http://www.englishforums.com/search/pro.htm?q=tag%3aNouns+tag%3aAdjuncts+tag%3aApostrophesSearch results for 'tag:Nouns tag:Adjuncts tag:Apostrophes' matching tags 'Nouns', 'Adjuncts', and 'Apostrophes'en-USCSMOD (Build: 3273.32735)http://www.englishforums.com/English/NationsEffortsNationsEfforts/2/gjchv/Post.htm#546044Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:52:42 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:546044wholegrainNO THERE IS Muhahahahahahaha Proof Noun adjuncts were traditionally mostly singular e g trouser press except when there were lexical restrictions e g arms race but there is a recent trend towards more use of plural ones especially in UK English Many of these can also be and or were originally interpreted and spelled as plural possessives for example chemicals agency writers conference Rangers hockey game 2 but they are now often written without the apostrophe although this is criticised by some authorities http://www.englishforums.com/English/ToWhomWhom/4/xcbc/Post.htm#69379Sun, 23 Jan 2005 05:04:22 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:69379paco2004Hello Casi Thank you for the detailed explanation I think I got finally what you are saying Please let me try to rephrase with my words what you are saying and please check if it is right She gave John the book Format S give X Y X Y is the object of the verb gave and the phrase gave X Y means to realize X s ownership of Y Here the sign signifies something like a possessive apostrophe that is X Y X s Y As we can say his book him the book is a possible phrase for X Y But like we cannot say John s it or his it it is impossible to make such a phrase John it for X Y Therefore we cannot say She gave John it or She gave him it Further more it is assumed that X and Y in X Y are so tightly connected and so X Y behave almost as an inseparable single constituent It means that X and Y in X Y can t move independently in a sentence We can imagine a sentence She gave whom the book but this whom cannot singly move to the head of the sentence Therefore it s impossible to construct an wh question sentence like Whom did she give the book She gave the book to John Format S give Y to X S move Y to X In this sentence the phrase to X works as the adjunct of the action of move Y Here X and Y are perfectly independent constituents and X Y can be replaced by pronouns without constraints though X is usually an animate thing She gave it to him is one of the sentences of this construct Also whom can work as X and from She gave the book to whom one can easily make either To whom did she give the book or Whom did she give the book to by adopting the principles of wh word raising My understanding is right paco PS By the way is it true we can never say his it