's of "of the"

Question

Hello,When talking about an object, do you use "'s" or "of the"?For example: The game's creatorThe creator of the gameWhat's the rule? If both can be used, is there any difference between these two sentences?And when talking about a person? For example:The creator's gameThe game of the creatorAnd when talking about 2 objects? For example:My car's steering wheelThe steering wheel of my carThanks!

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

anonymousWhat's the rule?

There are no rules about these matters, although there are some guidelines that most writers follow. The following is a very brief view of the topic.

There are three ways to express these relationships.

1. Apostrophe s. Jerry's books; my cousin's husband

Used when the first item (the "possessor") is a person (or persons).

2. Compound noun. coat sleeve, bottle cap

Used when the first item is not a person.

3. of construction.

Used for partitives. a cup of coffee, a spoonful of sugar

Used for abstract ideas. knowledge of mathematics

Unfortunately for learners, there are quite a few exceptions.

CJ

CalifJim · Answer

anonymousThe game's creator The creator of the game

I would use 'the creator of the game' or 'the game creator'.

anonymousThe creator's game The game of the creator

I would use 'the creator's game'.

Note, however, that in idiomatic English you are not likely to see any of these expressions. You would see the name of the creator and the name of the game most of the time. Or you'd see expressions like 'the game that Don Dugal created' or 'the engineer who created "Chase the Dragon" '.

anonymousMy car's steering wheel The steering wheel of my car

I would use 'the steering wheel of my car'.

You will find that in everyday idiomatic English these complicated expressions never arise. More likely you would be talking about your car and then you'd just say 'the steering wheel' and everyone would know it's the steering wheel of your car.

CJ

's of "of the"

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