Anonymous: I have a question that I need help with...fast. (I am a non - native English speaker)Is it possible to say " I have a doctor appointment" instead of using the form " I have a doctor´s appointment". The use of possessive s is a bit confusing. I hope that some one here could help me. Thank you very much in advance, regards, Eric Approved answer (verified by Ruslana) It should be doctor's. I can see how the possessive could be confusing if you are only thinking about it from your side, but don't forget that the doctor also has an appointment at that time - with you. The name says it all. Approved answer (verified by Ruslana) Hmmm. The responses here surprised me because "I have a doctor appointment" does not sound "wrong" to me -- I would be just as likely to say "doctor apppointment" as "doctor's appointment". Does anyone else agree with me? Maybe it's a U.S./U.K. difference? Or am I just weird? [:^)] How about "I have a dentist appointment"? I might either say it that way, or say "I have a dental appointment." Is anyone going to make a case for "I have a dentist's appointment"?  Veteran Member 5,341   Native speaker of American English (but not a grammar expert). FRIEND REQUESTS WILL BE IGNORED. Don't take it personally -- I just don't understand the whole idea of... Approved answer (verified by Ruslana) We do say 'dentist's appointment' this side of the Atlantic. Likewise 'vet's appointment'. We say 'hospital appointment' without the s. The name says it all. ALL REPLIES Anonymous: It is not possible to say "I have a doctor appointment". This is not correct English. In North America too, doctor's apppointment is the preferred one. At The New York Times: doctor's apppointment: 200 hits doctor apppointment: 6 hits Veteran Member 11,673 Hmmm. The responses here surprised me because "I have a doctor appointment" does not sound "wrong" to me -- I would be just as likely to say "doctor apppointment" as "doctor's appointment". Does anyone else agree with me? Maybe it's a U.S./U.K. difference? Or am I just weird? [:^)] How about "I have a dentist appointment"? I might either say it that way, or say "I have a dental appointment." Is anyone going to make a case for "I have a dentist's appointment"? [/quote] Doctor appointment to me does not sound right. I don't see a justifying reason why doctor takes possessive but dentist doesn't. Maybe that's just the way it is and has no exact reason. (which is why English is so hard to master) It kinda falls under those strange rules like a pair of pants, when it's only one piece of clothing. We don't say a pair of shirts. Colorado, USA New Member 16Hi,Hookster -welcome to the Forum. There was actually a long discussion a while ago about "a pair of pants" -- apparently pants actually used to be two separate pieces, kind of like cowboys' chaps, that tied together at the top. I understand why English is hard to master, but I thought I had done a pretty good job of it in 52 years, which is why I was surprised to find that something that seemed perfectly natural to me was consedered "wrong." Perhaps I should have added that I would probably not write "doctor appointment" in anything formal -- I agree that "doctor's appointment" sounds more formal - but in conversation "doctor appointment" sounds perfectly fine to me. (This would also explain why it shows up less often in The New York Times.) Grammar Geek, would you like to venture an opinion on this one? Hookster, what part of Colorado are you in? And, to digress a little, do you consider yourself a Coloradan? I am pretty sure that when I was growing up in Denver we were all Coloradoans -- then I spent 20 years on the East Coast and returned to find that I had lost an entire syllable. Veteran Member 5,341 Native speaker of American English (but not a grammar expert). FRIEND REQUESTS WILL BE IGNORED. Don't take it personally -- I just don't understand the whole idea of... More
| |
© MediaCet Ltd. 2012, xC v7.1.4500.21922. All content posted by our users is a contribution to the public domain, this does not include imported usenet posts.* For web related enquires please contact us on webmaster@mediacet.com, status updates are available at status.mediacet.com. *Usenet post removal: Use 'X-No-Archive' or please send proof of the poster's email, we will remove immediately. Views expressed in this community do not reflect the views of MediaCet LTD, and we are in no way liable for such content. Offensive or malicious content will be removed immediately, please send an email to webmaster@mediacet.com |
All RSS Feeds