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Supplementary Material

The genitive case is used to indicate possession when we refer to animate (living) nouns. When we talk about

inanimate (not living) nouns we normally don’t use it.

Examples:

I like Paula’s house. Paula is an animate noun.

The bottom of the bottle. Bottle is an inanimate noun.

To form the genitive, we need to pay attention to the final letter of the noun:

If the noun ends in «s» we add «apostrophe + s».

If the noun ends in a letter which is not «s», then we add apostrophe to a plural noun ending in s, and

we can add an apostrophe + s to a plural not ending in s.

Examples: John’s mistake, the heroes’welcome, the children’s toys.

Here we have some

We can use the __________ of ________________ pattern with things. For example:

The top of the mountain, the leg of the table, etc.

The genitive can be optional with nouns that refer to a group of people or to places where people live, to

institutions,etc.

America’s resources ,Santiago’s heavy traffic, the company’s head office.So we can also say :

The heavy traffic of Santiago, the resources of America or the head office of the company.

The possessive form can also express time, length of time of an event, etc.

Examples: a year’s work, have you read yesterday´s newspaper?, a fortnight’s holiday, there’s going to be an

hour’s delay.

Another use of the possessive form is to refer to the home or the shop of someone and to express purpose.

There is a children’s playground.

There is a baker’s (shop) near my house.

She was sitting and waiting at the dentist’s (office) for a long time.

My friends ate at Eduardo’s (flat).

The Genitive Case(Compulsory Supplementary Material for Beta Lower Module

Suggested Supplementary Material for Gamma Lower Module.)

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Supplementary MaterialEXERCISE 1.

Use the possessive form and rewrite the following ideas.Example: This is a newspaper that appeared yesterday.

This was a yesterday’s newspaper.

1) This is a newspaper that appears on Sunday.

This is ______________________________________________________________________

2) He has a holiday of a week.

He has _____________________________________________________________________

3) They have a holiday of two weeks.

They have __________________________________________________________________

4) The father of the young man.

The young ___________________________________________________________________

5) The car of your mother.

Your________________________________________________________________________

6) The bowl of the cat.

The ________________________________________________________________________

7) The work of a day.

A __________________________________________________________________________

8) I heard the voice of a man.

I heard a ____________________________________________________________________

9) The poems of Keats.

Keats ______________________________________________________________________

10) The privilege of a boss.

A __________________________________________________________________________

11) The bone of a dog.

___________________________________________________________________________

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Supplementary MaterialThe genitive case is used to indicate: 1) place or shop, 2) person(animate), 3) duration, 4) purpose.

EXERCISE 2. Look at the following examples and indicate whether the idea refers to 1) place or shop, 2)person (animate), 3)duration, 4)purpose.

A) Julia stopped at the butcher’s for a piece of steak.(_____)

B) They haven’t been to the doctor’s.(_____)

C) This is Elizabeth’s dictionary.(____)

D) The teacher’s role is always clear.(____)

E) The dog’ s head.(____)

F) Today’s program is to finish this task.(____)

G) It will take you an hour’s drive.(____)

H) You can take a week’s holiday in September.(_____)

EXERCISE 3. Complete the sentences with the correct name of the shop.Butcher’s, Greengrocer’s, Pharmacy, News-stand and Baker’s.

A) I am going to the_______________. Can you get me a magazine,please?

B) Can you get me a loaf of bread? I am going to the_______________?

C) He is going to get some toothpaste and toothbrush.Where is the nearest ___________________?

D) Where is the__________? I am going to buy some steaks.

E) She is going to the____________because she needs to buy some fruit and vegetables.

KEY CHECK

EXERCISE 1.

1. This is a Sunday’s newspaper. 7. A day’s work.2. He has a week’s holiday. 8. I heard a man’s voice.3. They have a two week’s holiday. 9. Keats’poems.4. The young man’s father. 10. A boss’s privilege.5. Your mother’s car. 11. A dog’s bone.6. The cat’s bowl.

EXERCISE 2.

A. 1 B. 1 C. 1 D. 1 E. 2F. 4 G. 3 H. 3

EXERCISE 3.

A. newstand B. baker’s C. pharmacy D. butcher’s. E. greengrocer’s