Business Writing Firefly Electric and Lighting Corp ...

[Pages:31]Business Writing

Firefly Electric and Lighting Corp. Learning and Development

Human Resources Department

Module 1B Foundations of Good Business

Correspondence

Business Writing

Firefly Electric and Lighting Corp. Learning and Development

Human Resources Department

Module 1B Foundations of Good Business

Correspondence Lesson 1b

Case of Nouns

Nouns

Definition:

A noun is a part of speech that names a person, place or thing or an abstraction such as an idea (democracy); quality (strength); motion (rotation); event (wedding); feeling (depression); emotion (hatred); time (seconds); area (acre); weight (kilo); distance (miles); volume (liter); state (illness) etc.

Grammar

Most of the errors committed in relation to nouns had to do with its two properties: Number and Case.

Number as the property of nouns had been discussed in Lesson 1A. Lesson 1B will deal with Case of Nouns, specifically the possessive case of nouns and its formation.

Case is the property of noun that indicates its function in the in the sentence

Possessive Case of Nouns

The signals used to indicate the possessive case of nouns is apostrophe (`) or apostrophe ?s (`s)

Rules in forming the possessive case of Nouns

1. Most nouns show possession by affixing apostrophe ?s to the given noun.

Examples: Lester's sister, Marty's job, the student's project, the servant's uniform, mom's cell phone

Possessive Case of Nouns

2. Nouns of two or more syllables ending in sibilant sounds (s, ss, sh, ch, x and z) show possession by adding apostrophe only (`).

Examples: babies' diaper, the boys' band, Alexis' motorcyle,

3. One syllable Proper nouns ending in sibilant sounds show possession by adding `s.

Examples: Luz's voice, James's hair

Possessive Case of Nouns

Exception to Rule #3 : One-syllable Proper nouns ending in sibilant sounds add apostrophe (`) only when the next word starts with a sibilant sound.

Examples: Rex' xylophone Mitch' songs; Tess' short stories Johann Strauss' symphonies/

Possessive Case of Nouns

4. The signals ` and `s are generally used only with human beings, personified beings or objects and certain idiomatic expressions.

Examples: Ramon's friends, the tree's hungry mouth, earth's sweet flowing breast. The team's plan; my heart's desire ( a synecdoche ? figure of speech that uses a part to represent the whole, for appearance' sake

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