The Communicative Grammar of English Workbook - Edward Woods, Rudy Coppieters 2002
4.5. Expressions using ‘of’ and the genitive
Unit four. Determiners
Sections 102-107; 530-535
’Of’ is used to indicate various relations between two nouns.
A genitive can often be used with the same meaning as an ’of’ phrase, especially where the genitive has human reference. Some of these relations are:
’Have’ relation; subject-verb relation; verb-object relation; subject complement relation.
A genitive can be a noun phrase containing more than one word and ending with the genitive ending ’s or s’ (see 532).
The genitive is more commonly used for an origin relation or for a classifying relation. There are special cases where time and place nouns frequently use the genitive. It is especially the case when the place noun is followed by a superlative.
In some cases, the uses of the ’of’ phrase can suggest a different meaning from the genitive use.
Task one *
Underline the genitive and of-phrases in the passage below.
The art gallery’s next exhibition will be a retrospective of the early drawings of Keith Mason. Mason was an East Anglian artist whose interest lay in capturing the atmosphere of the region. When he was in East Anglia, he often stayed at the Shearers’. He had become a friend of David Shearer’s when, as teenagers, they had gone each week to the local school’s evening art classes. Mason showed early signs of a very individual talent and was encouraged to apply for a scholarship to the Cambridge art school. After studying there, he travelled a lot through Europe but always returned to his beloved East Anglia and became one of the Cambridge college’s regular visiting lecturers. He became a friend of several galleries in the region and donated several of his paintings to each gallery. Mason’s death in 1993 left a gap in the region’s art scene. While the region has always produced interesting painters whose work created interest in the region, Mason’s created a national interest for the region.
Task two **
Show where the apostrophe should be in the following genitive phrases. In some cases, it is possible to omit the apostrophe.
1. A teachers work
2. The writers circle
3. The over-fifties club
4. Shakespeares plays
5. Bruce Willis early films
6. The United States economic policies.
7. The governments performance
8. The Managing Directors car
9. Yesterdays news
10. An old boys network
Task three **
Rewrite the following ’of’ phrases to show the relation between the two nouns.
Example: the envy of the world - THE WORLD ENVIES ...
The penguins of Antarctica - THE PENGUINS LIVE IN ANTARCTICA
1. people of Africa
2. the main entrance of the building
3. the concern of the workers
4. the dishonesty of some journalists
5. a lack of ideas
6. the courage of ordinary people
7. a bottle of wine
8. the causes of the economic crash
9. the result of his complaint
10. the postponement of the meeting.
Task four **
State the relation between the nouns in the following phrases: ’have’ relation; subject-verb relation; verb-object relation; subject complement relation.
Rewrite them as ’of’ phrases.
1. his mother’s despair
2. the sovereign’s rights
3. the actor’s charm
4. the town’s traffic problems
5. the government’s downfall
6. the killer’s arrest
7. the child’s murder
8. the moon’s effect on the tides
9. the father’s anger
10. the orchestra’s performance
Task five ***
Show how the meaning may differ in the pairs of phrases below.
Task six *
Rewrite the following phrases using the genitive.
1. The meeting taking place today.
2. The most successful airline in the world.
3. A wait for an hour.
4. The oldest married couple in Britain.
5. The highest mountain in Scotland.
6. A delay lasting a month.
7. A pause for a minute.
8. The favourite son of Liverpool.
9. The worst-kept secret in London.
10. The bush fires which took place last year.