4.2. The Independent Possessive

Sometimes the possessive is independent; that is, it is not dependent on a following noun. The noun may be omitted because it can be understood from the context: Your ideas are more acceptable than Sandra’s (Sandra’s ideas). David’s comments are like Peter’s.

The Independent Possessive is also used to refer to places: The party is at Alan’s tonight. I am shopping at Macy’s.

Finally, the Independent Possessive may combine with the of-structure: a friend of Martha’s, a suggestion of Norman’s.

The Independent Possessive in the of -structure differs, however, from the Determinative Possessive in its meaning: Martha’s friend means ‘The friend that Martha has’ (the speaker assumes that the hearer knows the identity of the friend) whereas a friend of Martha means ‘one of Martha’s friends’.

E x e r c i s e s

4.3. Explain the use of the Independent Possessive.

1) "They tell me at the Timothies’", said Nicholas lowering his voice, "that Dartie has gone off at last".

I buy my meat at Johnson’s. I shall be at the dentist’s. Call me at Bill’s. I am going to my friend’s.

He liked living at his daughter’s. Go to the chemist’s. We buy bread at the baker’s. A friend of Karen’s.

4.4. Make up sentences using the following nouns in the Independent Possessive.

A florist’s, a cleaner’s, a hairdresser’s a chemist’s, a butcher’s, a tobacconist’s.

UNIT 5 G E N D E R

Most English nouns have the same form for masculine and feminine: a parent, a child, a cousin, a driver, a teacher, a cook, a singer, a dancer, a journalist. They have common gender.

The nouns for men, boys and male higher animals may be considered masculine.They are used with the pronoun he (his): He is my brother. Though my dog is twenty, he is still strong.

T he nouns for women, girls and feminine higher animals may be regarded as feminine. They are used with the pronoun she (her): She is a girl of ten. This is my dog, her name is Calva.

When the speaker does not know what sex the animal is or when the speaker does not want to encode the sex of the referent, the pronoun it may be used: The dog looked as it was scared.

Countries treated as political, not geographical units, ships and sometimes other entities treated affectively are usually referred to as feminine: The ship got a hole in her bow. In the war Scotland lost many of her bravest men.

There are also some exclusively male nouns and exclusively female nouns that need to be remembered:

1. some of them have a derivational or morphological relation, for example: hero – heroine, executor – executrix, actor – actress, baron – baroness, bridegroom – bride, duke – duchess, host – hostess, lion – lioness, poet – poetess, widow – widower;

2. some of them have a ‘gender marker’, for example: peacock – peahen, Tom-cat – Pussy-cat, he-wolf – she-wolf, boy-friend – girl-friend;

3. some of them have not any morphological correspondess at all, for example: brother – sister, boy – girl, bachelor – spinster, bull – cow, cock – hen, drake – duck, father – mother, fox – vixen, gander – goose, horse – mare, lord – lady, nephew – niece, uncle – aunt.

NOTE: In the case of people the -ess ending is becoming rare. In the interests of sexual equality, words like author and manager refer to both sexes.

Inanimate things and some lower animals are neuter: It is a house, I like it. It is a snake, I like it.

E x e r c i s e s

5.1. Form the feminine from the masculine by adding -ess. Note that words ending in -er or -or often drop the e or the o as in "actor – actress":

host, lion, tiger, waiter, prince, manager, poet, giant, conductor.