Buy ~ to ~~/

Question

1. All of my friends buy season passes to a ski resort every year.

Can't the underlined fraction be rephrased to ski resort's season passes? (All of my friends buy ski resort's season passes every year.)

If so, what is the structure of the underlined part in comparison with this: that is your brother's phone VS that is the phone of your brother.

~'s + object = article + object + of ~

Avangi · Accepted Answer

moon7296 All of my friends buy season passes to a ski resort every year.
(All of my friends buy ski resort's season passes every year.)Wow! Not even close. A native speaker would never say something like this.

Your original avoids the plural problem which ties your alternative up in knots. And the possessive is very awkward.

All of my friends by a ski resort's season pass. This is closer, but nobody would say it.
Furthermore, it could be taken to mean they all chip in on a single pass, and then impersonate each other.
Each of my friends buys a ski resort's season pass. Problem solved, but no one would use the possessive like this.

The original may seem awkward to you, or a bit wordy, but it's the most natural way to say it.

The original does not actually imply possession, while both of your phone examples do.
(Well, it's quite explicit in both the phone examples.)
"Your brother's phone" happens to sound better than "the phone of your brother."

Sometimes you can save words by switching to a possessive, but it doesn't work in the ski pass example.

The key to the house is in the mailbox.

The house's key is in the mailbox. Why bother? It just doesn't sound good.

I would accept "All my friends buy season ski resort passes every year." (The house key is in the mailbox.)

(I could not be one of your friends. I haven't been able to afford a season pass for years! )

Moon7296 · Answer

I appreciate your clear answer and your last comment in brackets was fun^^; (I got the example from a book^^)

You said "it just doesn't sound good".

That means there's no way but get myself used to that kind of expression ?.?;;

I've found a question in your answer; The key to the house.

Can "to" be changed into of?

Avangi · Answer

moon7296 The key to the house.
Can "to" be changed into of?

Yes, it can, but I wouldn't.

I remember an old book my mother had - a novel, I think - entitled "The Keys Of The Kingdom."

But I've never heard the car keys (or the house keys) referred to as "the keys of the car/house."
I left the keys to the car in my other pants. ("Car keys" is more common.)

Edit. Ha! I never read the book. A.J.Cronin, 1941.
Movie in 1944 with Gregory Peck as a Catholic priest in China. (Never saw that either.)

Buy ~ to ~~/

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions