MODULE 3

THE NOUN
Nouns name:
 things (e.g. a book, a desk, an apple);
 living beings (e.g. a tiger, a girl, a baby);
 places (e.g. London, Mississippi);
 materials (e.g. oil, sugar, steel);
 states (e.g. sleep, dream);
 abstract notions (e.g. joy, sorrow);
 qualities (e.g. courage, intelligence).

STRUCTURAL (MORPHOLOGICAL) CLASSIFICATION OF NOUNS

NOUN

SIMPLE DERIVATIVE COMPOUND

bird birdie
blackbird
crime criminal
wrongdoer

SEMANTIC CLASSIFICATION OF NOUNS

NOUN

COMMON NOUNS PROPER NOUNS

COUNTABLE UNCOUNTABLE NAMES OF GEOGRAPHICAL

PEOPLE NAMES

concrete abstract concrete abstract Rebecca Lake Huron

a tree an idea glass love

a house an offer iron fear

NOTE: Both common and proper nouns can be animate (e.g. a lady, Miss Brown)
and inanimate (e.g. a feather, Newcastle)
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**TASK 50. Study the most typical noun endings and find three more examples
for each of them.
Ending Examples Ending Examples
- er driver - ance importance
- or doctor - tion constitution
- ar liar - sion collision
- ant assistant - ity unity
- ee refugee - ness darkness
- age marriage - th length
- ure departure - ment development

**TASK 51. Study the following nouns, which change their spelling or
pronunciation when they are used as verbs.
Step 1. Read aloud the words below. Mind the difference in pronunciation.
Noun Verb Noun Verb
1. abuse to abuse 8. advice to advise
2. belief to believe 9. breath to breathe
3. choice to choose 10. cloth to clothe
4. excuse to excuse 11. house to house
5. proof to prove 12. use to use
6. practice to practise 13. half to halve
7. relief to relieve 14. shelf to shelve
NOTE: In American English the word practice is used both as a noun and a verb
without any changes in spelling.
Step 2. Read aloud the sentences below paying special attention to the underlined
words. Translate them into you mother tongue.
1. Everybody advises Patrick to find another job. But he never follows anybody’s
advice.
2. The truth was relieved and we all sighed with relief.
3. Life is all about making choices. But most important is to choose the right
attitude to life.
4. Don’t even excuse yourself. There is no excuse for such behaviour.
5. Outstanding pianists practise many hours a day because they are sure that
practice makes perfect.
6. John halved the apple and gave one half to his younger brother.
7. They say that ‘the proof of the pudding is in the eating’, so prove that this one
is tasty by eating it up.
8. All people believe in something. The important thing is that their beliefs are
different and should all be respected.
 5

9. This chapel was built in the 12th century and is still in use today. They use it for
very special ceremonies.
10. The child suffered years of physical abuse. She was abused by her parents.
11. Stella is such a skillful dressmaker that she can make a fashionable dress out
of a floor cloth. She also clothes her children in the latest fashion.
12. The museum is housed in an old country house which is exceptionally
beautiful especially in spring when everything is in blossom.
13. The old man breathed with difficulty as if each breath caused him pain.
14. To start with cleaning Derek decided to shelve all the books that were lying on
his huge table. By the end of the day he realized that he would have to buy one
more shelf.

**TASK 52. Sometimes nouns and verbs are differentiated by stress: nouns have it
on the first syllable and verbs on the second.
Step 1. Read the words given below aloud with the right stress. Follow the model.

Model: conduct – to con′DUCT

1. conflict 5. digest 9. import 13.permit 17.rebel
2. contrast 6. discount 10.increase 14. present 18. record
3. contest 7. entrance 11. insult 15. produce 19. subject
4. desert 8. export 12. object 16. protest 20. transport

Step 2. Read the sentences below paying special attention to the underlined words.
Translate them into you mother tongue.
1. If you don’t want to have a foreign accent, accent your words correctly.
2. These results conflict with earlier findings, so there may be a conflict among
the researchers.
3. Compare and contrast the two novels. You will be surprised how much
contrast you will find.
4. Three candidates contested the first prize. The contest was won by the most
worthy.
5. Most of our stock has been discounted by up to 40%. You won’t be able to find
better discount rates anywhere.
6. ‘Readers’ Digest’ digests most important information and is a good help for
busy people.
7. In Kiev public transport transports millions of people daily.
8. The rate of inflation increased by 2 %. This increase is explained by future
presidential election.
9. I have never been so insulted in my life. I will never forget this insult.
10. The children were standing at the entrance of the museum and listened to the
guide as if entranced.
11. Many local people object to the building of the new airport but their objections
are not taken in to account by the authorities.
 6

