Blog about English
Using apostrophe-s and of to express possession and relationships.
English expresses possession mainly with the genitive ('s) and the of-construction.
The choice depends on the relationship between the nouns, the type of noun and the style of expression.
This is my sister's car.
Это машина моей сестры.
"Sister's car" uses the genitive to express possession.
The roof of the house needs to be repaired.
Крышу дома нужно отремонтировать.
"The roof of the house" uses the of-construction with a thing.
John's phone is on the kitchen table.
Телефон Джона находится на кухонном столе.
"John's phone" expresses possession with the genitive.
The color of the sky changed before the storm.
Цвет неба изменился перед бурей.
"The color of the sky" is a natural of-construction with a thing.
The dog's bowl is empty.
Миска собаки пуста.
"The dog's bowl" uses the genitive with an animal.
The end of the movie surprised everyone.
Концовка фильма удивила всех.
"The end of the movie" uses the of-construction with an abstract relationship.
The company's new office is in Dallas.
Новый офис компании находится в Далласе.
"The company's new office" uses the genitive with an organization.
The history of the United States is taught in this class.
История Соединенных Штатов преподается на этом занятии.
"The history of the United States" uses the of-construction naturally with a country.
Add 's to most singular nouns to express possession.
Examples include the girl's book, John's car and the teacher's desk.
This is Maria's apartment.
Это квартира Марии.
"Maria's apartment" is formed by adding 's to the singular noun "Maria".
The teacher's desk is near the window.
Стол учителя находится возле окна.
"Teacher's desk" uses 's with a singular noun.
My brother's laptop is very fast.
Ноутбук моего брата очень быстрый.
"Brother's laptop" shows possession by a singular noun.
The dog's name is Max.
Собаку зовут Макс.
"Dog's name" uses the genitive with an animal.
The company's headquarters are in New York.
Штаб-квартира компании находится в Нью-Йорке.
"Company's headquarters" uses the genitive with an organization.
The restaurant's menu changes every season.
Меню ресторана меняется каждый сезон.
"Restaurant's menu" expresses a relationship between the restaurant and its menu.
The manager's office is on the second floor.
Кабинет менеджера находится на втором этаже.
"Manager's office" uses 's with a singular common noun.
The museum's collection includes several rare paintings.
Коллекция музея включает несколько редких картин.
"Museum's collection" uses the genitive with an institution.
Add only an apostrophe to regular plural nouns ending in -s.
Examples include the students' classroom and my parents' house. Irregular plural nouns take 's.
The students' classroom is on the third floor.
Класс студентов находится на третьем этаже.
"Students' classroom" uses only an apostrophe because "students" already ends in -s.
My parents' house is in Ohio.
Дом моих родителей находится в Огайо.
"Parents' house" uses the plural genitive form.
The teachers' lounge is next to the library.
Учительская находится рядом с библиотекой.
"Teachers' lounge" takes only an apostrophe after the plural noun.
The players' locker room is closed.
Раздевалка игроков закрыта.
"Players' locker room" shows possession by several players.
The neighbors' dogs are always barking.
Собаки соседей постоянно лают.
"Neighbors' dogs" uses the plural genitive with a regular plural noun.
The doctors' offices are on the fourth floor.
Кабинеты врачей находятся на четвертом этаже.
"Doctors' offices" refers to offices belonging to several doctors.
The students' projects were displayed in the hallway.
Проекты студентов были выставлены в коридоре.
"Students' projects" shows that the projects belong to multiple students.
The employees' parking lot is behind the building.
Парковка сотрудников находится за зданием.
"Employees' parking lot" uses the regular plural genitive.
Irregular plural nouns form the genitive by adding 's.
Examples include the children's toys, the men's room and the women's team.
The children's toys are all over the floor.
Игрушки детей разбросаны по всему полу.
"Children's toys" takes 's because "children" is an irregular plural.
The men's room is on the left.
Мужской туалет находится слева.
"Men's room" uses 's because "men" does not end in -s.
The women's team won the championship.
Женская команда выиграла чемпионат.
"Women's team" uses the irregular plural genitive.
The people's opinions were very different.
Мнения людей сильно различались.
"People's opinions" uses 's with the irregular plural "people".
The children's school is near our house.
Школа детей находится рядом с нашим домом.
"Children's school" shows possession by children.
The women's locker room is downstairs.
Женская раздевалка находится внизу.
"Women's locker room" is a common classification expression using the genitive.
The men's basketball team is practicing tonight.
Мужская баскетбольная команда сегодня тренируется.
"Men's basketball team" uses the irregular plural genitive.
