C. Note the difference between:
a wine glass (perhaps empty) and a glass of wine (= a glass with wine in it)
a shopping bag (perhaps empty) and a bag of shopping (= a bag full of shopping)
D. When we use noun + noun, the first noun is like an adjective. It is normally singular but the meaning is often plural. For example, a bookshop is a shop where you can buy books, an apple tree is a tree that has apples.
In the same way we say:
a three-hour journey (not 'a three-hours journey')
a ten-pound note (not 'pounds') two 14-year-old girls (not 'years')
a four-week English course (not 'weeks') a three-page letter (not 'pages')
So we say:
* It was a three-hour journey. but The journey took three hours.
For the structure 'I've got three weeks' holiday', see Unit 80E.
EXERCISES
79.1 What do we call these things and people? Use the structure noun + noun.
1. A ticket for a concert is _a concert ticket!_
2. A magazine about computers is ---.
3. Photographs taken on your holiday are your ---.
4. Chocolate made with milk is ---.
5. Somebody whose job is to inspect factories is ---.
6. A hotel in central London is ---.
7. The results of your examinations are your ---.
8. The carpet in the dining room is ---.
9. A scandal involving a football club is ---.
10. A question that has two parts is ---.
11. A girl who is seven years old is ---.
79.2 Write the correct word for each picture. Each word has two parts and these are given above the pictures. In la for example, you must decide whether the word is boathouse or houseboat.
boat/house
horse/race
card/phone
79.3 Answer the questions using two of the following words each time:
accident belt card credit editor forecast number road room seat shop weather window
1. This can be caused by bad driving. _A road accident_
2. If you're staying at a hotel, you need to remember this. Your ---
3. You should wear this when you're in a car. A ---
4. You can sometimes use this to pay for things instead of cash. A ---
5. If you want to know if it's going to rain, you can read or listen to this. The ---
6. This person is a top journalist. A ---
7. You might stop to look in this when you're walking along a street. A ---
79.4 Complete the sentences using one of the following:
15 minute(s) 60 minute(s) two hour(s) five day(s) two year(s) 500 year(s) six mile(s) 20 pound(s) five course(s) ten page(s) 450 page(s)
Sometimes you need the singular (day/page etc.) and sometimes the plural(days/pages etc.)
1. It's quite a long book. There are _450 pages._
2. A few days ago I received a _ten-page_ letter from Julia.
3. I didn't have any change. I only had a --- note.
4. At work in the morning I usually have a --- break for coffee.
5. There are --- in an hour.
6. It's only a --- flight from London to Madrid.
7. It was a big meal. There were ---
8. Mary has just started a new job. She's got a --- contract.
9. The oldest building in the city is the --- old castle.
10. I work --- a week. Saturday and Sunday are free.
11. We went for a --- walk in the country.
UNIT 80. -s (the girl's name) and of... (the name of the book)
A. We normally use -'s for people or animals (the girl's.../the horse's... etc.):
the girl's name the horse's tail Mr Evans's daughter a woman's hat the manager's office Sarah's eyes
* Where is the manager's office? (not 'the office of the manager')
* What colour are Sarah's eyes? (not 'the eyes of Sarah')
Note that you can use -'s without a following noun:
* This isn't my book. It's my brother's. (= my brother's book)
We do not always use -'s for people. For example, we would use of... in this sentence:
* What is the name of the man who lent us the money? ('the man who lent us the money' is too long to be followed by -'s)
Note that we say a woman's hat (= a hat for a woman), a boy's name (= a name for a boy), a bird's egg (= an egg laid by a bird) etc.
B. For things, ideas etc. we normally use of ( ... of the book/... of the restaurant etc.):
the door of the garage (not 'the garage's door')
the name of the book
the owner of the restaurant
Sometimes you can use the structure noun + noun (see Unit 79):
the garage door the restaurant owner
We normally use of (not noun + noun ) with the beginning/end/top/bottom/front/back middle/side etc. So we say:
the back of the car (not 'the car back')
the beginning of the month
C. You can usually use -'s or of... for an organization (= a group of people). So you can say:
the government's decision or the decision of the government
the company's success or the success of the company
It is also possible to use -'s for places. So you can say:
the city's new theatre the world's population Italy's largest city
D. After a singular noun we use -'s:
my sister's room (= her room--one sister)
Mr Carter's house
After a plural noun (sisters,, friends etc.) we put ' (an apostrophe) after the s (s'):
my sisters' room (= their room--two or more sisters)
the Carters' house (Mr and Mrs Carter)
If a plural noun does not end in -s (for example, men/women/children/people) we use -s:
the men's changing room a children's book (= a book for children)
Note that you can use -'s after more than one noun:
Jack and Jill's wedding Mr and Mrs Carter's house
E. You can also use -'s with time expressions (yesterday/next week etc.)
* Have you still got yesterday's newspaper?