12. Most teenagers always find something to rebel against. Sometimes such rebels
are very difficult to deal with.
13. Did you remember to record my favourite song for me? – Sorry, I forgot, but I
promise, I’ll buy this record for you.
14. It is ironic that Diana was deserted by her husband in the Sahara Desert.
15. You are permitted to come her only if you have a special permit.
16. American pop music has been exported all around the world. Not all countries
are happy with this kind of export.
17. On Mr. Jones’s retirement his colleagues presented him with a set of golf
clubs. This present is very dear to him.
18. If the label says ‘Produce of France’ it means that the product was produced in
that country.
19. The country has to import most of its raw materials. Without this import the
factories won’t be able to work at all.
20. Students took to the streets to protest against the government’s decision. Their
protest was ignored.
**TASK 53. Sort out the following nouns into the corresponding column of the
table.
leaf accommodation tomato luck news silver
honey furniture radio traffic money wind
job spaghetti loaf rubbish iron cliff
journey advertisement meal justice fish sheep
watch equipment fact research lemon advice
glass chicken tea paper work truth

Countable Uncountable Both

PLURAL OF NOUNS
1. REGULAR FORMATION

NOUN

NOUN + S NOUN + ES

a jacket – jackets; a book – books if the noun ends

in a sibilant

a watch – watches; a box – boxes

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ENDING -S is pronounced as:

 [s] after voiceless consonants a desk-desks;
 [z] after voiced consonants and vowels – a dog – dogs, a boy-boys;
 [iz] after sibilants (шипящие и свистящие звуки) in nouns ending in --s,-ss,-
xx, -z,-sh, -ch,-tch, e.g. a bus – busses, a match-matches.

2. NOUNS ENDING IN “–Y”

NOUN

NOUN + Y NOUN + IES

if preceded by a vowel -y changes

into -i + es, if it
a toy – toys; a day –- days is preceded by a
consonant
a lady – ladies, a city - cities

3. NOUNS ENDING IN “–TH” = Noun + th + s, e.g.

a bath – baths; a moth – moths; a mouth – mouths; cloth – cloths
NOTES:
 Do not confuse clothes (одежда) and cloths (тряпки, куски ткани)
 In standard English –th before the ending –s is pronounced as [ðz] after
long vowels and diphthongs and [θs] after short vowels, e.g.
a youth – youths [ju:θ] – [ju:ðz]; a smith – smiths [smiθ] – [smiθs]

4. NOUNS ENDING IN “- O”
NOUN

NOUN + O + S NOUN + O + ES

pianos
potatoes
If a noun ends in -o, it is necessary to decide whether it is a foreign word, abbreviated
word like piano or neither of these.
a) Noun + o + s = If it is a foreign word or an abbreviated word, the ending –s is
added to –o. It is true for:
 musical terms of Italian origin, e.g.
a solo – solos; a soprano – sopranos; a concerto-concertos; a
piano - pianos
 proper names, e.g.
an Eskimo – Eskimos; a Philippino - Philippinos
 8

 words of Greek origin, e.g.

a photo – photos; a radio - radios
 abbreviations, e.g.
a kilo (from kilogram) – kilos;
a memo (from memorandum) – memos;
 when the final letter –o is preceded by a vowel letter or sound, e.g.
a kangaroo– kangaroos; a cuckoo – cuckoos; a zoo – zoos
b) Noun + o + es = If it is supposed to be of British origin, the ending –es is added,
e.g.
a potato - potatoes; a cargo – cargoes;
an echo- echoes; a hero- heroes;
a Negro – Negroes; a tomato- tomatoes;
a torpedo – torpedoes; a motto – mottoes;
a veto – vetoes
c) The letter “e” is optional in the following words:
commandoes; grottoes; haloes; mosquitoes; tornadoes; volcanoes.
5. NOUNS ENDING IN “–F”
Some nouns change –f into – ves, while others don’t. To be on the safe side
just remember 13 nouns that have these changes and don’t bother about the rest –
treat them as regular nouns. The fact that some of these words rhyme may help you.
a wife – wives a life – lives a
knife – knives
a shelf – shelves an elf – elves a self –
selves
a leaf – leaves a thief – thieves a sheaf –
sheaves
a loaf – loaves a wolf – wolves
a half – halves a calf – calves

6. TRADITIONAL EXCEPTIONS
These are old plural forms that have survived in Modern English. They should be
learnt by heart!
a man – men a woman– women
a child – children
a tooth – teeth a foot – feet
a goose – geese
an ox – oxen a mouse – mice a
louse – lice