The people's choice will determine the winner.
Выбор людей определит победителя.
"People's choice" uses 's with the irregular plural "people".
The of-construction is commonly used with things, abstract nouns and longer noun phrases.
Examples include the roof of the house, the end of the story and the color of the sky.
The roof of the house needs repairs.
Крышу дома нужно отремонтировать.
"The roof of the house" uses the of-construction with a thing.
The end of the movie was surprising.
Концовка фильма была неожиданной.
"The end of the movie" is a natural of-construction.
The color of the sky was beautiful at sunset.
Цвет неба на закате был прекрасным.
"The color of the sky" uses "of" because the possessor is a thing.
The door of the garage is open.
Дверь гаража открыта.
"The door of the garage" is an of-construction referring to a thing.
The history of the city is fascinating.
История города увлекательна.
"The history of the city" is a natural abstract relationship.
The contents of the box were damaged.
Содержимое коробки было повреждено.
"The contents of the box" uses the of-construction with a thing.
The results of the study were published online.
Результаты исследования были опубликованы в интернете.
"The results of the study" is natural in formal and academic English.
The beginning of the year is always busy for accountants.
Начало года всегда занято для бухгалтеров.
"The beginning of the year" uses the of-construction with a time period.
Use 's mainly with people, animals and certain expressions of time, distance and organizations. Use of mainly with things and abstract relationships.
Both constructions are grammatical in many cases, but one is usually more natural than the other.
John's car is outside.
Машина Джона находится снаружи.
"John's car" is more natural than an of-construction with a person.
The roof of the house is leaking.
Крыша дома протекает.
"The roof of the house" is natural because the possessor is a thing.
The company's decision surprised everyone.
Решение компании всех удивило.
"The company's decision" is more natural than "the decision of the company".
The color of the wall is too dark.
Цвет стены слишком темный.
"The color of the wall" is more natural than a long genitive construction.
Today's meeting starts at nine.
Сегодняшнее собрание начинается в девять.
"Today's meeting" uses the genitive with a time expression.
The history of the building is fascinating.
История здания увлекательна.
"The history of the building" is a natural of-construction.
The dog's name is Charlie.
Собаку зовут Чарли.
"The dog's name" is natural with an animal.
The shape of the table is unusual.
Форма стола необычная.
"The shape of the table" naturally uses "of" with a thing.
The genitive is commonly used with expressions of time.
Examples include a day's work, today's news and two weeks' holiday.
I need a day's rest.
Мне нужен день отдыха.
"A day's rest" expresses a period of time with the genitive.
Today's meeting has been canceled.
Сегодняшнее собрание отменили.
"Today's meeting" uses the genitive with a time expression.
We took two weeks' vacation in July.
В июле мы взяли двухнедельный отпуск.
"Two weeks' vacation" uses the plural genitive.
It was a month's work to finish the project.
На завершение проекта ушел месяц работы.
"A month's work" means work lasting a month.
Yesterday's news was surprising.
Вчерашние новости были неожиданными.
"Yesterday's news" uses the genitive with a time expression.
The child has three years' experience in the sport.
У ребенка трехлетний опыт в этом виде спорта.
"Three years' experience" is a plural time genitive.
We need five days' notice before the reservation.
Нам нужно уведомление за пять дней до бронирования.
"Five days' notice" is a common fixed time expression.
The trip takes a week's planning.
Поездка требует недели планирования.
"A week's planning" uses the genitive to express duration.
The genitive is used with expressions of distance, value and measurement.
Examples include a mile's walk, a dollar's worth and an hour's drive.
It is a mile's walk from here.
Отсюда нужно идти одну милю.
"A mile's walk" expresses distance using the genitive.
It is an hour's drive to the airport.
До аэропорта ехать час.
"An hour's drive" expresses the distance in terms of travel time.
The house is about two miles' drive from downtown.
Дом находится примерно в двух милях езды от центра.
"Two miles' drive" uses the plural genitive.
We bought a dollar's worth of candy.
Мы купили конфет на один доллар.
"A dollar's worth" expresses value using the genitive.
They bought five dollars' worth of snacks.
Они купили закусок на пять долларов.
"Five dollars' worth" uses the plural genitive to express value.
It is a twenty-minute drive from our office.
От нашего офиса ехать двадцать минут.
"A twenty-minute drive" is another common way to express distance by time.
The store is five minutes' walk from the station.
Магазин находится в пяти минутах ходьбы от станции.
"Five minutes' walk" uses the plural genitive.
We bought twenty dollars' worth of groceries.
Мы купили продуктов на двадцать долларов.
