[Grammar] USE OF POSSESSION

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tough

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We say leg of the table and not table's leg because table is non living and cant be shown possession as possession is shown only to living and so we say Ralph's book.so can we say table leg or we have to use of only can u please elaborate on use of of with nonliving or showing possesion 2 non living.
Can we say Kitchen fan or it has to be F an in the kitchen
 

Tdol

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Or the table leg.
 

emsr2d2

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I started thinking about this and, while I wouldn't initially have said the living or non-living status of something was the defining factor, I did realise that I would probably speak differently depending on exactly that factor.

Q - What happened?
A - The leg of the table just fell off
OR
A - The table leg just fell off.
(I definitely wouldn't say "The table's leg...")

Q - What happened?
A - John's leg fell off!
(With this example, I would always use the 's construction.

Q - What's that thing in the corner?
A - It's my dog's bed. (Dog = living)

Q - What's that thing in the corner?
A - It's the stand for the TV. (TV = non-living)
 

Barb_D

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I've written in similar threads before, and there ARE times when we use the possessive for the inanimate, but it's hard to explain why. It seems that it's when you want to show a contrast between this inanimate thing and that inanimate thing.

At the furniture store:
A: Let's take this table. I like it.
B: No, let's take that one. This table's leg has a big scratch on it.

On the crime show:
A: Which car was the one that hit Professor Green?
B: That one. See, this car's front bumper is intact, but that car's bumper is crumpled and shows traces of blood.

But also: The building's main entrance is actually on Elm Street, even though its address is 2nd Avenue.
 
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