Saxon Genitive in the Plural: When Not to Use It

The Saxon genitive plural in English follows specific rules to indicate possession when the possessor is plural.

Here's how it works:

1. Regular plural nouns: If the plural noun ends in "s", just add an apostrophe (') to the end of the noun.
   Example:
   Le case dei ragazzi → The boys' houses.
2. Irregular plural nouns: If the plural noun does not end in "s" (like irregular plurals), add an apostrophe followed by "s" ('s).
   Example:
   I giocattoli dei bambini → The children's toys.
3. Singular nouns ending in "s": Although not a plural, it's useful to remember that for singular nouns ending in "s," you can add either an apostrophe alone or an apostrophe followed by "s" ('s), but usage varies.
   For example, for "Charles," you can write "Charles' book" or "Charles's book."

Some practical examples to fix the topic in mind:

• Regular plural nouns:
  • The teachers' cars → the teachers' cars.
  • The students' pens → the students' pens.
• Irregular plural nouns:
  • Children's games → The children's games
  • The women's houses → The women's houses

When using the Saxon genitive plural, it is important to make sure that the noun indicating the possessor is actually plural.

The Saxon genitive helps to make sentences more concise and clear than using the preposition "of".

These rules allow you to clearly indicate possession in plural contexts, keeping the sentence structure simple and understandable.

Now that we've thoroughly explored the theory surrounding the Saxon genitive plural, all that's left to do is analyze some examples and sentences in which it is used. This will make it easier to understand its logic and how it works: there's nothing better than seeing a grammatical structure inserted into a realistic, everyday context to fully understand it.

Here, then, are some examples of how to best use the Saxon genitive plural!

Let's start with the regular plural nouns :

• Teachers:
  • The teachers' cars are parked outside.
    
• Boys:
  • The boys' toys are on the floor.
    
• Cats:
  • The cats' bowls are in the kitchen.

Let's now look at some examples with irregular plural nouns :

• Children:
  • The children's books are on the shelves.
    
• Women:
  • Women's bags are expensive.
    
• Men (men):
  • The men's shoes are near the door.

After that, we analyze other situations that may arise, such as particular words or more complex contexts.

• Policemen:
  • The policemen's uniforms are blue. → The policemen's uniforms are blue. (As you can see, even though the word "men" is already plural, we still add the "s" because it is an irregular plural that doesn't have a proper "s").
    
• Birds:
  • Birds' nests are in the trees.
    
• Students:
  • The students' backpacks are heavy.
    
• Association (association):
  • The parents' association's decisions are important. (This is a case of a double genitive in the plural.)
    
• Friends:
  • Friends' vacation photos are beautiful. → The friends' vacation photos are beautiful."

These examples show how the Saxon genitive plural is used to indicate possession clearly and concisely, for both regular and irregular nouns, from the most standard situations to the most complex contexts.

To conclude, let's look at some sentences together with their translations.

1. The teachers'
   meeting starts at 8 AM.
2. The students'
   essays are due tomorrow.
3. The dogs'
   owners are waiting outside.
4. Employee
   benefits include health insurance.
5. The artists '
   works are displayed in the gallery.
6. 
   The judges ' decision was unanimous.
7. The kids '
   playground is under renovation.
8. 
   The farmers ' market opens every Saturday.
9. The firefighters' bravery
   saved many lives.
10. The athletes' performance was
    outstanding.
11. The doctors'
    conference will be held next month.
12. Birds '
    migration patterns are fascinating.
13. 
    The neighbors ' party was very loud.
14. The engineers'
    project won an award.
15. 
    The musicians ' instruments were all in tune.

Is everything clear? If not, don't worry: this lesson isn't going anywhere, and you can review it whenever you need to! Anyway, at this point, there shouldn't be much doubt: the Saxon genitive plural is a bit of a tricky subject at first, because it's very different from the grammatical constructions we're used to, but it's nothing a little study and attention can't overcome.

You'll see that it's just a matter of getting the hang of it: perhaps supplement this lesson with some exercises, or try inventing a few sentences yourself using the "of" form of the specific complement and transforming them with the Saxon genitive plural. Where possible, though: remember, in fact, that there are several cases for which the Saxon genitive isn't used! We've seen them before: you haven't forgotten them yet, have you?! In any case, you can always come back to review and clarify any doubts!