"Twenty dollars' worth" expresses monetary value.
The genitive is frequently used with organizations, countries, cities and other institutions.
Examples include the company's policy, the school's library and the nation's economy.
The company's headquarters are in Chicago.
Штаб-квартира компании находится в Чикаго.
"The company's headquarters" uses the genitive with an organization.
The school's library is open after classes.
Библиотека школы открыта после занятий.
"The school's library" uses the genitive with an institution.
The nation's economy depends on several industries.
Экономика страны зависит от нескольких отраслей.
"The nation's economy" uses the genitive with a country viewed collectively.
The university's campus is very large.
Кампус университета очень большой.
"The university's campus" uses the genitive with an institution.
The city's population has grown rapidly.
Население города быстро выросло.
"The city's population" uses the genitive with a place.
The state's largest employer is a technology company.
Крупнейший работодатель штата — технологическая компания.
"The state's largest employer" uses the genitive with a political region.
The museum's collection includes Native American artifacts.
Коллекция музея включает артефакты коренных американцев.
"The museum's collection" uses the genitive with an institution.
The company's offices are located in several major cities.
Офисы компании находятся в нескольких крупных городах.
"The company's offices" uses the genitive with an organization.
The position of the apostrophe shows whether possession is shared or separate.
Compare Tom and Mary's house (shared ownership) with Tom's and Mary's houses (separate ownership).
Tom and Mary's house is on the corner.
Дом Тома и Мэри находится на углу.
"Tom and Mary's house" has one genitive marker because they share one house.
Tom's and Mary's cars are parked outside.
Машины Тома и Мэри припаркованы снаружи.
"Tom's and Mary's cars" has two genitive markers because each person owns a separate car.
John and Lisa's apartment has two bedrooms.
В квартире Джона и Лизы две спальни.
"John and Lisa's apartment" indicates shared possession.
John's and Lisa's apartments are in different buildings.
Квартиры Джона и Лизы находятся в разных зданиях.
"John's and Lisa's apartments" indicates separate possession.
Mike and Sarah's business is growing quickly.
Бизнес Майка и Сары быстро растет.
"Mike and Sarah's business" indicates joint ownership.
Mike's and Sarah's businesses operate in different states.
Бизнесы Майка и Сары работают в разных штатах.
"Mike's and Sarah's businesses" indicates separate ownership.
Anna and David's children attend the same school.
Дети Анны и Дэвида ходят в одну школу.
"Anna and David's children" indicates that Anna and David jointly have the children referred to.
Anna's and David's parents live in different states.
Родители Анны и Дэвида живут в разных штатах.
"Anna's and David's parents" has separate possessors.
The double genitive combines of with the genitive.
Examples include a friend of John's and a colleague of my father's. It usually refers to one member of a larger group.
She is a friend of John's.
Она подруга Джона.
"A friend of John's" is a double genitive referring to one friend among several.
He is a colleague of my father's.
Он коллега моего отца.
"A colleague of my father's" means one colleague among several.
That is an old friend of Sarah's.
Это давний друг Сары.
"A friend of Sarah's" uses both "of" and the genitive.
I met a former classmate of David's at the conference.
Я встретил бывшего одноклассника Дэвида на конференции.
"A former classmate of David's" identifies one classmate from a larger set.
She borrowed a book of mine.
Она взяла мою книгу.
"A book of mine" means one of my books.
That neighbor of ours helped us move.
Этот наш сосед помог нам с переездом.
"That neighbor of ours" is a double genitive construction.
I saw a painting of Picasso's at the museum.
Я видел в музее картину Пикассо.
"A painting of Picasso's" can mean one painting belonging to or created by Picasso.
He is a good friend of my brother's.
Он хороший друг моего брата.
"A good friend of my brother's" means one of my brother's friends.
The possessed noun may be omitted when it is understood from the context.
Examples include I'm going to Sarah's and This coat is John's.
I am going to Sarah's after work.
Я иду к Саре после работы.
"Sarah's" stands alone because "Sarah's house" is understood.
This jacket is John's.
Эта куртка Джона.
"John's" stands alone because the possessed noun is understood from context.
We had dinner at my parents' last night.
Мы ужинали у моих родителей прошлой ночью.
"My parents'" means "my parents' house" here.
The blue car is hers, and the red one is mine.
Синяя машина ее, а красная моя.
"Hers" and "mine" are independent possessive forms, while the sentence illustrates omission of the possessed noun.
We spent the evening at Mike's.
Мы провели вечер у Майка.
"Mike's" stands for "Mike's house" or another understood place.
Is this umbrella yours or Emma's?
