Compare:

  • my sister’s husband
  • the husband of the woman who sent you those papers

’s not used: the name of the street​

With nouns which are not the names of people, animals, countries, etc, ’s is less common, and a structure with a preposition (usually of) is more normal.

  • the name of the street (not the street’s name)
  • the back of the room (not the room’s back)
  • the roof of the house (not the house’s roof)
  • the top of the page (not the page’s top)

However, both structures are possible in some expressions.

  • the earth’s gravity OR the gravity of the earth
  • the plan’s importance OR the importance of the plan
  • the concerto’s final movement OR the final movement of the concerto
  • the train’s arrival OR the arrival of the train
  • the world’s oldest mountains OR the oldest mountains in the world (not … of the world), (see here)

Unfortunately, it is not possible to give useful general rules in this area: the choice of structure often depends on the particular expression.

Like a subject​

Note that the ’s structure often corresponds to a sentence in which the first noun is the subject of have or some other verb.

  • Joe’s brother (Joe has a brother)
  • the dog’s tail (the dog has a tail)
  • America’s gold reserves (America has gold reserves)
  • the manager’s decision (the manager made a decision)
  • Harris’s novel (Harris wrote a novel)

In a few cases, the first noun may correspond to the object of a verb.

  • the prisoner’s release (they released the prisoner)

Measurement of time: a day’s journey​

The ’s structure (or the plural with s’) is often used to say how long things last.

  • a day’s journey
  • twenty minutes’ delay

Noun + noun structures are also possible in expressions with numbers (see here).

  • a three-hour journey
  • a twenty-minute delay

Other expressions of time: yesterday’s news​

We can also use the ’s structure to talk about particular moments and events.

  • yesterday’s news
  • last Sunday’s match
  • tomorrow’s weather

worth​

Note the use of the ’s structure before worth.

  • a pound’s worth of walnuts
  • three dollars’ worth of popcorn
note

For the ’s structure in compound nouns (e.g. a doll’s house, cow’s milk), (see here).

Possessive without a noun​

We can use a possessive without a following noun, if the meaning is clear.

  • ‘Whose is that?’ ‘Daniel’s.’

We often talk about shops, companies, churches and people’s houses in this way. The apostrophe is often dropped in the names of shops and companies.

  • I bought it at Smiths.
  • She got married at St Joseph’s.
  • We had a nice time at Jack and Susan’s last night.

In modern English, expressions like the doctor, the dentist, the hairdresser, the butcher are often used without ’s.

  • Alice is at the dentist(’s).