7. NOUNS THAT HAVE NO SEPARATE PLURAL FORMS

They include:
 9

a) Names of certain animals, fish and birds that are traditionally used for
food, e.g.
deer, sheep, swine, grouse, partridge, pheasant, salmon, cod, plaice, trout,
carp, pike, etc.
The hunters brought home two wild deer and several partridge.
b) Nouns meaning nationality, e.g.
a Japanese - Japanese, a Swiss - Swiss, a Portuguese – Portuguese,
The Japanese is a very wise nation. (The definite article is used to indicate the
whole nation)
The three Japanese we met were very friendly.
There were Swiss, Germans and a Portuguese in that group of students.
BUT:
an Englishman – Englishmen/ Englishwoman – Englishwomen; the
English (the whole nation)
a Frenchman – Frenchmen/ a Frenchwoman – Frenchwomen; the French
(the whole nation)
a Dutchman – Dutchmen, the Dutch (the whole nation)
a Russian – Russians; a German – Germans
c) Nouns meaning some special technical terms, e.g.
aircraft – We saw two aircraft in the distance.
8. NOUNS OF GREEK AND LATIN ORIGIN
Some of them have regular plural forms while others still keep old ones that
need to be remembered. There are some regular patterns in their formation that can
help you remember them,
1. -us changes into –i, e.g. a nucleus – nuclei; a focus – foci;
2. -a changes into –ae, e.g. a formula – formulae;
3. -um changes into –a, e.g. a datum – data; a curriculum – curricula;
4. -is changes into –es, e.g. a crisis - crises; a diagnosis –diagnoses;
an analysis – analyses; a parenthesis – parentheses;
5. –on changes into – a, e.g. a phenomenon – phenomena; criterion - criteria

9. NOUNS USED ONLY IN THE SINGULAR FORM (SINGULARIA TANTUM)

OR AGREEING WITH SINGULAR VERBS
a) Mass nouns, e.g.
iron, glass, butter, sand, etc.
Glass was invented in Ancient China.
Do not confuse mass and common nouns. Compare:
We need a new iron. This bridge is made of iron.
b) Names of diseases - they always agree with a singular verb, e.g.
mumps, measles, plague, flu, pneumonia, etc.
Mumps isn’t as dangerous now as it used to be.
c) Names of some games - they always agree with a singular verb, e.g.
billiards, drafts, bowls, dominoes, cards, etc.
 10

Dominoes is a very useful game in teaching foreign languages to children.

d) Names of sciences and other fields of people’s activity that end in “-ics”,
e.g. physics, linguistics, mathematics, gymnastics, politics, etc.
Physics is a difficult subject.
BUT: Statistics IS very important in every research. (science) ≠ These
statistics ARE misleading. (facts)
d) Abstract notions (uncountable nouns), e.g.
money, knowledge, information, advice, progress, success, news, means,
weather, furniture, help, etc.
Little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
It is easier to give advice than to follow it.
No news is good news.
Bad news travels fast.
What is the news?
Where is the money? It is on the table.
Money is the root of all evil.
It was really nasty weather. (The indefinite article can never be used with
this noun!)
The weather today is so nice that it is difficult to stay indoors.
NOTES:
 To make some of these nouns countable, use the words PIECE or BIT,
e.g.
That was a very interesting piece/ bit of news.
My uncle gave me three pieces of advice of which I found only one
reasonable enough.
 Some abstract uncountable nouns can be used with indefinite articles in
some set expressions,
to be a great help to smb
Her children were a great help to her during her illness.
to have a good knowledge of smth
He had a good knowledge of mathematics.
a love of smth/a dislike of smth/a hatred of smth
Greta’s chief asset was a love of music.

10. NOUNS USED ONLY IN THE PLURAL FORM (PLURALIA TANTUM)

a) Clothes consisting of two parts – they always agree with a plural verb, e.g.
trousers, shorts, breeches, pyjamas, knickers, pants, tights, etc.
Look at my new tights! They are torn!
b) Tools and instruments consisting of two parts – they always agree with a
plural verb, e.g. scissors, binoculars, glasses, spectacles, tongs, etc.
These scissors are not sharp. Give me another pair.
c) Nouns whose singular and plural forms have different meanings, e.g.
an arm – рука; arms – оружие.
 11

arms clothes thanks congratulations customs

species
goods looks manners belongings
earnings works
regards riches outskirts shortcomings means
premises
savings greens spirits whereabouts
contents
These nouns are used only with the plural verb, e.g.
All their savings were in the Western European Bank and when it bankrupted,
they lost everything.
Give my regards to your parents.

11. COLLECTIVE NOUNS

1. Nouns that mean a group of people united by one common characteristic can be
used either with a singular or plural verb. These nouns include:
family crowd audience public
parliament crew government authority
class company group team

COLLECTIVE
NOUNS

SINGULAR VERB PLURAL VERB

means that all people in this means that all people in this group
group are a unit are regarded as individuals
My family is important for me. My family are going away next
weekend. (They are all going to
different places)
a) The noun POLICE is always used with the definite article and agrees with a
plural verb, e.g.
The police were called.
The police are now looking for the bank robbers.
b) The nouns FISH and FRUIT are nowadays used only in the singular even if
different types are meant. But they are substituted by a plural pronoun, e.g.
The fisherman caught several big fish. The fish is good. They are now lying
on the bottom of his boat glittering in the sun.
There are so many fish in our river. They have come for spawning.
The fruit was not ripe. They were picked up too early.
c) The nouns PEOPLE and PEOPLES mean different things:
 a people – peoples:
 12

A very friendly people lives in this part of Africa.

