Means apostrophe in English. Simple rules for word endings in English

Probably each of us remembers standing at the chalk board during a lesson in the beautiful and powerful Russian language and, for some unknown reason, drawing an arc, a tick, or a square over a word. This whole entertaining process was pathetically called parsing a word into morphemes, namely: prefix, root, suffix and, of course, ending. Today we will talk about the latter, but only in English. There might be something you don't know!

Speaking purely in grammatical terms, the concept of “ending” ( ending) or buzzword"inflection" ( inflexion) from the Latin “to bend” - to bind, implied variable part, responsible for the process of forming different variations of the same word, to the basic form of which special elements are added. Through these manipulations it is expressed grammatical meanings, that is special role, which a unit of speech performs in a sentence. The endings in English grammar include: possessive case (“ s); plural (- s / -es); present tense 3rd person + singular (- s); past tense (- d), (-ed) or (- t) and ending (- ing). Well, now in order.

Inflection ""s" in English

Possessive ( possessive case) we use when we need to say that something belongs to someone. This very case is formed by adding to the end of the word special sign « " "apostrophe and endings" - s" Below are a few examples for clarity.

Ending -s / -es / -ies in English

First, the simple present tense, known to everyone as Present Simple. It is used when we talk about some facts or ordinary actions.
We form the present tense using the basic form of the infinitive (without the particle to). Golden Rule: third party in singular (he / she / it) just requires an ending - s / -es / -ies. For example:

Every morning Kelly eat s a sandwich with blueberry jam and peanut butter and drink s a mug of coffee for breakfast.
Every morning Kelly eats a sandwich with blueberry jam and peanut butter for breakfast and drinks a mug of coffee.

Secondly, when it is necessary to use a plural noun ( plural nouns ), according to the rule of education plural to the singular form of a noun, depending on which letter is at the end, the ending is added - s / -es / -ies. For example:

Pumpkin, don't forget to buy 10 donut s, 5 orange s and 3 bananas s, please.
Pumpkin, please don't forget to buy 10 donuts, 5 oranges and 3 bananas.

Ending -ed / -ied / -d / -t in English

Firstly, the ending - ed inherent correct English verbs (regular verbs), which are used in Past Simple . As you know, the simple past tense is used to state a fact or describe a series of actions that immediately followed each other in the past. Education formula: verb(without to): bombinate ( buzz) + ed = bombed(buzzed). Example in context:

James got in the old clunker started the engine and drove off.
James got into his wreck, started the engine and drove off.

Secondly, - ed also occurs in the past participle ( participle II). Participle - golden mean, where the characteristics of a verb, adjective and adverb coexist comfortably, which answers the question “ what (c)did he?», « Which?" For example:

The quote, present ed in the article, caught my attention.
The quote presented in the article caught my attention.

The quote " which? or " what did she do?» — presented, i.e. the action seems to have already been completed - it has already been used in the article. The participle defines the subject in a sentence, supplementing it with new facts and characteristics.

The ending -ing in English

Firstly, the ing ending is used when constructing long English tenses Continuous = Progressive. For example:

Currently, my bearded mate is playing ing PS4.
IN this moment my bearded friend plays on PS4.

Here Present Continuous: linking auxiliary verb to be V in the required form+ infinitive of the semantic verb without to, but with the ending - ing. However, tenses that emphasize an action or state in the process also include Perfect Continuous = Perfect Progressive. For example:

A bearded mate of mine has been play ing PS4 for six hours already.
My bearded buddy has been playing on PS4 for 6 hours now.

Present Perfect Continuous: linking auxiliary verb to have in the required form + been + infinitive of the semantic verb (without to), but with the ending - ing.

Secondly, - ing also occurs in the present participle ( participle I), which answers the series the following questions: « Which?», « what is he doing?», « what are you doing?. Example:

That woman, chill ing on the sofa, is my future wifey.
That woman relaxing on the couch is my future wife.

We observe that the participle is formed by adding the ending - ing To basic verb form and introduces new features that are characteristic of the subject.

