possessives - Using apostrophes correctly


I've read a great article about the usage of apostrophes. But there are still some points that are unclear.


Why do we say...



  • school project but not school's project?

  • car service but not car's service or even cars' service (plural form)?

  • apostrophe usage but not apostrophe's usage or apostrophes' usage?



Answer



Because all three are compound nouns, which have nothing to do with the Saxon genitive. "Car service" is a type of service. "Car's service" would be service owned by a car. Much like railway is a type of way, not a way belonging to a rail. Compounds don't have to be written as one word, though. That is all.


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