Different peoples live on out planet and they speak different languages.
 people – persons:
Most people are good at heart.
This person is good at heart.
f) The nouns PENNY and PENCE are different notions.
 pence means the price, e.g. The chewing gum costs 99 pence.
 penny means coins, e.g. The shop assistant gave me two pennies. It was
wrong. She had to give me 3 pennies.
g) The nouns HAIR and HAIRS have different meaning.
 hair on one’s head always agrees with a singular verb, e.g.
Mary’s hair is red and thick.
 a hair may have both singular and plural forms, e.g.
She always has a wonderful hairdo. Not a single hair out of place.
Look there is a long red hair on your jacket. It might be Mary’s

12. COMPOUND NOUNS

These nouns consist of two or more words joined together to form a single
lexical meaning. They may be written: as one word, e.g. headache; with a hyphen
e.g. mouse-trap or separately e.g. police station.
They form the plural in different ways:
a) Normally the last word is made plural,
e.g. boy-friends, travel agents, etc.
b) But where MAN or WOMAN is found, both parts are made plural
e.g. men drivers, men servants, women students, etc.
c) The first word is made plural in nouns consisting of:
noun + preposition
e.g. passers-by, lookers-on, etc;
noun + preposition + noun
e.g. mothers-in-law, commanders-in-chief, men-of-war, etc.
noun+ adjective
e.g. a court-martial – courts-martial; an attorney-general – attorneys-
general
d) The last word is made plural in nouns consisting of:
verb + preposition
e.g., break-ins, carry-ons, sit-ins, lay-bys, take-offs, forget-me-nots, etc.
adjective + preposition
e.g. close-ups, grown-ups, etc.

13. PROPER NOUNS

The Kelleys came in time, but both Marys were late.
(= There were two families with the same name, the Kelleys, and two separate people
with similar names, Marys)
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*TASK 54. Write the words given below in the plural.

Part 1
1. a baby 13.a moth 25.a chef 37.a banana
2. a wish 14. a monkey 26. an ox 38. a stereo
3. an address 15. a video 27. a criterion 39. a bee
4. a guy 16. a guess 28. a mouth 40. a plus
5. a poppy 17. a spy 29.a stitch 41. a key
6. a knife 18. a roof 30. a bath 42. a circus
7. a reply 19. a hundred 31. a staff 43. a thesis
8. a wolf 20. a sheep 32. a berry 44. a stomach
9. a toy 21. a dozen 33. a Frenchman 45. a rebus
10. an echo 22. a loaf 34. a tooth 46. a belief
11. a worry 23. a chief 35. a business 47. a louse
12. a quiz 24. a brush 36. a proof 48. a garage

Part 2
1. a fellow-worker 7. a stewardess 13.a lady-in-waiting
2. a governor-general 8. a woman-attendant 14.a mailman
3. a forget-me-not 9. a babysitter 15. a bus driver
4. a sister-in-law 10. a grown-up 16. a bystander
5. a stand-by 11. a police dog 17. a chief of state
6. a handkerchief 12. a boy scout 18. a watchman

19.an airline 21.a court-martial 23.a milk tooth

20. a bookshelf 22. a breakdown 24. a teaspoonful
*TASK 55. Use the nouns given in brackets in their plural form. Do not change
their order.
1. A large number of ________ fled in fear when a flock of ________ suddenly
landed within a few ________ of them. (mouse, goose, foot).
2. Security________ believe that the ________climbed along the________ of
several houses before forcing open an upper window of the office building with
________and escaping with the contents of two ________ (chief, thief, roof,
knife, safe).
3. With the help of old ________, war-time Paris was recreated in the film
________ for the film "________ of War" in which all the ________ were played
by unknown actors. (photo, studio, echo, hero).
4. ________were surprised when no fewer than six ________ in full uniform,
carrying ________ , arrived in ________ to attend a series of ________ (passer-
by, commander-in-chief, brief-case, auto, court-martial).
5. The ________ and the ________ in the park are sometimes alarmed by low-
flying ________ (deer, sheep, aircraft).
6. The government has been faced by a number of ________ recently. (crisis)
7. Scientists are now doing ________ of different substances. (analysis).
 14

8. Astronomers have noticed a number of strange ________ in the sky recently.

(phenomenon).
9. Different people make different judgments because of their differing ________
(criterion).
10. ___________ (grouse) are birds with a fat body and feathers on their legs that
people shoot for sport and food.