PARTICIPLE I
verb base + -ing
finagle + -ing = finagle ing

PARTICIPLE II
verb base + -ed
finagle + -ed = finagle ed

Thirdly, this same inflection is also used with the gerund ( gerund), a special form of the verb that behaves in a sentence as subject(subject), an object(predicate) or predicate(definition/circumstance). The gerund is to some extent reminiscent of verbal noun, for this reason it can be translated into Russian as an infinitive, subordinate clause or noun. A few examples to illustrate:

My buddy’s favorite occupation is hang ing out with friends.
My friend's favorite pastime is hanging out with friends.

Well, to be honest, I’m not engrossed in pastel draw ing.
Well, to be honest, I'm not into pastel painting.

Types of English endings

Today we have put together the most common endings that are used everywhere in the English language. We hope that from now on you will have a complete picture of what an ending is, what it can be, exactly when and where it should be used. If there are not enough endings, then catch English suffixes for dessert. Yummy!

Big and friendly EnglishDom family

Learning the rules for using the English apostrophe is very important, because there is no such punctuation mark in the Russian language. Let's look at the main nuances of this topic.

The apostrophe in is used in three cases:

• Formation of the possessive form of nouns
• Indication of omitted letters in words
• lowercase letters

Before use possessive noun, convert it into a phrase like of the... and make sure you need to use . For example:

• the girl’s dress = the dress of the girl
• two weeks’ trip = the trip of two weeks

If the noun following the specified construction of the, means a building, object or piece of furniture, then the apostrophe is not used with a possessive noun:

• room of the office = office room
• hood of the car = car hood
• leg of the chair = chair leg

Once you are sure that you still need to use a possessive noun, follow the rules below for its formation.

Apostrophe and singular nouns

This must be done even if the noun is . For example:

• the uncle's house
• James's appointment

In the plural, the apostrophe is used at the end after -s:

• The Watsons' party was well arranged. It's about family here Watson generally.

Apostrophe and plural nouns

A plural noun that does not end in -s is appended with an apostrophe 's. If a noun ends in -s, then only the apostrophe ‘ is added at the end of the word:

• the mice's behavior
• the women's way of thought
• two friends' journey
• ten swans' migration

Apostrophe 's with compound words

The standard rules for using the apostrophe apply:

• Your sister-in-law’s dress is very fashionable.

Double attraction

If there is an attraction to several nouns at once, then you should use an apostrophe with the last of them:

• Jane and Julia's presentation

Apostrophe and omission of letters in words

In English, the apostrophe is often used to shorten words. An abbreviation is usually called a word (or) in which one or more letters (numbers) have been omitted. The apostrophe just indicates the place of such omission.

Abbreviations in English are characteristic of and are not officially accepted in writing. Let's look at examples of how an apostrophe is used instead of omitted letters:

• doesn't = does not
• we're = we are
• she'll = she will
• couldn't = couldn't
• ’90 = 1990

Forming the plural of lowercase letters

The apostrophe in English is also used to form the plural form of individual lowercase letters, although this is a typographical rule rather than a grammatical one. In such cases, ’s is placed after lowercase letters. Here is an example of a well-known typographical rule:

• Working with printing press mind your p’s and q’s.

When forming the plural capital letters, numbers and other symbols, the apostrophe is not required. Examples:

• &s — try to use as few ampersands as possible.
• the 1970s — the years from 1970 to 1979.
• He bought two Samsung Galaxy S3s.

When should you definitely not use an apostrophe?

In English, possessive pronouns (my, ours, yours, his, her, its) are used without an apostrophe. Examples:

• her umbrella
• my cat

Knowing how to use the English apostrophe will be very useful to you! Tasks on this topic are often found in entrance exams. What new did you learn from our article? Share in the comments!

Bottom line.

Where is the apostrophe placed?

An apostrophe is placed at the end of a word; beginners in English call it a top comma.
A comma, whether it’s an upper one or a lower one, changes everything. We have known it since childhood: Execution cannot be pardoned. In Russian, a comma changes its meaning.IN English apostrophe only the quantity changes, but it changes everything!

The girl " s phone number - girl's phone number
one girl, the same one

Let's move the apostrophe one letter to the right, after -s":

The girls " phone number - girls phone number
many girls at once, a list

Not everyone will get her number, but their number is here, on the Internet on a pink background, call whenever you want.

This is how an apostrophe works in English. Its job is to form the possessive case animate noun. An apostrophe works either in pairs with the letter s, or alone. Let's see.

