(Choose the better style.)
1. ___is different in my province of Japan.
a. The taste of the soy sauce
b. The soy sauce's taste
2. ___ is where the fuel is kept in most airliners.
c. The wing of the plane
d. The plane's wing
日本語訳
問題の日本語訳
より自然な英語を選んでください。①「私の住む日本の県では、しょうゆの味が違います」――a The taste of the soy sauce／b The soy sauce's taste。②「多くの旅客機では翼に燃料が入っています」――c The wing of the plane／d The plane's wing。
解答・解説
Answers:- a
- c
Explanation: Ownership or possession is the ability to "have" things, to "possess" them and to "keep" them; we usually show ownership in English by adding 's. Look:
Bob's skis
Lily's tablet
the president's stupid hair
the dude's bowling ball
the floor of the car
(a car can't own a floor.)
the wing of the plane
(a plane can't possess a wing.)
the roof of the house
(a house can't keep a roof.)
Traditionally we do not give the power of ownership to things, inanimate (non-animated/non-moving) objects, non-lifeforms. So--to indicate that something is a part of something else or belongs with it or is part of it, we use the (or a) and of.
原文の答えは a と c。人などの所有を示すときは Bob's skis（ボブのスキー板）、Lily's tablet（リリーのタブレット）のように 's を付けます。一方、原文は車の床、飛行機の翼、家の屋根など、物の一部を言うときには the ... of ... を勧めています。
「無生物には所有格 's を使わない」という原文の説明は一般化しすぎです。the plane's wing のような言い方も英語では可能です。ここでは筆者が好む文体として読んでください。