TASK 56. Choose between the singular and the plural verb in the sentences given
below.
1. "This is where my family (to live)", he said.
2. My family, which (to be) occupied each with their particular guest, did not
notice anything.
3. "Do you know what the family (to get) into their heads about this business?" he
asked.
4. Everybody says the Swiss police (to be) great in finding people.
5. There (to be) two fish in his basket. It/ They (to be) still alive.
6. The team (to have) baths at the moment and then (to be) going to come back
here for tea.
7. Do you know what the news (to be)?
8. Politics always (to interest) me.
9. You've bought yourself a nice car. Your money (to be) well spent.
10.His advice (to be) always useful to me.
11.There (to be) some important information in the letter.
12.The Japanese (to be) wonderful people.
**TASK 57. Rewrite the sentences given below using one of the nouns given in the
box. Make all the necessary changes.
cattle luggage money news room
whereabouts
furniture advice savings homework audience
knowledge
Example: The weather forecast promised us a beautiful day. – The weather
forecast promised us beautiful weather.
1. Have you got many suitcases? Do you want me to help you carry them to the
taxi?
2. The exercises that Jane has done for today have taken up three pages.
3. The latest reports from Afghanistan are disturbing.
4. The tables and the chairs that they have bought for the new office are now in
the storeroom.
5. All the recommendations given by the doctor were very useful and Jane soon
recovered.
6. All the facts and figures David has in his head are of great help to him during
tests.
7. Are there any places left in the bus? We have to seat 3 more people.
 15

8. When the police came they saw that there were a lot of coins and banknotes
scattered on the floor of the room.
9. All the cows and horses were fed and put into the warm stables and barns.
10. The place, where the kidnapped girl is kept now, is not known to the police
yet.
11. Men and women in the concert hall were listening to the great singer with
admiration.
12. The bank bankrupts and all the money they have been saving for years
evaporates.
NOUN QUANTIFIERS
MUCH – MANY # LITTLE – A LITTLE # FEW – A FEW
COUNTABLE NOUNS UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
many much
few little
a few a little
fewer less
a lot of a lot of
lots of
a great number of a good deal of
a good number of a great deal of
a great many
plenty of plenty of
NOTES:
1. In Modern English MUCH and MANY are mostly used in interrogative and
negative sentences, while a lot of and its equivalents in affirmative ones, e.g.
Do you have much trouble with English? No, I don’t have much trouble with
speaking, but quite a lot of difficulty with writing.
2. LITTLE and FEW are rather negative: they mean “not much/many”.
Unfortunately, students have little or no choice in choosing set literature.
Very few students learn Latin and Greek now.
3. A LITTLE and A FEW are more positive: their meaning is more like “some”, e.g.
I’ve read a little of the book so far, but I hope to finish it by Monday.
I’ve seen most of his movies but only a few are as good as the first one.

TASK 58. Fill in the gaps with “little/ a little or few/ a few”.
1. Cactuses need _________ water.
2. Give the roses _________ wafer every day otherwise they will fade.
3. His ideas are very difficult, _________ people understand them.
4. His ideas are really very difficult, still _________ people understand them.
5. There is _________ friendship in the world, and least of all between equals.
(Francis Bacon)
6. A _________ learning is a dangerous thing. (Alexander Pope)
7. Men of _________ words are the best men. (William Shakespeare, Henry V)
 16

8. Never before have we had so _________ time in which to do so much.

(Franklin Roosevelt)
9. A country having a _________ inflation is like a woman being a little pregnant.
(Leon Henderson)
10. It is _________ use trying to change her mind.
11. Could you possibly give me _________ help?
12. So _________ teenagers in the village could read that it was decided to set up a
summer school for them.
13. Slowly, _________ children began coming to school.
14. I only need _________ minutes to get ready.
15. She only wanted _________ love and _________ kindness.
16. Maria drank _________coffee and no alcohol.
17. Unfortunately, he had _________ friends and nobody could help him.

TASK 59. Choose the correct word or phrase to fill each space in this passage.
Last week I made the mistake of revisiting the village where I grew up. It was a
small, friendly community with two farms and a number/ the number of old cottages
round the village green. I realized very quickly that although in many / few ways it
appears unchanged, in reality hardly nothing / anything is the same. All the pretty
cottages are there, of course, and most the picturesque farmhouses. But none of the /
none of inhabitants are country people. All they /All of them are commuters, who
leave early every/ each morning for the nearby town. Neither / None of the
farmhouses is attached to a farm these days; the land has been sold and is managed
by somebody / anyone in an office anywhere / somewhere who has little / a little
interest in the village itself. There are few / a few new houses, but they have nothing /
none of local character; you can see the same style anywhere / somewhere in the
country. The whole / Whole of the village, in fact, has been tidied up so much that it
has become anything / nothing more than just another suburb.
TASK 60. Some of these sentences have mistakes. Find the mistakes and correct
them. If there is no mistake, put a tick next to the sentence.
Example: He shouted at all of students although most of us had done nothing.
He shouted at all of the students although most of us had done nothing
wrong.
1. Can anyone use the tennis courts or only college students?
2. What happens if anybody get left behind when the coach leaves?
3. What a boring town! There are not good restaurants, nothing!
4. I think he was lonely because he had a few friends and nobody of his
neighbours ever spoke to him.
5. We can't use this room because there are no chairs in it.
6. I've wasted two hours because the whole information you gave me was wrong.
7. When I got on the plane the steward told me I could have some seat because
there were so few passengers on the flight.
8. You can't borrow money from me because I have no. My brother's already
borrowed them all.
 17

9. The problem is that I have many homeworks to do at weekends, so I have a

little time for sports.
10. I don't know whether our scheme will in fact make a profit, but any money we
do raise will be given to charity.
11. I feel so embarrassed that all know my problem. I wish you hadn't said
anything.