* Next week's meeting has been cancelled.
In the same way, you can say today's .../tomorrow's .../this evening's ... Monday's ... etc.
We also use -'s (or -s' with plural words) with periods of time:
* I've got a week's holiday starting on Monday.
* Jill has got three weeks' holiday.
* I live near the station - it's only about ten minutes' walk.
Compare this structure with 'a three-hour journey', 'a ten-minute walk' etc. (see Unit 79D).
EXERCISES
80.1 Join the two (or three) nouns. Sometimes you have to use -'s or -s'; and sometimes you have to use ... of ...
1. the owner/that car _the owner of that car_
2. the mother/Ann _Ann's mother_
3. the jacket/that man ---
4. the top/the page ---
5. the daughter/Charles ---
6. the cause/the problem ---
7. the newspaper/yesterday ---
8. the birthday/my father ---
9. the name/this street ---
10. the toys/the children ---
11. the new manager/the company ---
12. the result/the football match ---
13. the garden/our neighbours ---
14. the ground floor/the building ---
15. the children/Don and Mary ---
16. the economic policy/the government ---
17. the husband/Catherine ---
18. the husband/the woman-talking to Mary ---
19. the car/the parents/Mike ---
20. the wedding/the friend I Helen ---
80.2 What is another way of saying these things? Use -'s.
1. a hat for a woman _a woman's hat_
2. a name for a boy ---
3. clothes for children ---
4. a school for girls ---
5. a nest for a bird ---
6. a magazine for women ---
80.3 Read each sentence and write a new sentence beginning with the underline words.
1. The meeting _tomorrow_ has been cancelled.
_Tomorrow's meeting has been cancelled._
2. The storm _last week_ caused a lot of damage.
Last ---
3. The only cinema in _the town_ has closed down.
The ---
4. Exports from _Britain_ to the United States have fallen recently.
5. Tourism is the main industry in _the region._
80.4 Use the information given to complete the sentences.
1. If I leave my house at 9 o'clock and drive to London, I arrive at about 12.
So it's about _three hours' drive_ to London from my house. (drive)
2. If I leave my house at 8.S5 and walk-to the station, I get there at 9 o'clock.
So it's only --- from my house to the station. (walk)
3. I'm going on holiday on the 12th. I have to be back at work on the 26th.
So I've got --- (holiday)
4. I went to sleep at 3 o'clock this morning and woke up an hour later. After that I couldn't sleep. So last night I only had --- (sleep)
UNIT 81. A friend of mine My own house On my own/by myself
A. A friend of mine/a friend of Tom's etc.
We say 'a friend of mine/yours/his/hers/ours/theirs' (not 'a friend of me/you/him' etc.)
* I'm going to a wedding on Saturday. A friend of mine is getting married. (not 'a friends of me')
* We went on holiday with some friends of ours. (not 'some friends of us')
* Michael had an argument with a neighbour of his.
* It was a good idea of yours to go swimming this afternoon.
In the same way we say 'a friend of Tom's', 'a friend of my sister's' etc.:
* It was a good idea of Tom's to go swimming.
* That woman over there is a friend of my sister's.
B. My own .../your own ... etc.
We use my/your/his/her/its/our/their before own:
my own house your own car her own room
You cannot say 'an own...' ('an own house', 'an own car' etc.)
My own.../your own... (etc.) = something that is only mine/yours (etc.), not shared or borrowed:
* I don't want to share a room with anybody. I want my own room.
* Vera and George would like to have their own house. (not 'an own house')
* It's a pity that the flat hasn't got its own entrance.
* It's my own fault that I've got no money. I buy too many things I don't need.
* Why do you want to borrow my car? Why can't you use your own?(= your own car)
You can also use ... own... to say that you do something yourself instead of somebody else doing it for you. For example:
* Brian usually cuts his own hair. (= he cuts it himself; he doesn't go to the hairdresser)
* I'd like to have a garden so that I could grow my own vegetables. (= grow them myself instead of buying them from shops)
C. On my own by myself
On my own and by myself both mean 'alone'. We say:
on my/your own
on his her/own
on its our/their own
by myself/yourself (singular)
by himself/herself/itself
by ourselves/yourselves (plural)/themselves
* I like living on my own/by myself.
* Did you go on holiday on your own/by yourself?
* Jack was sitting on his own/by himself in a corner of the cafe.
* Learner drivers are not allowed to drive on their own/by themselves.
