phrases - "List of tasks" or "tasks' list"


Which of these forms is better: list of tasks or tasks' list? Another question is whether I should use an apostrophe or not (tasks's list vs tasks list).


Other phrases which are similar to this, but aren't quite what I'm looking for, are list of projects and task's action (one task this time).


Maybe the answer is obvious, but English is not my native language so I need to understand it.



Answer



The usual phrase is "task list" (without plural or apostrophe).


"List of tasks" is perfectly acceptable, and perhaps preferable in general writing; but in referring to a list (almost like a name for it) "task list" is overwhelmingly the common expression.


"Tasks' list" would be very unusual: the possessive 's and its variants are usually used only for real possession, not for more general relationships; and tend not to be used for abstract nouns, though this is not a firm prohibition.


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