1 Nouns

Plural forms of nouns and irregular noun plurals > page 366
Differences between British and American English > page 368

1 Gender
Nouns do not have grammatical gender in English. To show gender in job nouns we have
to say a female/woman doctor, a male doctor, etc. A few nouns show gender by their suffix,
usually masculine gender, such as businessman. A lot of people avoid these nouns now,
especially if referring to a woman, and prefer a form with no obvious gender, e.g. chair, or
to match the suffix to the person, e.g. chairwoman:
That's the view of Sheila Davison, chairtwoman) of the Institute of Public Relations.

2 Nouns ending in -s
Some uncountable nouns end in -s but take a singular verb, for example
• some illnesses: measles, mumps
• sport and games: aerobics, gymnastics, darts
• study/abstract ideas/emotions: mathematics,politics, news, thanks, happiness
Politics is a topic best avoided with people you don't know well.
A plural subject describing a specific measurement usually takes a singular verb:
)( Tu•e metres ar-en't ps.rarnltHI;• kill ~hese lfflf,S .
Two metres isn't particularly tall these days.
.I
Twenty-four hours is a long time in politics. Ten miles is too far to walk.
A few nouns are more common in the plural form and take a plural verb, e.g. good»,
whereabouts, remains, stairs, proceeds:
The auction raised a lot of money and the proceeds were given to a children'scharity.
Some nouns refer to one object divided into two parts and take a plural verb,
e.g. glasses, jeans, pyjamas, scales, scissors, spectacles, trousers:
Special scissors are used to cut this fabric.

3 Noun-verb agreement
The verb usually agrees with the subject noun even if it is separated by prepositional
phrases, relative clauses, brackets or commas:
Tire petrol station across the road from the new shops has just cut its prices.
However, if the verb is a long way from the subject and closer to a complement
(>­ Unit 42.1/2), the verb can agree with the complement. Compare:
The most exciting event was the rowing finals.
The most excitingevent in the Sydney Olympics for most British viewers was/were the
rowing finals.
The same can apply after what used to introduce a noun clause:
What the Board needs to finalise now is/are the terms of the redundancies.

4 Two subjects/plural subject-verb agreement

We usually use a plural verb with two subjects linked by and or both ... and:
Mum and Dad were hoping that you'd join them this evening.
Botn the doctor and the surgeon have advised me to have the operation.
However, we use a singular verb if we consider the two items as one single concept:
)( Fisll and chips RFe <me <7fthe mest cel'l'lmeR E11glish dishes.
.I Fish and chips is one of the most common English dishes.
Titles of books, films, etc. take a singular verb, even if they are plural nouns:
Hitchcock's film 'The Birds' is based on a story by Daphne du Maurier.

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5 Collective noun-verb agreement
Collective nouns refer to a group of people, animals or things, e.g. family, government,
group, staff, team, band, class. A large number of proper nouns fall into this category,
•
e.g. the United Nations, British Airways, Microsoft Corporation. We can usually use a singular
or plural verb after these nouns. The choice can depend on how we think of the noun:
SINGULAR VERB PLURAL VERB

The family are all gathering

here for New Year.
A team of inspectors is
a + collective noun visiting the prison tomorrow

We always use a plural verb for

• certain collective nouns, e.g. police, people, cattle:
The police are investigating his accusation of fraud.
• an adjective used as a collective noun (>­ Unit 12.5):
The middle-aged have a lot to offer employers.
• nouns such as the majority/a number/a couple+ of+ plural noun:
The majority of the people were pleased to see the government fall.

6 Countable and uncountable nouns

Some nouns can be countable or uncountable, but have different meanings:
COUNTABLE MEANING UNCOUNTABLE MEANING

I'd Jove a coffee, 1 please. (= a cup)

I'll buy a chicken 2 for dinner tonight.
(= the whole bird)
This is an amazing drawing2 by Leonardo. My son is very good at drawing.
(= a picture) (= the activity)
The road crosses a flat landscape of
Someone threw a stone2 at our window.
scrub and stone.
(= one item)
(= the material)
1 This applies to all drinks: tea/a tea, cola/a cola, lemonade/a lemonade
2 Not all nouns of these types can be both countable and uncountable:
X a-beef, a fl'lt:Jt­toll ./ a duck/duck, a fish/fish, a lamb/lamb
X itfHtf't, a-peet,y ./ a painting/painting, a sculpture/sculpture
X 8­WOOI, a-retrett ./ a paper/paper, a rock/rock