Forming the possessive case

1. Singular noun: apostrophe together with the letter s:

The exception is the pronoun it:
it - he, she, it + s without apostrophe = its - his, her.
Russia and its rules. - Russia and its rules.

If we see it's with an apostrophe, which means we see a non-possessive case: his her, and the abbreviation: it is- it is, or it has- it has.

2. Plural noun - one apostrophe, without the letter s:

				"
Who? - girls girls		whose bag? → girls girls "		girls bag girls " bag

There is no difference in pronunciation, it sounds the same. The difference is only visible in the letter:

girls - girls (who?)
gir ls"- girls (whose?)
girl's - girls, girls (whose?)

In English, all nouns are plural. numbers end in -s, usually. But there are exceptions to this rule, for example: man-men man - men, woman - women woman's woman. To such exceptions we add an apostrophe along with the letter s.

3. Apostrophe with -s:

The possessive case was formed. Now the letter -s at the end of a word must be pronounced correctly - depending on the letter that comes before it.

How to pronounce a word with an apostrophe - rules

Letter s after an apostrophe it is pronounced either voiced or voiceless, or like . Three options:

1. Loudly.
After a voiced consonant the letter s pronounced loudly [z] - girl's.
I have read the story"From one girl"s diary" by Chekhov. - I read Chekhov's story "From the Diary of One Girl."

2. Deaf.
After a voiceless consonant the letter s pronounced dull [s] - cat "s.
Did you see the movie Cat's Eye? - Have you seen the movie “Cat's Eye”?
No! Why do people like horror movies? - No! I don't understand why people love horror movies?

3. Like /iz/.
After a hissing or whistling sound -
-s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -tch, -x, -z, -zz: horse’s, George’s.

Nimble English apostrophe - the result

Apostrophe - he's nimble. We see it before the letter s, then - after, but always with an animate noun.
Apostrophe before a letter s- this is a noun. in units number in possessive case: girl's day - girl's day.
Apostrophe after a letter s- this is a noun. in plural number in possessive case: girls" day - girls' day.
The apostrophe is before the letter again s- this is a noun. - exception in pluralnumber in possessive case: women's secrets - women's secrets.

In English, the apostrophe is also used for abbreviations:
it "s = it is - it is,
it "s = it has - it has.
But the apostrophe shows its nimble and reckless character only when forming the possessive case. Whose? Whose? Just add an apostrophe!

The possessive case in English also has names Possessive Case or Genetive Case. If you want to say that something belongs to someone, you must use possessive. As a rule, the possessive case can only be used with animate nouns, but there are some exceptions,
which we will talk about below. By the way, I also have a wonderful one for testing knowledge on the possessive case. If you are looking for exercises on the possessive case -

In English, the possessive case is expressed by 's (apostrophe es) or simply " (apostrophe).

Prince’s duty - the duty of (who? whose?) the prince;

Students’ books - textbooks of (whose? whose?) students.

As you may have noticed, it is convenient to translate phrases containing the possessive case from the end.

Formation of the possessive case in English.

only apostrophe (‘) in the following cases:

1. with plural nouns, if the plural is formed by adding the ending -S /-ES

• doctors’ advice – advice from doctors,
• boys' trains - boys' trains.

1. with Greek polysyllabic first and last names ending in –S

• Socrates' works - works of Socrates,
• Xerxes’ army – army of Xerxes.

1. With famous names ending in –S

• Yeats' poetry - Yeats's poetry,
• Burns'poems - poems by Burns

(however, some grammars allow such a case double spelling: Dickens' novels or Dickens's novels).

To form the possessive case we will use only apostrophe es (‘s) in the following cases:

1. with singular nouns

• the girl’s eyes – the girl’s eyes,
• the Dad’s study – dad’s office.

1. With plural nouns, if the plural was not formed according to the rule of adding the ending -S / -ES.

• сhildren's games - children's games,
• women's wishes - women's wishes.

Pay attention to education possessive case compound nouns . There is a difference here with the formation of the plural. Let's look at this point in more detail, since this issue Even very competent people make mistakes very often. knowledgeable people. So let's look at the sign.

More examples:

The editor-in-chief’s order - order of the editor-in-chief

The commander-in-chief’s qualification – qualification of the commander-in-chief

The passer-by’s comment – ​​comment from a passerby

A special feature of the possessive case in English is the existence of the so-called group possessive case - group genitive. Group genitive denotes the phenomenon of adding "s or ' not to one noun, but to

• Group of nouns

Mum and dad's wish - the desire of mom and dad

• to a whole phrase containing a noun

the secretary of states’s private room – personal room of the Secretary of State

• to the group noun + pronoun

someone else’s benefit – someone’s benefit

• to a phrase with a numeral at the end

in an hour or two’s time - in an hour or two

Note. That in such cases "s or ' are added exclusively to the final element. The only time you have to be careful is when it comes to belonging to more than one noun.

We looked at the phrase mum and dad's wish - the desire of mom and dad. IN in this context We are talking about the common desire of mom and dad. In this case, "s or ' is added to the final element. If the phrase were slightly different mum"s and dad's wishes in the meaning of the wishes of mom and dad (each has their own), then "s or ' would be added to each element.

So in the phrase Bach’s and Mozart’s music we add “s to each element, since Bach and Mozart do not have common music - it is different for everyone.

Cases of using the possessive case in English.

We do not have the right to use Possessive Case in English in the same way as we use in Russian. Sometimes membership relations need to be expressed using a phrase with of.

So, for example, we cannot say table's leg - the leg of the table, we must say - the leg of the table.

So when can you use the genetive case?

The possessive case in English is used:

• with nouns denoting people and animals

the swallow’s nest – swallow’s nest

Molly’s idea – Molly’s idea

• with words indicating time or distance

night’s rest – night rest

a month absence – month-long absence / month-long absence

a minute’s silence - minute silence

a mile’s distance – distance in a mile

Please note that with the words today, yesterday and tomorrow, both options for forming the possessive case are possible:

today's papers = the papers of today

• with names of countries and cities

Britain’s museums – museums of Britain

London's sights - sights of London

• with newspaper names

the Guardian's analysis

• with names of organizations and words company, firm, government, organization

the company’s plans - company plans

the Geographical Society’s gold medal – Golden medal Geographical Society

• with the words world, country, nation, town, city

the nation’s wealth - the well-being of the nation

• with the words ship, boat, car

the car’s wheel – car wheel

• with the names of planets and satellites

the sun's rays - sun rays

• with some inanimate nouns in stable terms

Absolute genitive and double genitive

Absolute genitive

Typically, a construct containing a possessive case has the following structure:

Noun (numeral/pronoun) in the possessive case + noun

However, there are also cases when a noun in the possessive case is not followed by another noun. In such a case, we are dealing with absolute possessive case(Absolute genetive). It is used in several cases:

• to avoid repetition (tautology)

Our car is faster than Peter’s.

• after the preposition of

A friend of my mother’s, a cousin of my husband’s

• for names of stores, places and other establishments

At the butcher’s, at the baker’s, at Timothy’s, at my uncle’s

St. Paul's (Cathedral), St. James's (Palace)

Double genitive

It is rare to find a noun defined by two consecutive phrases in the possessive case:

• My mother’s father’s people – people of my mother’s father
• The boy’s half-hour’s run – a boy’s half-hour run

This phenomenon is called the double possessive case - Double Genitive.

The apostrophe is used in English for two reasons: to indicate contraction and to indicate ownership - something belongs to someone. The rules for using an apostrophe vary depending on the type of word. Apostrophes help make text clearer and shorter.

Steps

Part 1

Use an apostrophe after a proper name to indicate ownership. An apostrophe and an “s” after a proper name mean that that person, place, or thing owns what follows its name or title. For example, “Mary"s lemons" (Mary's lemons). We know that lemons belong to Mary thanks to the "s". Other examples: "China"s foreign policy" ( foreign policy China) and “the orchestra's conductor” (orchestra conductor).

• Attribution can be complex and there are exceptions. For example, the phrase “Sunday's football game” (Sunday football match, literally “Sunday football match”) is technically incorrect (since Sunday cannot have anything), but both in writing and colloquial speech it is absolutely acceptable. “A hard day's work” (hard work, literally “the work of a hard day”) is also an absolutely correct phrase, despite the fact that the day cannot own anything.

1. Be consistent in using an apostrophe after words ending in “s.” When someone's name ends in "s", it is possible to use an apostrophe without a subsequent "s" to indicate ownership, but the linguists at the Chicago Manual of Style, along with many others, prefer to use an "s" after the apostrophe.

