Page 192 - Basic English Usage

250 194

We often use Thank you to accept things (like Yes please).
‘Would you like some potatoes?’ ‘Thank you.’ ‘How many?’
To make it clear that you are refusing something, say No thank you.
Note the expression Thank God.
Thank God it’s Friday! (NOT Fhanks-Ged ...)

We do not automatically answer when people say Thank you. If we want
to answer, we can say Not at all, You're welcome (especially in
American English), That’s all right or That’s OK (informal). Compare:

‘Here’s your coat.’ ‘Thanks.’ (No answer.)
‘Thanks so much for looking after the children.’ ‘That’s all right. Any
time.’

250 possessive ’s: forms

Spelling
+ my father's car .

plural noun + ' | : my parents’ |house

irregular plural + ’s | : the children|'s |room
We sometimes just add an apostrophe (’) to a singular noun ending
in -s: Socrates’ ideas. But ’s is more common: Charles's wife.
We can add ‘sto a whole phrase: the man next door’s wife.

Pronunciation
The ending ‘sis pronounced just like a plural ending (see 302). The
apostrophe (’) in a form like parents’ does not change the pronunciation
at all.
Possessives are not usually used together with other determiners.
The car that is John’s is John’s car, not the John’s car.
Have you met Jack’s new girl-friend?
new
(NOT ... thedaeek's git-friend?)
For the structure a friend of John’s etc, see 252.

We can use the possessive without a following noun.
‘Whose is that?’ '‘Peter’s. '
We often talk about shops and people's houses in this way.
Alice is at the hairdresser’s.
We had a nice time at John and Susan's last night.
For the meanings and use of the possessive, see 251.