7 Quantifying uncountable nouns

We can use words like piece and bit to make some uncountable nouns countable:
The Council will remove two pieces of unwanted furniture if desired.
Other common nouns used in this way are: a slice of bread/meat/cheese/cake; an item of news/
furniturelclothing; a lump of sugar/coal; a cup of coffee/tea, a pair of trousers/jeans.
We can sometimes make an uncountable noun countable to express 'different types' of
the noun:
Our new skincare cream contains several essential oils.
This is a soft. cheese from the Pyrenees.
We can use articles with uncountable abstract nouns to refer to a specific feeling:
distrust-+ a deep distrust, a distrust of lawyers love-+ an everlasting love, the love of music
When we use nouns in this way, we use a singular verb:
A love of fashion and music is common amongst teenagers.

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1 NOUNS

Practice
1 Complete sentences 1­10 with the correct form of a suitable verb. In sentences 11­15 add
a, an or no article (­). If two answers are possible, put both.
1 Rickets a disease caused by a lack of vitamin D.
2 The 10,000 kilometres the longest walking competition in the Olympics.
3 Hollywood classic The Women showing at the London Film Festival this week.
4 Saudi Arabia, along with most of the oil­producing nations, voted to raise the
price of crude oil again.
5 What he'd really like us to buy him for his birthday some new Nike trainers.
6 Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding definitely still the favourite of many
British people!
7 My brother thinks that economics really interesting. I disagree.
8 That band always had a reputation for performing better in the studio than live.
9 Both my brother and sister lived in this town all their lives.
10 The local police interviewing several suspects in connection with the
recent attacks.
11 I first felt the desire to visit Venice when looking at painting by Canaletto.
12 Where can I find information on late Renaissance Florentine artists?
13 There's nothing more delicious than lamb with mint sauce.
14 We developed passion for Baroque music at university.
15 It isn't a lack of courage that stops me taking part in extreme sports, it is anxiety
about getting seriously injured.

2 GRAMMAR IN USE Choose the correct words in italics. If both options are possible,
choose both.

Snow Falling
Underneath the courtroom
on Cedars windows, four tall narrow arches
Japanese on San Piedro
(5) was I were eager to defend
BY OAVIO GUTERSON of (1) leaded I a leaded glass, their adopted country against
(2) drama I a drama which will the country of their ancestors,
divide the island's communities a number of people in the
(3) is I are unfolding. The community (6) was I were unable
defendant stands erect in to forgive Japan its role in the
the dock; the local press and war, and the trial causes their
the jurors await the start of deeply-held prejudices to surface.
this trial. Kabuo Miyamoto is 'Snow Falling on Cedars'
accused of the murder of Carl (7) isI are not only one of the
Heine, a young fisherman. The best mysteries of recent years,
alleged crime by a young man it also raises issues which affect
of Japanese descent stirs up the us all However, it ends with
emotions of the islanders and (8) great I a great optimism.
questions their beliefs and their David Guterson has succeeded
politics. It takes place in the in combining the best from both
1950s - not many years dass« and populist American
This novel (0) open 10gen~in the (4) has I have passed since the (9) literatures/ literature into
courthouse of San Pie ro, a small Japanese bombing of Pearl (10) spellbinding/ a spellbinding
sleepy island off the Pacific coast Harbour and the horrors of work of art. Buy and read this
of the north-west United States. World War II. Although the beautiful novel.

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3 Complete the sentences, using the words from the box. Use each word twice. Add an
II
article or use the plural form if necessary. CDflD Listen and check.

chair chicken drawing group love stone

1 Gerry threw into the pond and watched the water ripple outwards.
2 Who is going to be of the new finance committee?
3 Caleb owns a free­range farm so he allows his to run around wherever
they like.
4 These days you don't have to be good at to be a successful artist.
5 Numerous of illegal immigrants have attempted to cross the border in the
last few months.
6 Unfortunately for my waistline, I have of chocolate, especially in cakes!
7 For his art project, my son did of his pet rabbit.
8 We always have and chips on Monday nights.
9 The Tower of London is built of from Caen in Normandy.
10 They say is the strongest emotion.
11 Although we have a big dining table, we only have four ·
12 of university scientists is doing research into the causes of obesity
in children.

