[化学論文のための英語講座] 第49回：形容詞 Part5

(English version is here.)

形容詞 Part5 所有

よく使用されている所有形容詞は「my, your, his, her, its, our, their」です。以下の例文を見てみましょう。

1. Details have been reported in our previous work. （限定用法）
2. Their method has been widely used. （限定用法）
解説：所有形容詞はいつも限定用法で名詞の前に置きます。

3. The previous method is less convenient than ours.（叙述用法）
解説：所有形容詞に「s」をつけると所有代名詞になります。すなわち「yours, hers, ours, theirs」です。「my」は不規則で「mine」になり、「his」は「s」もありますのでそのままで使います。「its」は所有代名詞として使いません。叙述用法を使う場合は所有代名詞を名詞の後に置きます。

さらに、名詞に「's」を付けると所有格に変えられます。例文を見てみましょう。

4. The gecko's ability to cling to a vertical surface is a result of van der Waals forces between the surface and the lamellae on the animal's toes.

5. Glands in the Sierra newt's skin secrete tetrodotoxin, the same toxin found in fugu.

補足：最後の文字が「s」の場合は「'」を付けます。
また、どの名詞でも所有格に変えられますが、無生物に対しては所有格をあまり使いません。例えば、「The samples' results were tabulated.」 は文法的には正しいのですが 「The sample results were tabulated.」 とした方がより自然です。ここでは「sample」は形容詞として使います。「The catalyst's activity improved.」 も正しいですが 「The catalyst activity improved.」 または 「The catalytic activity improved.」 の方がより自然です。

次回は「形容詞 Part6」です。

Adjectives 5: possessive

My, your, his, her, its, our, and their are frequently used possessive adjectives. Let us look at the following example sentences.

1. Details have been reported in our previous work. (limiting)
2. Their method has been widely used. (limiting)
Explanation: Possessive adjectives are always limiting and thus are placed before the noun.

3. The previous method is less convenient than ours. (predicative)
Explanation: Adding an s to a possessive adjective gives a possessive pronoun. That is to say, yours, hers, ours, or theirs. My is an exception becoming mine, and his already ends in s so it is used as is. Its is not used as a possessive pronoun. When used as predicative a possessive pronoun precedes the noun.

Furthermore, attaching 's changes a noun to a possessive form. Let us look at the following examples.

4. The gecko's ability to cling to a vertical surface is a result of van der Waals forces between the surface and the lamellae on the animal's toes.

5. Glands in the Sierra newt's skin secrete tetrodotoxin, the same toxin found in fugu.

Supplement: When the final letter is s, an apostrophe is added at the end. Any noun can be changed to possessive form however, inanimate objects are generally not used in possessive form. For example, "The samples' results were tabulated." is grammatically correct however, "The sample results were tabulated." is more natural. Here, sample is used as an adjective. "The catalyst's activity improved." is also correct however, "The catalyst activity improved." or "The catalytic activity improved." is more natural.

At next time, we will discuss Adjectives 6.