Look at these three sentences. Only one would normally be used in English. Which one?
1. The postman left the parcel on the step of the door.
2. The postman left the parcel on the door's step.
3. The postman left the parcel on the doorstep.
Well done if you said 'sentence 3 sounds best'. You are right. But why?
Naming parts of things is tricky in English. Grammatically there are three ways of showing that one thing belongs to or is part of another thing:
the step of the door - possessive (or genitive) case using 'of'
the door's step - possessive using apostrophe
the doorstep - compound noun
The problem is that in any situation usually only one of these ways (sometimes two) is possible.
To understand this area of grammar, you need to think about how one thing relates to another. Here are some tips:
1. In the above example, the step is a part of the door. It would be difficult to separate the two things. They are integral to each other. They are a compound.
On the subject of doors, we also have these compound words:
doormat, doorway, doorknob, doorbell, doorstop, doorman, door-knocker, door-frame, door-handle
In each case, an object joins with door to make a new object.
Here are some more everyday compounds:
window-sill, window-box, window-pane, window-seat, bed-head, bedclothes, shower-head, curtain-rail, lampshade, kitchen-sink, garden-shed, bookshelf, seat-belt, letter-box
2. Some compounds - door-frame, door-handle, window-sill - are written with hyphens. Others are written as one word. This is entirely a matter of usage. It's why, when learning how to use words in this area, you need to use a dictionary sometimes! There is no 'rule' here; but there is a pattern of usage.
The reason for the hyphen in door-frame is that frame and door can be easily separated as objects - frame + door. The hyphen indicates a joining together of two objects. So it is normal to say the frame of the door as much as the door-frame.
This helps a bit. Except, of course, door and bell are also separable and yet we write doorbell and not door-bell. It is a question of usage and of how strong the compound is. The stronger the link between the two words, the less likely it will be that there is a hyphen joining them.
3. Generally, if two objects can be easily separated - if they are not integral to each other - the 'of' construction is used, although a compound may still be used as well. So, for example, as with door-frame or frame of the door we can choose between:
table-leg/the leg of the table
But we use compounds only for:
tableware, tabletop, tablecloth, tablespoon
There are many compound words which can also be 'of' constructions:
car-boot/the boot of the car
telephone-cord/the cord of the telephone
book-cover/the cover of the book
garage-door/the door of the garage
mountain-top/the top of the mountain
seat-back/the back of the seat
road-side/the side of the road
river-bank/the bank of the river
Some joined objects usually have an 'of' construction only:
the door of the building (not 'the building door')
4. When describing position or measurement, we usually use the 'of' construction only:
the height of the door, the width of the door, the top of the wardrobe, the bottom of the cupboard, the length of the swimming pool, the position of the garage, the front of the building
5. And 'of' is usually used for anything connected to the senses - sight, sound, touch etc:
the smell of roses (not the rose-smell), the sound of gunfire (not the gunfire-sound), the colour of the door (not the door-colour), the touch of the breeze (not the breeze-touch)
6. Also, many phrases used to indicate geographical places or relative position use the 'of' construction only:
the heart of the city (not 'the city heart')
the middle of the road
the core of the problem
the heart of the matter
7. The apostrophe is used to show possession between two separate objects or between a person and an object:
the door's manufacturer (= the manufacturer of the door), the door's designer (=the designer of the door), John's door (= the door that belongs to John, or the door of John's house), the door's history (=the history of the door)
There are rules about apostrophes - I'll do a post on this shortly!
Test Yourself
Decide if you need to make any changes to these sentences:
1. He entered at the building's rear.
2. I enjoy coffee smell but not its taste.
3. The clothes of the bed fell off during the night.
4. The screen of the computer keeps flickering.
5. The guide of the tour told us all about the church history.
6. The mirror glass had broken but the frame was fine.
7. We heard the crowd noise but we did not see anyone.
8. The bank of the river nearly overflowed because of the water of the flood.
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