EXERCISES
81.1 Write new sentences using the structure in Section A (a friend of mine etc.).
1. I am writing to _one of my friends._ _I'm writing to a friend of mine._
2. We met _one of your relations._ We met a ---
3. Henry borrowed _one of my books._ Henry ---
4. Ann invited _some of her friends_ to her flat. Ann ---
5. We had dinner with _one of our neighbours._
6. I went on holiday with _two of my friends._
7. Is that man _one of your friends?_
8. I met _one of lane's friends_ at the party.
81.2 Complete the sentences using my own/your own etc. + one of the following:
business ideas money private jet parliament room television
1. I don't want to share a room. I want _my own room._
2. I don't watch television with the rest of the family. I've got --- in my room.
3. Sue doesn't need to borrow from me. She's got ---.
4. Julia is fed up with working for other people. She wants to start ---.
5. Henry is extremely rich. He's got ---.
6. You can give him advice but he won't listen. He's got ---.
7. The Isle of Man is an island off the coast of Britain. It is not completely independent but it has ---.
81.3 Complete the sentences using my own/your own etc.
1. Why do you want to borrow my car? Why can't you use your own car?
2. How can you blame me? It's not my fault. It's ---.
3. He's always using my ideas. Why can't he use ---?
4. Please don't worry about my problems. You've got ---.
5. I can't make her decisions for her. She must make ---.
81.4 Complete the sentences using my own/your own etc. Choose one of these verbs:
bake cut make write
1. Brian never goes to the hairdresser. He usually _cuts his own car?_
2. Mary doesn't often buy clothes. She usually ---.
3. Paul is a singer. He sings songs written by other people but he also ---.
4. We don't often buy bread from a bakery. We ---.
81.5 Complete the sentences using on my own/by myself etc.
1. Did you go on holiday on _your own?_
2. I'm glad I live with other people. I wouldn't like to live on ---.
3. The box was too heavy for me to lift by ---.
4. 'Who was Tom with when you saw him?' 'Nobody. He was by ---.'
5. Very young children should not go swimming by ---.
6. I don't think she knows many people. When I see her, she is always by ---.
7. I don't like strawberries with cream. I like them on ---.
8. Do you like working with other people or do you prefer working by ---.
9. We had no help decorating the flat. We did it completely on ---.
10. I went out with Sally because she didn't want to go out on ---.
UNIT 82. Myself/yourself/themselves etc.
A. Study this example:
George cut himself when he was shaving this morning.
We use myself/yourself/himself etc. (reflexive pronouns)
when the subject and object are the same:
subject -> (George) cut (himself). <- object
The reflexive pronouns are:
singular: myself yourself (one person) himself/herself/itself
plural: ourselves yourselves (more than one person) themselves
* I don't want you to pay for me. I'll pay for myself. (not 'I'll pay for me')
* Julia had a great holiday. She enjoyed herself very much.
* Do you sometimes talk to yourself? (said to one person)
* If you want more to eat, help yourselves. (said to more than one person)
Compare:
* It's not our fault. You can't blame us.
* It's our own fault. We blame ourselves.
Note that we do not use myself/yourself etc. after 'bring/take something with ...':
* It might rain. I'll take an umbrella with me. (not 'with myself')
B. We do not use myself etc. after concentrate/feel/relax/meet:
* You must try and concentrate. (not 'concentrate yourself')
* 'Do you feel nervous?' 'Yes, I can't relax.'
* What time shall we meet? (not 'meet ourselves', not 'meet us')
We normally use wash/shave/dress without myself etc.:
* He got up, washed, shaved and dressed. (not 'washed himself' etc.)
But we say 'I dried myself'.
C. Study the difference between -selves and each other:
* Tom and Ann stood in front of the mirror and looked at themselves. (= Tom and Ann looked at Tom and Ann)
but * Tom looked at Ann; Ann looked at Tom. They looked at each other.
You can use one another instead of each other:
* How long have you and Bill known one another? (or ... known each other)
* Sue and Ann don't like each other. (or ... don't like one another)
D. We also use myself/yourself etc. in another way. For example:
* 'Who repaired your bicycle for you?' 'Nobody. I repaired it myself.'
'I repaired it myself' = I repaired it, not anybody else. Here, myself is used to emphasize I (=it makes it stronger). Some more examples:
* I'm not going to do it for you. You can do it yourself. (= you, not me)
* Let's paint the house ourselves. It will be much cheaper.
* The film itself wasn't very good but I liked the music.
* I don't think Sue will get the job. Sue herself doesn't think she'll get it. (or Sue doesn't think she'll get it herself.)
EXERCISES
82.1 Complete each sentence using myself/yourself etc. with one of these verbs (in the correct form):
blame burn cut enjoy express hurt put
1. George _cut himself_ while he was shaving this morning.
2. Bill fell down some steps but fortunately he didn't --- badly.
3. It isn't her fault. She really shouldn't ---.