Punctuation question (from a teacher!)

Status
Not open for further replies.

emsr2d2

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
Hi all

Can anyone give me a simple explanation as to why we use an apostrophe when writing the length of time a journey will take. For example:

It's 8 hours' drive from here.

Is it really as simple as the fact that what you are saying is that it is a drive OF 8 hours, and therefore possessive?!!! That doesn't seem plausible, to me at least.

My poor student yesterday got in a complete tangle, especially when I explained that if you add the article, you suddenly don't need a plural or an apostrophe (It's 8 hours' drive OR It's AN 8 HOUR drive).

Thanks.
 

Mzungu39

Junior Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2010
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
Slovenian
Home Country
Slovenia
Current Location
Slovenia
Hi,

In the first case 8 hours' drive is a premodifier in the inflected genitive. The inflected genitive does not always express possession. It can express the doer of an action: my friend's arrival, object of the action: the thief's arrest, origin: Shakespeare's plays, etc.
In this case it expresses measure: the drive lasts 8 hours

In the second case we have a singular noun in a common case premodifying another noun. In such cases the premodifying noun is usually in the singular: a department store, a pyjama party, an 8 hour drive; I think we should use a hyphen in such cases: an 8-hour drive, a 23-year-old girl, etc.

We use plural when there's a difference in meaning, eg. a custom-customs= customs officer.

I hope I have helped.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top