TASK 61. Translate into English.

1. Какой у вас чудесный малыш! У него такие замечательные, белокурые
волосы! Сколько у него уже зубов? Только один! Не давайте ему никаких
острых предметов. У него сейчас режутся зубки, и он все тянет в рот
2. Несколько прохожих остановились, чтобы взглянуть на картины
молодого художника. Картины действительно стоило посмотреть. Они
были яркими и оригинальными, и явно показывали незаурядный талант
художника.
3. Сколько буханок хлеба купить? – Две будет достаточно. Не забудь, что
нам также нужно три килограмма картошки и кило помидоров. У нас к
обеду будут Брауны.
4. Статистика показывает, что в Великобритании больше докторов-мужчин,
чем женщин. Но с другой стороны, больше женщин работает в системе
образования и обслуживания.
5. Какие критерии мы будем использовать для выбора кандидатов на эту
должность? – Наши будущие работники должны иметь прочные знания
по своей специальности, широкий кругозор, творческие способности и
умение ладить с людьми. Но самый главный критерий – это честность и
порядочность.
6. Большинство людей знают, что у английского короля Генриха VIII было
6 жен, но мало кто знает, какую роль он сыграл в реформе религии в
Великобритании.
7. В начале 20 века ученые научились расщеплять (to split) ядра атомов. С
тех пор энергия атомного ядра используется в промышленных и военных
целях.
8. Доктор Грей – самый плохой врач в нашей больнице. Посмотри, ни один
из этих трех диагнозов не оказался правильным!
9. Саймон не сказал нам ничего нового. Эти новости уже всем известны. Я
не знаю, насколько эти сведения важны, но на всякий случай, сообщи их
своему начальству.
10. Ты получил много денег за перевод новой книги Сиднея Шелдона, не
так ли? – Да, довольно много. – Почему ты не положишь их в банк или
не вложишь в какое-нибудь прибыльное предприятие? Если деньги не
работают и не приносят доход, от них очень мало пользы. – Мне не
нужны ничьи советы, что делать с моими деньгами. Я сам сумел их
заработать, и сам сумею их потратить.
 18

11. Полиция ищет ребенка уже три дня. Если вы что-либо знаете о его
местонахождении, позвоните им немедленно.
12. Никогда не клади очки в карман брюк. Они могут выпасть из кармана и
разбитьcя, когда ты снимаешь брюки. Лучшее место для твоих очков,
когда ты не носишь их на носу, на одной из этих книжных полок.
13. Сегодня у моих родителей 30-я годовщина свадьбы. – Поздравляю! –
Спасибо.
14. В Америке многие школьники считают знаменитых бейсболистов
национальными героями и обклеивают их фотографиями свои комнаты.
15. Большинство врачей находят, что пациентки намного терпеливее, чем
пациенты, и меньше жалуются. Мужчины-пациенты, как правило,
больше покупают лекарств, но редко следуют всем советам врача.
16. Ваши волосы такие густые и блестящие. Каким шампунем вы их моете?
– Я не думаю, что качество волос зависит только от шампуня. У нас в
семье у всех хорошие волосы.
17. В тот пасмурный дождливый день особенно хорошо клевали (to nibble)
щуки. В конце дня каждый рыбак принес домой почти по 20 кило рыбы.
18. До моей поездки в Японию я думал, что японцы замкнутые и
молчаливые люди. Сейчас я знаю что это совсем не так. Когда я смотрю
на фотографии своих японских друзей, я с удовольствием вспоминаю
счастливые часы, проведенные в их крошечных домах и великолепно
ухоженных садах.
19. Сколько мебели вы смогли купить на эти деньги? – Меньше, чем я
ожидал. Я отдал все свои сбережения и смог купить только один
платяной шкаф и три книжных полки.
20. Полиция разыскивает двух воров, которые украли бесценные старинные
турецкие золотые женские ювелирные украшения из Британского Музея
в Лондоне.