4 GRAMMAR IN USE Find ten more mistakes in the advertisement and correct them.
Cl)fl!D Listen and check.

ART CLASSES FOR ADULTS

Is .
~ art your passion. 7
Are you interested in a drawing, painting or the sculpture?
Would you like to improve your knowledge and skills?
Would you like to experience deep sense of satisfaction you get from creating
your own original work?
At East Hamley College a team of highly qualified range of snacks where you can take a break and
tutors are available to help you improve your socialise with your fellow students.
technique. We run art classes on Tuesday and You won't need to bring anything with you - we
Thursday evenings from 6.30 to 9.00. Each supply paint, papers and any other materials you
session costs £15 and lasts for two hours with a need. But wear something that you don't mind
30-minute break. We think you'll agree that£ 15 covering in paint - a jeans and an old shirt is fine.
aren't a lot to pay for over two hours with the Every year, the work of our students are exhibited
personal attention of our art teachers! in a local gallery. So, if you're lucky, your work
Both the painting and the sculpture classes takes might get spotted - you could be the next
place in the new annexe on Becton Road. This Damien Hirst!
also has a relaxing cafe selling a coffee and a

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2 Possessive 's
Form rules for possessive '.s, e.g. boy's/boys'
>­ page 367

1 Special rules with possessive 's

We can have two possessive's forms together:
We're fed up with our neighbour's tenant's loud music.
If the possessive form consists of a compound noun
(> Unit 70.1) or two or more nouns which form a
single team or group, we add the 's to the last
noun only:
Are you coming to my brother-in-law's party?
(compound noun)
I'm a great fan ofLerner and Lowe's musicals.
(They both wrote as a single team.)
When the nouns do not form a single group we
must use 's with both nouns:
Schrodinger's and Heisenberg's versions of According to legend, Vermeer's
quantum mechanics had seemed different. 'Girl with a Pearl Earrrng' shows
(two versions of the theory) the artist's maid wearing a Turkish
turban and a pearl earring of
If the possessive noun is part of a prepositional
his wife's.
phrase, we usually put the 'sat the end of the phrase:
X The wemrm 's in t:he cemer baby begEm t:e Cl)'.
./ The woman in the corner's baby began to cry.
(= The baby belonging to the woman in the corner ... )

2 Double possessives
We can use a double possessive ­ noun + of+ noun (with possessive 's) ­ to show that the
first noun means 'one of several'. We usually use the indefinite article with this pattern:
I heard the story from a friend of my brother's. (= one of my brother's friends)
We do not always include the possessive 's with the second noun:
They got the information from a friend of the owner.
The double possessive is common with pronouns. We always use the possessive pronoun:
X She's a friend ef us. She's e friend efeur .
./ She's a friend of ours. (= We have several friends. She is one of them.)

3 Specifying and classifying possessives

Specifying possessives show a relationship with something specific such as a person or
place. They usually answer the question 'Whose ... ?':
Marion washes the children's clothes on Thursdays. (= the clothes belonging to the children)
An adjective in front of a specifying possessive only describes the noun immediately
following it:
Marion washed tile older children's clothes in the machine. (= the children are older)
Marion washed the children's older clothes in the machine. (= the clothes are older)
Classifying possessives describe the type of thing something is. They answer the question
'What kind of ... ?' and are similar to compound nouns(>­ Unit 70):
Janice has opened a shop specialising in children's clothes. (= clothes any children can wear)
An adjective in front of a classifying possessive describes the whole phrase:
Janice's shop had a large selection of expensive children's clothes.
(= The children's clothes are expensive, not the children.)

