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ESL forum >
Message board > genitive case
genitive case
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akram@73
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genitive case
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hello dear colleagues
which is the correct alternative:
-the other �s car driver
- the other car �s driver
thanks a lot
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9 Nov 2012
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isa2
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The problem for me is: you should avoid using a genitive for things.
Anyway, if you want to stick to your solution, I would definitely say
THE OTHER CAR �S DRIVER (meaning the driver of the other car)
unless you mean several people owning a car which is driven by a driver, then I would suggest
THE OTHERS � CAR DRIVER
Hope I could help.
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9 Nov 2012
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MoodyMoody
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It �s "the other car �s driver." Other is an adjective stating which car and car is the noun that takes the possessive. You can also say "the driver of the other car." Sometimes using an "of" prepositional phrase as a possessive sounds clumsy to a native speaker (not incorrect), but I don �t hear anything wrong with "the driver of the other car." |
9 Nov 2012
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joy2bill
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As a native speaker I definitely prefer �the driver of the other car � but I �m not sure why! As isa2 said we usually avoid the possessive with things. |
10 Nov 2012
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cunliffe
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I also prefer �the driver of the other car �. Is it because the emphasis is on the driver, not the car? Also, with �the other car �s driver �, it �s as if the car has got some autonomy, whereas it �s an inanimate object... Not absolutely certain of the explanation, but I �ve had a go! |
10 Nov 2012
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yanogator
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Definitely the driver of the other car. You can use the possessive (We don �t have genitive in English - It �s possessive) for things that are part of things, such as the car �s license plate and the car �s steering wheel, but it doesn �t "own" the driver, so "the other car �s driver" doesn �t sound right to a native speaker, as the others have pointed out. Bruce |
10 Nov 2012
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isa2
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Dear Bruce,
I �m sorry to contradict you. But the term GENITIVE exists in linguistics.
Isa
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10 Nov 2012
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yanogator
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Isa, I didn �t say that the term doesn �t exist. I said that it �s called the possessive case in English. Bruce |
10 Nov 2012
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