THE POSSESSIVE CASE OF NOUNS (THE GENITIVE CASE)

FORMATION OF THE POSSESSIVE CASE
1. Case indicates the relations of the noun or pronoun to the other words in the
sentence. English nouns have two cases
 the common case, e.g. a girl; Mr. Smith; a ship, etc.
 the genitive or possessive case, e.g. a girl’s dress; Mr. Smith’s car; the
ship’s sails; our neighbours’ houses; etc.
2. Nouns denoting living beings – animate nouns, and some nouns denoting
lifeless things – inanimate nouns, form the possessive case in the following
ways:
 the “apostrophe + s” is added to the noun in singular
 the “s + apostrophe” is added to the noun in plural
 19

 the “apostrophe” is added to the noun ending in “–s”, e.g. (see the table)
Noun Singular Plural
a boy a boy’s toy these boys’ toys
a man a man’s job those men’s clothes
my parents my parents’ bedroom
the child the child’s future these children’s future
Felix Felix’s [′filiksiz] Felixes’
Guy Fawkes Guy Fawkes’ night
the Johnsons (a whole the Johnsons’ house
family)
a month a month’s holiday a three months’ holiday
a sister-in-law my sister-in-law’s house my sisters-in-law’s sons

3. In modern English two possessive cases in a row are also possible, e.g.
My brother’s neighbour’s sister is a nurse. = The sister of my brother’s neighbour
is a nurse = Сестра соседа моего брата – медсестра.
What is your husband’s sister’s name? = What is the name of your husband’s
sister? = Как зовут сестру вашего мужа?
4. The list of nouns denoting lifeless things (inanimate nouns) that can form the
possessive case with the “apostrophe + s” or the “s + apostrophe” is rather
limited. It includes:
 nouns expressing time, e.g. a minute’s delay, a five weeks’ holiday;
 nouns expressing space, distance and measure, e.g. a 5 miles’ walk, a
kilometer’s distance, 10 shillings’ worth;
 nouns expressing geographic names, e.g. Europe’s territory, London’s streets;
 nouns expressing location, e.g. the world’s population, the Earth’s climate, the
city’s suburbs;
 nouns expressing unique notions, e.g. Nature’s sleep, Venus’ orbit, the sun’s
rays;
 collective nouns, e.g. the crew’s decision; the school’s future; the hotel’s staff;
 some means of transport, e.g. a ship’s sails; the train’s speed; the car’s wheel.
5. Generally the possessive case of inanimate nouns is an of - form. This form is
called partitive as it shows a part of a whole, e.g. a leg of the table; a door of the
car; a drawer of the desk.
6. There is also noun + noun possessive case formation, which is called descriptive
because it doesn’t show a part of the whole but gives a general description of a
thing, e.g. table leg; car door; desk drawer, detective story, apple tree.
Compare:
Partitive Meaning Descriptive Meaning
the top of the table a table top
the trunk of the tree a tree trunk
the top of the mountain a mountain top
 20

the keys of the piano piano keys

a prong of a fork a fork prong

USE OF THE POSSESSIVE CASE

1. The Possessive Case can be used in the following meanings:
 possession, e.g. John’s bicycle was stolen.
 regular use, e.g. Don’t sit on this chair. It’s father’s.
 origin, e.g. William Shakespeare’s plays have been translated into many
languages.
 description, e.g. Jane goes to a women’s college.
 measurements, e.g. Bob went on a six-weeks’ vacation in Europe last year.
BUT: A five-thousand dollar award is announced for the West Union Bank
robber.
2. Pronunciation: possessive endings in the singular are pronounced exactly like
plural endings of regular nouns; in the plural there is no change in the
pronunciation at all, e.g. my parents = my parents’ car.
3. There is zero article before the proper name if it is in the possessive case, e.g.
Peter’s new teacher; Virginia’s old house
4. Possessive case is usually used with the name of shops if the word shop is omitted:
Mary spent the whole day in the hairdresser’s before her school-leaving party.
There was no bread at the baker’s this morning.
5. If possession, origin, description or measurement refer to a whole group of words,
the “apostrophe + s” is added to the last word, e.g.
We decided to have the New Year party in Jane and David’s house.
Peter promised to be back in an hour or two’s time.
This is the man I saw yesterday’s son.
6. The “apostrophe + s” and the “s + apostrophe” can also have the meaning of
“some place”, e.g.
my uncle’s ( = my uncle’s house); at the Browns’ (= in the Browns’ house).
7. It is also possible to use two nouns in the possessive case in a row, e.g.
What is your friend’s sister’s name?
My brother’s neighbour’s sister is a nurse.
8. The double possessive = of + noun’s
 This use can be compared with “he is a friend of mine”, and “she is a friend
of his”, e.g.
Mr. Smith is a friend of my father’s. = Мистер Смит – один из друзей моего
отца.
What would you like to see at the theatre? – A play of Shakespeare’s. = Одну
из пьес Шекспира.
 The use of a demonstrative pronoun alongside with the double possessive often
suggests criticism, e.g.
 21