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 Practice
1 Choose the correct meaning, A or B.
1 Stephanie loved her beautiful daughter's sports car.
A Stephanie's daughter was beautiful. B The sports car was beautiful.
2 She inherited a wonderful wooden dolls' house.
A The dolls are made of wood. B The house is made of wood.
3 The company manufactures low­cost nurses' uniforms.
A The nurses earn low wages. B The uniforms aren't expensive.
4 Gary didn't think much of his new boss's management techniques.
A Gary has a new boss. B Gary's boss has some new management techniques.
5 Bill and Suzy found hiring a well­educated children's nanny was worth every penny.
A Their nanny was well­educated. B Their children were well­educated.
6 I managed to find a place in the 24­hour supermarket's parking lot.
A The supermarket is open 24 hours. B The parking lot is open 24 hours.
7 Dave was often embarrassed by his aggressive flatmate's comments.
A Dave's flatmate was aggressive. B His flatmate's comments were aggressive.
8 My uncle is restoring a redundant tax­inspectors' office in Newcastle.
A Some tax inspectors have been made redundant in Newcastle.
B The office in Newcastle is no longer required by the tax inspectors.

2 GRAMMAR IN USE Find nine more mistakes in the conversation and correct them.
CBEl!D Listen and check.
SOPIIIE Who's coming with us to the exhibition on Saturday?
brother--iwl~ws
MAREK Well, apart from me and Kylie, there's Mike and Sandra, my brother's in law's
nephew, Paul, and Harry.
SOPHlf. Harry? Is he a friend of you?
MAREK No, he's coming with Paul ­ he's a cousin of him.
SOPHIE What's the exhibition about, anyway?
MAREK It's an exhibition by the art's gallery's new discovery ­ Stephen Brewer.
SOPHIE Oh yes, I've just read an article about him in the local's paper culture section.
MAREK Yes, it was written by our next­door's neighbour's wife ­ she's a well­known
art critic, apparently.
SOPHIEOK. lt sounds like it might be interesting.
MAREK Great. 1 thought we might all meet up for lunch first.
sonne Good idea. That French place's in Green Street reputation is excellent ­ a colleague
mine told me about it, although I haven't been there myself.
MAREK Right, let's try that place then. By the way, will you be coming by car?
SOPH:IE Why?
MAREK Well Mike's and Sandra's car is in the garage so they need a lift. Could you take
them? They're neighbours of your, aren't they?
SOPHIE Yes, they are. OK, I suppose so. Shall we meet at one?
MAREK Fine. I'll tell the others.

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3 Possessive
with 's or of?

The National Gallery's portrait of

King Charles by Van Dyck
1 Possessive 's
We usually use the possessive's (and not the of structure):

to refer to people and animals Sheila is Harold's youngest daughter.

(especially with proper nouns), and to Do you like Snap's new collar?
personal/professional relationships Have you met the boss's new secretary?
and human qualities John's intransigence is a pain.
to refer to general ownership, Have you seen Sheila's new car?
or possession of somebody's home We'll be at Mum's soon. (= Mum's house)
to refer to location in time Have you seen the poem in today's 'Observer'?
(but not with dates) X It was ifl 7 9M Deeemher's paper.
to refer to the origin of something, Oil is Saudi Arabia's biggest export.
for example where it comes from or 'Hamlet' is Shakespeare's most famous play.
who made it Have you read the committee's report yet?
to refer to a quantity or measure, There will be an hour's delay.
for example of duration, distance or value The hotel was ten minutes' drive from the beach.
in expressions for value/quantity with worth Could you give me a pound's worth of chips?
I'm getting the Thanksgiving shopping at Macy's.
with the names of shops, companies (= Macy's department store)
and people/places that provide a service Was there anything nice at the butcher's this morning?
(= the butcher's shop)
She was at death's door. For pity's sake!
in certain fixed expressions
For goodness' sake!

2 Noun + of+ noun

We usually use the of structure (and not the possessive's) in the following situations:

when we refer to inanimate things We set up our base camp at the bottom of the mountain.
and with abstract nouns (e.g. science) I've been studying the philosophy of science.
when the noun is followed by a
The players ignored the jeers of the people standing in the
prepositional phrase or clause
front row.
which defines it
when we refer to a specific year or date It was destroyed in the fire of 1666.
with long or complex phrases, even A man was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder
when we are referring to people of an English tourist, Monica Cantwell.
He's the President of the United States.
in certain fixed expressions and titles
The Prince of Wales is to visit Iceland.

