Chicken Legs and Face Masks
2020-10-31
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1Today we answer a question from Donyaa in Iran. She writes:
2I am confused about when I can use the possessive nouns.
3Is it face mask or face's mask? Is it chicken leg or chicken's leg?
4Thank you - Donyaa, Iran
5Dear Donyaa,
6The examples you asked about are two different ways nouns appear together in English.
7One is a compound noun: "face mask," that is, it is a type of mask used on the face.
8These days, the compound noun "face mask" is mostly used in connection with the coronavirus pandemic.
9But people also wear "face masks" on certain holidays - including on Halloween!
10They cover all or part of someone's face as part of a costume.
11There are many compound nouns in everyday English.
12Listen to this example:
13We need to buy cat food for our new pet.
14The word "cat" modifies, or changes the meaning of, the noun "food."
15Here is another example:
16Bean soup is a good meal in the winter.
17In this case, we are talking about that a soup that includes beans.
18Now let's look at another way two nouns can appear together.
19You asked about "chicken leg" and "chicken's leg."
20In the second, you will notice there is an apostrophe -- a small mark before the letter "s." An apostrophe is used to show possession.
21Here is an example:
22My dog's nose is cold.
23English speakers generally use this way of showing possession when the first noun is either a living thing or a specific thing.
24Here is an example that relates to your question.
25Doctor, my chicken's leg was hurt in a fight. Can you help her?
26In this example, I am talking about a specific chicken.
27But, if I am not talking about one specific chicken's legs, I will use a compound noun to talk about chicken legs in general.
28The restaurant's specialty is roasted chicken legs.
29Similarly, if I am talking about dogs in general, I may simply use a compound noun:
30Dog noses are always cold.
31That is a statement about all dogs, and not just my own dog.
32I hope this helps to answer your question, Donyaa.
33And that's Ask a Teacher for this week.
34What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com
35I'm Jill Robbins.
1Today we answer a question from Donyaa in Iran. She writes: 2Question: 3I am confused about when I can use the possessive nouns. Is it face mask or face's mask? Is it chicken leg or chicken's leg? 4Thank you - Donyaa, Iran 5Answer: 6Dear Donyaa, 7The examples you asked about are two different ways nouns appear together in English. One is a compound noun: "face mask," that is, it is a type of mask used on the face. These days, the compound noun "face mask" is mostly used in connection with the coronavirus pandemic. But people also wear "face masks" on certain holidays - including on Halloween! They cover all or part of someone's face as part of a costume. 8There are many compound nouns in everyday English. 9Listen to this example: 10We need to buy cat food for our new pet. 11The word "cat" modifies, or changes the meaning of, the noun "food." 12Here is another example: 13Bean soup is a good meal in the winter. 14In this case, we are talking about that a soup that includes beans. 15Apostrophe to show possession 16Now let's look at another way two nouns can appear together. You asked about "chicken leg" and "chicken's leg." In the second, you will notice there is an apostrophe -- a small mark before the letter "s." An apostrophe is used to show possession. 17Here is an example: 18My dog's nose is cold. 19English speakers generally use this way of showing possession when the first noun is either a living thing or a specific thing. Here is an example that relates to your question. 20Doctor, my chicken's leg was hurt in a fight. Can you help her? 21In this example, I am talking about a specific chicken. But, if I am not talking about one specific chicken's legs, I will use a compound noun to talk about chicken legs in general. 22The restaurant's specialty is roasted chicken legs. 23Similarly, if I am talking about dogs in general, I may simply use a compound noun: 24Dog noses are always cold. 25That is a statement about all dogs, and not just my own dog. 26I hope this helps to answer your question, Donyaa. And that's Ask a Teacher for this week. 27What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com 28I'm Jill Robbins. 29Jill Robbins wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 30_______________________________________________________________ 31Words in This Story 32mask -n. a covering for your face or for part of your face 33modify - v. to limit or describe the meaning of (a word or group of words) 34apostrophe - n. the punctuation mark ʼ used to show the possessive form of a noun 35specific - adj. relating to a particular person or situation 36Do you have a question for the teacher? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com.