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cubanlord
Joined: 08 Jul 2005
Location: In Japan!
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 Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 4:59 pm Post subject: possessive forms and non-count nouns |
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Okay, I know the general rule for possessives in respect to non-count nouns. How would you change "faculty" into a possessive form.
Faculty's perceptions
or
Faculties' perceptions
see, other's are easy such as "water".
on the water's edge.
Thanks for the help.
Edit - THis is what I have found:
"With nouns whose plurals are irregular (see Plurals), however, you will need to add an apostrophe followed by an s to create the possessive form.
She plans on opening a women's clothing boutique.
Children's programming is not a high priority.
The geese's food supply was endangered.
(But with words that do not change their form when pluralized, you will have to add an -s or -es.)
The seaweed was destroyed by the fishes' overfeeding." |
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Atavistic
Joined: 22 May 2006
Location: How totally stupid that Korean doesn't show in this area.
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| Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 5:07 pm Post subject: |
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| Are you trying to make FACULTY possessive or FACULTIES possessive? |
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cubanlord
Joined: 08 Jul 2005
Location: In Japan!
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| Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 5:08 pm Post subject: |
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| Atavistic wrote: |
| Are you trying to make FACULTY possessive or FACULTIES possessive? |
faculty as in professors who teach. |
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BreakfastInBed
Joined: 16 Oct 2007
Location: Gyeonggi do
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| Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 5:31 pm Post subject: |
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I think faculty isn't a non-count noun. We can count faculties the same way we can count families, as distinct groups of people (if that's the kind of faculty you're talking about). One group, two groups, etc...
In this case, the singular possessive is faculty's, the plural, faculties'.
The plural possessive sounds clumsy which is why I expect it isn't used much. "It's the responsibility of all faculties to blah blah blah" sounds much better to me than "It's the faculties' responsibility..." My opinion anyhow. |
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cubanlord
Joined: 08 Jul 2005
Location: In Japan!
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| Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 5:36 pm Post subject: |
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| BreakfastInBed wrote: |
I think faculty isn't a non-count noun. We can count faculties the same way we can count families, as distinct groups of people (if that's the kind of faculty you're talking about). One group, two groups, etc...
In this case, the singular possessive is faculty's, the plural, faculties'.
The plural possessive sounds clumsy which is why I expect it isn't used much. "It's the responsibility of all faculties to blah blah blah" sounds much better to me than "It's the faculties' responsibility..." My opinion anyhow. |
Yes, but faculty is a collective entity, an ideological construct. E.G. It is the responsibility of the faculty to ensure their students are well instructed.
In that particular sentence, "faculty" is being used as a non-count. |
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Atavistic
Joined: 22 May 2006
Location: How totally stupid that Korean doesn't show in this area.
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| Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 5:40 pm Post subject: |
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| cubanlord wrote: |
| Atavistic wrote: |
| Are you trying to make FACULTY possessive or FACULTIES possessive? |
faculty as in professors who teach. |
Faculty's. |
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BreakfastInBed
Joined: 16 Oct 2007
Location: Gyeonggi do
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| Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 5:58 pm Post subject: |
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| cubanlord wrote: |
Yes, but faculty is a collective entity, an ideological construct. E.G. It is the responsibility of the faculty to ensure their students are well instructed.
In that particular sentence, "faculty" is being used as a non-count. |
Sure, but as a collective entity isn't it only inclusive of its own members and not of all other faculties' members? Also, to my mind you've used the wrong possessive adjective in your example. It should read "It is the responsibility of the faculty to ensure its students are well instructed," or else needs to be changed to "It is the responsibility of the faculty members to ensure their students are well instructed."
I'm pretty convinced faculty is a countable noun, though I'm sure we can find some kind of exception. I don't know if there is such a thing as an infallible grammar rule.
Last edited by BreakfastInBed on Sat Apr 12, 2008 6:01 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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cubanlord
Joined: 08 Jul 2005
Location: In Japan!
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| Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 6:01 pm Post subject: |
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| BreakfastInBed wrote: |
| cubanlord wrote: |
Yes, but faculty is a collective entity, an ideological construct. E.G. It is the responsibility of the faculty to ensure their students are well instructed.
In that particular sentence, "faculty" is being used as a non-count. |
Sure, but as a collective entity isn't it only inclusive of its members and not of all other faculties? Also, to my mind you've used the wrong possessive adjective in your example. It should read "It is the responsibility of the faculty to ensure its students are well instructed," or else needs to be changed to "It is the responsibility of the faculty members to ensure their students are well instructed."
I'm pretty convinced faculty is a countable noun, though I'm sure we can find some kind of exception. I don't know if there is such a thing as an infallible grammar rule. |
hmmm...interesting. Okay, thanks for the advice. |
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Miles Rationis
Joined: 08 May 2007
Location: Just Say No To Korea!
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| Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 6:15 pm Post subject: |
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| Possessive. Hmmph. I like the sound of genetive more. |
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Zaria32
Joined: 04 Dec 2007
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| Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 7:05 pm Post subject: |
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Faculty CAN be plural...
The faculties from 8 universities were invited to... |
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