Exercise 6

Change the following expressions from the prepositional phrase form to the possessive:

  1. The ships of Germany and France.
  2. The garden of his mother and sister.
  3. The credit of Jackson & Jones.
  4. The signature of the president of the firm.
  5. The coming of my grandfather.
  6. The lives of our friends.
  7. The dog of both John and William.
  8. The dog of John and the dog of William.
  9. The act of anybody else.
  10. The shortcomings of Alice.
  11. The poems of Robert Burns.
  12. The wives of Henry the Eighth.
  13. The home of Mary and Martha.
  14. The novels of Dickens and the novels of Scott.
  15. The farm of my mother and of my father.
  16. The recommendation of Superintendent Norris.

Exercise 7

Correct such of the following expressions as need correction. If apostrophes are omitted, insert them in the proper places:

  1. He walked to the precipices edge.
  2. Both John and William's books were lost.
  3. They sell boy's hats and mens' coats.
  4. My friends' umbrella was stolen.
  5. I shall buy a hat at Wanamaker's & Brown's.
  6. This student's lessons.
  7. These students books.
  8. My daughters coming.
  9. John's wife's cousin.
  10. My son's wife's aunt.
  11. Five years imprisonment under Texas's law.
  12. John's books and Williams.
  13. The Democrat's and Republican Convention.
  14. France's and England's interests differ widely.
  15. The moons' face was hidden.
  16. Wine is made from the grape's juice.
  17. Morton, the principals, signature.
  18. Jones & Smith, the lawyers, office.

16. Gender. Gender in grammar is the quality of nouns or pronouns that denotes the sex of the person or thing represented. Those nouns or pronouns meaning males are in the Masculine Gender. Those meaning females are in the Feminine Gender. Those referring to things without sex are in the Neuter Gender.

In nouns gender is of little consequence. The only regular inflection is the addition of the syllable-ess to certain masculine nouns to denote the change to the feminine gender; as, author, authoress; poet, poetess. -Ix is also sometimes added for the same purpose; as, administrator, administratrix.

The feminine forms were formerly much used, but their use is now being discontinued, and the noun of masculine gender used to designate both sexes.

CHAPTER III