Этот зонтик твой или Эммы?
"Emma's" functions independently because the noun "umbrella" is understood.
We stopped at the grocery store, then went to Joe's.
Мы остановились в продуктовом магазине, а потом пошли к Джо.
"Joe's" refers to Joe's home or another established destination.
I found my keys, but I cannot find Sarah's.
Я нашел свои ключи, но не могу найти ключи Сары.
"Sarah's" replaces the understood noun "keys".
The genitive may be used with things that are personified.
Examples include the ship's captain, the earth's surface and the company's future.
The ship's captain welcomed the passengers.
Капитан корабля поприветствовал пассажиров.
"The ship's captain" uses the genitive with an inanimate noun that is treated as an agent or entity.
The Earth's surface is mostly covered by water.
Поверхность Земли в основном покрыта водой.
"The Earth's surface" uses the genitive with a celestial body.
The company's future depends on innovation.
Будущее компании зависит от инноваций.
"The company's future" is a natural genitive with an organization.
The car's engine needs to be replaced.
Двигатель машины нужно заменить.
"The car's engine" uses the genitive with a thing.
The United States' economy depends heavily on consumer spending.
Экономика Соединенных Штатов в значительной степени зависит от потребительских расходов.
"The United States' economy" uses the genitive with a country name.
The plane's wings were damaged in the storm.
Крылья самолета были повреждены во время бури.
"The plane's wings" is a natural genitive with a vehicle.
The city's history goes back more than two hundred years.
История города насчитывает более двухсот лет.
"The city's history" uses the genitive with a place.
The internet's growth has changed the way businesses operate.
Рост интернета изменил то, как работают компании.
"The internet's growth" uses the genitive with a personified system or institution.
Some genitives describe the purpose or type of something rather than ownership.
Examples include a children's hospital, a women's magazine and a teachers' conference.
The hospital has a children's department.
В больнице есть детское отделение.
"Children's department" classifies the type or intended users of the department.
She bought a women's magazine at the airport.
Она купила женский журнал в аэропорту.
"Women's magazine" describes the intended readership rather than literal ownership.
The university hosted a teachers' conference.
Университет провел конференцию учителей.
"Teachers' conference" identifies the type or purpose of the conference.
She works at a children's hospital in Boston.
Она работает в детской больнице в Бостоне.
"Children's hospital" is a classification, not ordinary ownership.
They opened a women's shelter downtown.
Они открыли приют для женщин в центре.
"Women's shelter" identifies who the shelter is intended for.
The school organized a parents' meeting.
Школа организовала родительское собрание.
"Parents' meeting" identifies the participants the meeting is intended for.
The company opened a workers' cafeteria.
Компания открыла столовую для работников.
"Workers' cafeteria" indicates the intended users of the cafeteria.
The city built a veterans' center near the airport.
Город построил центр для ветеранов возле аэропорта.
"Veterans' center" classifies the center by the people it serves.
The genitive can follow indefinite pronouns ending in -body or -one.
Examples include somebody else's bag, nobody's fault and everyone's opinion.
Someone else's phone is ringing.
Звонит чей-то телефон.
"Someone else's phone" uses the genitive after an indefinite pronoun.
That was nobody's fault.
Это не было ничьей виной.
"Nobody's fault" uses the genitive to express responsibility.
Everyone's opinion matters.
Мнение каждого имеет значение.
"Everyone's opinion" uses the genitive after an indefinite pronoun.
Somebody else's car is blocking the driveway.
Чья-то чужая машина перекрывает подъезд.
"Somebody else's car" expresses possession by an unspecified person.
Is this anybody's jacket?
Это чья-нибудь куртка?
"Anybody's jacket" asks about the owner of the jacket.
Nobody's keys were found in the office.
В офисе не нашли ничьих ключей.
"Nobody's keys" expresses the absence of an owner.
Everyone's responsibilities are clearly defined.
Обязанности каждого четко определены.
"Everyone's responsibilities" uses the genitive with an indefinite pronoun.
Someone else's mistake caused the problem.
Проблему вызвала чья-то чужая ошибка.
"Someone else's mistake" identifies an unspecified owner of the mistake.
Complex noun phrases may contain more than one genitive.
Careful apostrophe placement makes the relationship between nouns clear.
My brother's friend's car is parked outside.
Машина друга моего брата припаркована снаружи.
"My brother's friend's car" contains two genitives showing two levels of possession.
The company's CEO's office is on the top floor.
Кабинет генерального директора компании находится на верхнем этаже.
"The company's CEO's office" contains nested genitive relationships.
