Parse the following four hypothetical auto shop names:
(1) Master's Auto
(2) Masters' Auto
(3) Masters Auto
(4) Auto Masters
The first means the shop was named after someone named Master. The second? Named after several people named Master. The third means the shop belongs to several masters. The fourth means it's a shop for auto masters.
The third example demonstrates a rule that confuses lots of people. It's a noun that modifies another noun adjectively. It's a so-called "attributive noun."
Here's the rule: When a noun modifies a noun, it's called an attributive noun. Generally, when the thing is non-exclusive, use the attributive, not the possessive.
Here's a few examples of attributive nouns:
Mens Shoes
Womens Room
Nurses Station
Judges Chambers
For contrast, "men's shoes" would be shoes owned by two or more men. The women's room would belong to an exclusive group of women. A nurse's station is where a specified nurse should be. A judge's chambers need not be in a courthouse. It could be his private residential space.
This usage is disappearing in English, and it shouldn't. It saves readers effort while eliminating potential ambiguities, and so it ought to be common knowledge.
(1) Master's Auto
(2) Masters' Auto
(3) Masters Auto
(4) Auto Masters
The first means the shop was named after someone named Master. The second? Named after several people named Master. The third means the shop belongs to several masters. The fourth means it's a shop for auto masters.
The third example demonstrates a rule that confuses lots of people. It's a noun that modifies another noun adjectively. It's a so-called "attributive noun."
Here's the rule: When a noun modifies a noun, it's called an attributive noun. Generally, when the thing is non-exclusive, use the attributive, not the possessive.
Here's a few examples of attributive nouns:
Mens Shoes
Womens Room
Nurses Station
Judges Chambers
For contrast, "men's shoes" would be shoes owned by two or more men. The women's room would belong to an exclusive group of women. A nurse's station is where a specified nurse should be. A judge's chambers need not be in a courthouse. It could be his private residential space.
This usage is disappearing in English, and it shouldn't. It saves readers effort while eliminating potential ambiguities, and so it ought to be common knowledge.
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