Contraction and Possessives

[youandcorey]

I would like to explain about the difference in these two sentences:
1. Tom's going to the theater.
2. Tom's theater is new.

1. Tom is going to a theater.
2. Tom owns a new theater.


Can you think of some other good ways to teach this point?

Thank you for your time.

 

[SirGod]

*Not a teacher

You could say it like this:

1. Tom's going to the theater. - 's is followed by a verb => contraction
2. Tom's theatre is new. - 's is followed by a noun => possessive

 

[youandcorey]

Sounds good to me SirGod. Thanks for your input.

 

[curates-egg]

1. Tom's going to the theater. - 's is followed by a verb => contraction
2. Tom's theatre is new. - 's is followed by a noun => possessive

A little misleading - Tom's a teacher. Here the 's is a contraction, but it's followed by a noun.

youand corey's paraphrases bring out the difference more clearly.

Don't forget: Tom's been to the theater. Here the 's is contracted has.

 

[SirGod]

Thank you, curates-egg! I get your point. I was just giving an explanation for youandcorey's examples.

 

[TheParser]

I would like to explain about the difference in these two sentences:
1. Tom's going to the theater.
2. Tom's theater is new.

1. Tom is going to a theater.
2. Tom owns a new theater.


Can you think of some other good ways to teach this point?

Thank you for your time.

NOT A TEACHER


(1) Perhaps you could write 10 examples on the chalk- or whiteboard and

ask the students to discuss the correct answers:

Mona's father is a diplomat.
Mona's studied Japanese for three years.
Mona's eating now.

Tony's been rude all his life.
Tony's girlfriend has blonde hair.
Tony's doing his homework.

(2) Such a lesson would be a good way to start a class. The students

could compare their answers. Then you could lead a discussion to

clear up any confusion.

(3) To make things really fun, you might see whether some top students

can explain these:

What's the "E" stand for? (What does ...?)

Why's he here? (Why is ...?)

She's a boyfriend??? I can't believe it!!! (She has ...?)


Respectfully yours,


James

 

[Barb_D]

I hate to throw a wrench in the monkey works, but "Tom's going to the theater" can also be a noun phrase, with "Tom's" being uses with the possessive sense before teh gerund "going."

Tom's going to the theater was a suprise, since he hates crowds so much.