My sister's roommate's dog is very friendly.
Собака соседки моей сестры очень дружелюбная.
"My sister's roommate's dog" contains two successive genitives.
The school's principal's office is next to the library.
Кабинет директора школы находится рядом с библиотекой.
"The school's principal's office" has two genitive relationships.
My friend's brother's business is based in Austin.
Бизнес брата моего друга находится в Остине.
"My friend's brother's business" uses nested genitives.
The president of the company's assistant called me.
Мне позвонил помощник президента компании.
"The president of the company's assistant" combines an of-construction and a genitive.
The local university's engineering department's budget was reduced.
Бюджет инженерного факультета местного университета был сокращен.
"The local university's engineering department's budget" contains multiple genitive relationships.
My parents' neighbors' new house is across the street.
Новый дом соседей моих родителей находится через дорогу.
"My parents' neighbors' new house" contains two plural genitives.
Modern English often prefers the genitive over long of-constructions with animate nouns.
Compare the company's decision with the decision of the company. Both are correct, but the genitive is usually more natural.
The company's decision was announced this morning.
Решение компании было объявлено сегодня утром.
"The company's decision" is more natural than "the decision of the company" in ordinary modern English.
The government's response was immediate.
Реакция правительства была незамедлительной.
"The government's response" is the natural modern choice.
The university's policy changed last year.
Политика университета изменилась в прошлом году.
"The university's policy" is preferred to a long of-construction with an animate or institutional possessor.
The city's population has increased rapidly.
Население города быстро выросло.
"The city's population" is concise and natural.
The company's new headquarters opened in Seattle.
Новая штаб-квартира компании открылась в Сиэтле.
"The company's new headquarters" is the preferred modern form.
The decision of the company was announced yesterday.
Решение компании было объявлено вчера.
"The decision of the company" is grammatical, but the genitive is generally more concise and natural.
The history of the organization is well documented.
История организации хорошо задокументирована.
"The history of the organization" remains natural because the phrase is headed by an abstract noun.
The organization's history is well documented.
История организации хорошо задокументирована.
"The organization's history" is also natural and more compact when the possessor is animate or institutional.
Many idiomatic expressions contain the genitive.
Examples include for goodness' sake, at death's door, at arm's length and out of harm's way.
For goodness' sake, please be quiet.
Ради всего святого, пожалуйста, потише.
"For goodness' sake" is a fixed expression with a possessive form.
The suspect stood at arm's length from the officer.
Подозреваемый стоял на расстоянии вытянутой руки от офицера.
"At arm's length" is a fixed genitive expression.
The team kept the difficult problem at arm's length.
Команда держала сложную проблему на расстоянии.
"At arm's length" can also be used figuratively.
He was at death's door after the accident.
После аварии он был при смерти.
"At death's door" is a fixed idiom meaning very close to death.
The family stayed out of harm's way during the storm.
Во время бури семья оставалась в безопасности.
"Out of harm's way" is a fixed expression meaning safe from danger.
For heaven's sake, turn off the alarm.
Ради всего святого, выключи сигнализацию.
"For heaven's sake" is a fixed idiomatic expression.
The negotiations were held at arm's length.
Переговоры велись на некотором расстоянии.
"At arm's length" is commonly used figuratively to describe limited involvement.
Keep the children out of harm's way.
Держите детей подальше от опасности.
"Out of harm's way" is a fixed expression containing the genitive.
Use apostrophes correctly and choose between 's and of according to standard English usage.
Common mistakes include incorrect apostrophe placement, confusing plural forms with possessive forms and overusing the of-construction where the genitive is more natural.
This is my parents' house.
Это дом моих родителей.
Use "parents'" for the regular plural genitive; do not write "parent's" when both parents are meant.
The children's toys are in the box.
Игрушки детей находятся в коробке.
Use "children's", not "childrens'", because "children" is an irregular plural.
The dog's bowl is empty.
Миска собаки пуста.
Use 's to show possession by one dog; do not confuse the genitive with the plural "dogs".
The dogs' bowls are empty.
Миски собак пусты.
Use "dogs'" because the possessor is a regular plural noun ending in -s.
John's car is new.
Машина Джона новая.
Use "John's", not "Johns", when expressing possession.
The roof of the house is damaged.
Крыша дома повреждена.
Use the of-construction naturally with things instead of forcing a long genitive phrase.
Today's meeting starts at nine.
Сегодняшнее собрание начинается в девять.
Use "today's" to form the genitive of a time expression.
The company's decision was final.
Решение компании было окончательным.
The genitive is often more natural than an unnecessarily long of-construction with an organization.