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3 Either 's or of structure
II
We can usually use either the possessive 's or the of structure:
EXAMPLES

with human creations such as countries,

Plane trees are a common sight on London's streets.
organisations, cities, institutions, machines.
vehicles, buildings, etc. Plane trees are a common sight on the streets
(The possessive '.s is more common.) of London.

to refer to a quality that something possesses

We were amazed by the ship's sheer size.
or displays (BUT we prefer to use the
ossessive 's with human qualities) We were amazed by the sheer size of the ship.

The Queen's portrait has caused much discussion

to refer to the subject of something, its topic and debate.
or theme (see 3.4) The portrait of the Queen has caused much
discussion and debate.
to express a reason or purpose with sake We agreed to stay together for the sake of the
(but note exceptions in 3.1) children/for the children's sake.

ACADEMIC ENGLISH The of structure is much more common than the possessive 's in
academic and formal writing.

4 Combining different possessive patterns

The possessive 'sand the of structure can describe different types of relationships
between nouns:
RELATIONSHIP

possessive 's origin, owner or creator

of+ noun subject or topic

We can use them together to give several pieces of information in the same sentence:
One of our most popular exhibits is Van Dyck's portrait of King Charles.
(Van Dyck= the creator of the portrait­+ possessive 's)
(King Charles= the subject/topic of the portrait­+ of structure)
We don't use the possessive 's to describe the topic of something:
)( I wasn't rnm•inced e,· the quar:rel's descriptien ef the wiR'less .
./ I wasn't convinced by the witness's description of the quarrel.
(the witness = the person who made the description;
the quarrel= the topic of the description)
We can also use possessive forms with prepositions to describe a number of
different relationships:

••1·1®'
preposmon (e.g by)+ creator
portrait of King Charles by Van Dyck?

5 New information with the of form

We can use the of form to put new information at the end
of a sentence.
Compare:
Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi was under house
arrest formany years.
[She is assassinated politician Aung San's daughter.]
./ She is the daughter of assassinated politician Aung San.
(The new information is the reference to Aung San.)

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3 POSSESSIVE WITH '5 OR OF7
Practice
1 Choose the correctoption, A or 8, to complete the sentences. If both options are correct,
choose both. mu Listen and check.
1 What did you do .....
A at the course's end? B at the end of the course?
2 Have you met .....
A Sam's new assistant? B the new assistant of Sam?
3 ..... is a constant source of inspiration.
A Barcelona's architecture B The architecture of Barcelona
4 I'll wait for you outside .....
A the doctor's surgery. B the surgery of the doctor.
S Some rubbish got caught under .....
A the conveyor belt's wheels. B the wheels of the conveyor belt.
6 Our organisation strives towards .....
A poverty's elimination. B the elimination of poverty.
7 The Ninth Symphony is arguably .....
A Beethoven's greatest work. B the greatest work of Beethoven.
8 ..... is the search for personal fulfilment in a hostile world.
A The novel's theme B The theme of the novel
9 He's taking ..... from his job at the university.
A a year's sabbatical B a sabbatical of a year
10 ..... sometimes drives me up the wall.
A My husband's impatience B The impatience of my husband
11 Throughout the flight we had to put up with .....
A the children sitting in the back row's antics.
B the antics of the children sitting in the back row.
12 The husband of the Queen of England is .....
A Edinburgh's Duke. B the Duke of Edinburgh.
13 We're going to hold the party at .....
A Michael's place. B the place of Michael.
14 ..... was an important turning point in French history.
A 1789's revolution B The revolution of 1789
15 Researchers have been amazed by the ..... to mutate when attacked.
A virus's ability B ability of the virus
16 The vet wasn't very pleased with .....
A Fido's progress. B the progress of Fido.
17 Her research investigates ..... in cattle.
A airborne disease's spread B the spread of airborne disease
18 The president must swear to uphold .....
A the country's constitution. B the constitution of the country.
19 Why can't you just hand in your notice, .....
A for goodness' sake! B for the sake of goodness!
20 ..... are generating a lot of excitement at the Paris fashion shows.
A Gaultier's latest designs B The latest designs of Gaultier

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