   • Notice the difference in usage:
     • Acceptable: Jones" house (Jones house); Francis" window (Francis window); Enders" family (Enders family).
     • Preferably: Jones's house (Jones's house); Francis's window (Francis's window); Enders's family (Enders family).
   • Whatever style you prefer to use, stick with it. It doesn't matter which option you choose, it's important that you stick with it.

2. Do not use an apostrophe to indicate ownership with the pronoun "it".“China's foreign policy” is correct, but let's say the reader already knows that you are talking about China and you replace the name of the country with a pronoun. If you plan to indicate that something belongs to China in this way, you need say “its foreign policy” (his foreign policy), but not “it's”.

   • The reason is to avoid confusion between "its" (his, hers) used to indicate ownership and "it"s" used as a shorthand for "it is". If you are not sure whether to use an apostrophe or not, try Instead of “it"s / its”, substitute “it is” or “it has” into the sentence. If the phrase changes or loses its meaning, the apostrophe is not needed. For example, the phrase “it is foreign policy” (this is foreign policy) cannot replace the phrase “China’s foreign policy” (China’s foreign policy), so write “its” without an apostrophe.

3. Use an apostrophe to indicate ownership when the noun is plural. One common mistake is using an apostrophe to indicate that something belongs to a family rather than to one person. Let's say the Smart family has a boat. To indicate the ownership of a boat, the apostrophe will be used as follows: “the Smarts" boat" (Smart's boat), and not "the Smart's boat" (Smart's boat). Since we are talking about all members of the Smart family, we put the last name in the plural, "Smarts." And since all Smarts (at least presumably) own a boat, we add an apostrophe after the "s".

   • If your last name ends in "s", make it plural before adding the apostrophe. For example, if you wanted to talk about the Williams family, the plural would be "the Williamses." If you wanted to refer to their dog, you would say "the Williamses" dog. If you think this construction doesn't sound too smooth - especially with a more complex surname - you could say "the Williams family" ( Williams family) and “the Williams family's dog” (Williams family dog).
   • If you are listing all the owners of a particular object, know where to put the apostrophe. For example, if both John and Mary own a cat, you would write it as "John and Mary"s cat" rather than "John"s and Mary"s cat." "John and Mary" in in this case are collective noun, and therefore only one apostrophe is needed.

   Part 2

   Don't use an apostrophe to form plurals

   Part 3

   Use an apostrophe in abbreviations

   1. Using apostrophes in abbreviations. Sometimes, especially in informal writing, apostrophes are used to indicate that one or more letters in a letter are omitted. For example, the word “don"t” is an abbreviation of “do not”; similarly, “isn”t” (“is not”), “wouldn”t” (“would not”), and “can”t” (“cannot”) are formed. "). You can also shorten the verbs “is”, “has”, and “have”. For example, we can write “She"s going to school" instead of "She is going to school", "He"s lost the game" instead of "He has lost the game" or "They"ve gone away" instead of "They have gone away."

      Be careful with "its" and "it"s. Use an apostrophe with the word “it” only when you want to indicate the abbreviation “it is” or “it has.” “It” is a pronoun, and pronouns have their own possessive form, which does not require an apostrophe. For example: “That noise? It's just the dog eating its bone" (What's that noise? It's a dog gnawing on its bone). It may seem complicated, but “its” is formed in the same way as other possessive pronouns: his (his), hers (her), its (his/her), yours (yours), ours (ours), theirs ( their).

      If you write in cursive letters, always join the letters after the apostrophe to those before it. For example, if you want to write "she"s, first write "shes" together and then add an apostrophe.

   • When in doubt, always remember that apostrophes are almost always used with nouns to indicate ownership. Avoid using apostrophes for anything else.
   • In the case of a name ending in “s,” linguists from the Chicago Manual of Style recommend adding an “s” after the apostrophe: for example, “Charles’s bike.” If your teacher requires you to adhere to a particular rule, If there are no requirements, just choose the form you prefer, but be consistent and stick to the same form throughout a given written work (essay, letter, etc.).
   • Book “The Elements of Style”, by W. Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White - convenient quick guide on spelling and punctuation. Try to find it on the Internet and use it when writing in English.