Кабината

Nouns in Groups – English Grammar

There are 3 main ways to combine nouns in English so that one defines the other: 1. Noun + noun (e.g., a bicycle factory, a war film), 2. Noun + 's + noun (e.g., my sister's car, a bird's nest), and 3

There are 3 main ways to combine nouns in English so that one defines the other:

1. Noun + noun (noun + noun):

  • a bicycle factory
  • a war film
  • the table leg

2. Noun + 's + noun:

  • my sister's car
  • a bird's nest
  • cow's milk

3. Noun + preposition + noun (noun + preposition + noun):

  • the top of the page
  • a man from London
  • a book on modern music
  • a feeling of disappointment

Sample exercise on this topic from Kabinata's system:

Unfortunately, the exact difference between the three structures in English is complex and difficult to analyze – it is one of the most difficult areas in English grammar.

We use the structure noun + 's + noun to talk about parts of the bodies of people and animals.

For parts of inanimate objects, we usually use the structure noun + noun. For example:

The table leg; NOT the table's leg.

With words like top, bottom, front, back, side, inside, outside, beginning, middle, end, part, the structure noun + preposition + noun is preferred.

The top of the page (not: the page top)

The back of the bus (not: the bus back)

The bottom of the glass (not: the glass bottom)

The end of the film (not: the film end)

There are also the following exceptions:

The water's edge

The seaside

The roadside

A mountain top.

The structure noun + preposition + noun is commonly used with words referring to units, selections, and collections (units, selections and collections), such as piece, slice, lump, bunch, blade, pack, herd, flock, group, and so on. For example:

A piece of paper

A bunch of flowers

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