That silly uncle of Henry’s has told me the same joke five times.
9. There are also some traditional set expressions with the possessive case, which are
worth knowing. Learn them by heart:
 for heaven’s sake/ for God’s sake = Ради Бога
 to do smth to one’s heart’s delight/content/desire = вволю
 to be at one's wit's end/ to bring /to drive/ to one's wit s' end = совершенно
растеряться/ поставить кого-то в тупик
 to be a stone’s throw away – в двух шагах = очень близко
 a child’s play = пустяковое дело, легкая задача
 to be at death’s door – на пороге смерти
 to be a cat’s paw/ to make a cat's paw of smb – слепое орудие в чужих руках
 to keep someone at one’s arm’s length – держать кого-то на
почтительном расстоянии
 at the water’s edge – у кромки воды
 a needle’s eye/point – игольное ушко; острие булавки
 to move at a snail’s pace = ползти как черепаха
 to keep out of harm’s way – держаться от греха подальше

TASK 62. Fill in the table with the right possessive forms.
NOUN SINGULAR PLURAL
a teacher A teacher’s Teachers’
a man-attendant A man-attendant’s
a mouse A mouse’s
a woman doctor A woman doctor’s
a deer Deer’s
an ox Ox’s
Mr. Grey Mr. Grey’s
a lady-in-waiting Lady-in-waiting’s
a minute (delay) Minute’s
a sheep Sheep’s
a businessman Businessman’s
a boy scout Scout’s
a stand-by By’s
a private secretary Secretary’s
a mailman Mailman’s
a brother-in-law Law’s

TASK 63. Fill in the gaps with one of the set expressions with the possessive case.
1. Oh, my! There is no bread for dinner. Please, wait, I’ll go and fetch some. The
baker’s is ____________.
2. Dr. Fairfax was a rather reserved and morose person; he kept all the other
doctors and nurses at ____________.
 22

3. Don't, ______________, start him off on one of his golfing stories. He will
never stop.
4. It is ______________ for him to multiply big numbers without using a
calculator.
5. It was Rebecca’s idea to_______________ the new girl and get her punished
instead of the real culprits.
6. My exam is two days from now and I have learnt only half of the material. I
don’t know what to do. I am______________.
7. Keep the child away from ______________ if you don’t want him to fall into
the cold river.
8. Richard’s mother always wanted to ____________________so while she was
alive the boy didn’t mix up with bad companies.
9. We will never reach the place in time if you _____________________ like
this.
10. The mouth of the cave was as narrow as _________________ and the
explorers had to get through it very slowly and carefully.
11. If you looked at her, you might think that she is_______________, so pale and
colourless her face is, but it is only on the surface, inside she is full of life and
energy.

TASK 64. Translate into English paying special attention to the possessive case of
nouns.
1. Вы уже видели новые машины моих зятьев? – Еще нет. – Обязательно
взгляните на них. Они обе сейчас в гараже мистера Ватсона. Машина
Томаса – белая, а Дэвида – зеленая. Обе – последние модели Ролс-Ройса.
2. Если ты будешь ползти как черепаха, мы опоздаем на поезд. – Не
волнуйся, у нас еще осталось полчаса, а до вокзала рукой подать.
3. Знания новой студентки были значительно выше, чем у остальных
студентов ее группы. Она держалась от всех на расстоянии, и поэтому ее
никто не любил.
4. Я знаю человека, для которого умножать большие числа в уме просто
детская забава. Он также может запомнить пятистраничный текст после
первого прочтения и знает наизусть карманный англо-русский словарь на
30 тысяч слов.
5. Результаты экзаменов этих студентов будут объявлены в конце дня.
Списки студентов, сдавших его плохо, будут переданы в офис декана
факультета.
6. Вам не очень нравится дом Смитов, да? – Да, не очень. В нем слишком
много мебели, и поэтому кажется, что там слишком мало воздуха.
7. Джон постоял немного у кромки воды, затем нырнул в холодную воду и
быстро поплыл от берега. Когда он всласть наплавался, он сел на камень
на берегу и стал наблюдать за маленькими серебристыми рыбками,
беззаботно плававшими на мелководье.
 23

8. В прошлом августе я провел неделю в гостях у друга моей матери. Он

живет в центре Лондона, и от его дома рукой подать до лучших театров и
музеев столицы. Обычно по вечерам я куда-нибудь уходил, но, если я
оставался дома, мы беседовали с моим гостеприимным хозяином о
политике или играли в карты. Политика была его коньком, и его познания
в ней были безграничны. Он также считал, что карты одна из самых
увлекательных и интеллектуальных игр, и ее нужно ввести в школьную
программу наравне с физикой и математикой.
9. От дома Джуди было всего несколько минут ходьбы до большого
торгового центра. По воскресеньям она любила ходить туда и
рассматривать товары, выставленные на ярко освещенных и красиво
украшенных витринах, стараясь забыть при этом о своих мизерных
заработках и скудных сбережениях.
10. Родители Мэри и Джил никогда раньше не встречались, хотя и жили на
одной улице. Теперь, когда девочки стали одноклассницами, их родители
тоже подружились и стали приглашать друг друга в гости.
11. Опросы общественного мнения показывают, что зятья чаще ладят со
своими тестями, чем с тещами. Известно также, что невестки редко
прислушиваются к советам своих свекровей, даже если они полезны.