Possessing, giving and lending

A. Possession

All his possessions were destroyed in the terrible fire. (everything he owned; always plural in this meaning)

Don’t leave any of your belongings here; we’ve had a few thefts recently. (smaller things, e.g. bag, camera, coat; always plural)

Estate in the singular can mean a big area of private land and the buildings on it, or all of someone’s wealth upon death.

She owns a huge estate in Scotland. (land, etc.)

After his death, his estate was calculated at three million. (all his wealth) Property (uncountable) is used in a general sense for houses, land, etc.

He’s only fourteen; he is too young to own property.

A property (countable) is a building, e.g. house, office-block.

She just bought a very nice property near the town-centre.

B. Words for people connected with ownership

The proprietor of this restaurant is a friend of mine. (used for shops, business etc. The owner would be less formal)

The landlord/lady’s put the rent up. (owner of rented property) Do you own this house? No we’re just tenants. (we rent it)

C. Giving The river provides the village with water/ provides water for the village. (or supplies) Would you like to contribute/donate something to the children’s hospital fund? Jakes Ltd. supplies our school with paper and other items. (often for ‘selling’ context) It gives me pleasure to present you with this clock from us all.

The school restaurant caters for 500 people every day.

That uncle of mine that died left RM3,000 to a dogs’ home.

When she died she donated all her books to the library. (for large gifts to institutions)

You’ve been allocated room 24. Here’s your key.

D. Lending, etc.

We’ve decided to hire/rent a car. Can you recommend a good car hire/car-rental firm? ( rent and hire are both commonly used) We’d like to rent a flat in Betong for six months. (not hire) We’ve hired the lecture-room for a day. (not rent; short, temporary arrangements)

Remember: when you lend, you give, when you borrow, you receive. That step-ladder you lent me last week, could I borrow it again? I’m trying to get a loan from the bank to buy a boat.

Exercises

I) What questions do you think were asked to get these answer?

1. Oh no, we own it. Most houses here are owner-occupied. ......................................................................................................................

2. Well, sorry, no; I need it to take photos myself. ......................................................................................................................

3. You will be in Room 44B. It’s quite a big office. ......................................................................................................................

4. No, you have to buy exercise books and pens yourself. ......................................................................................................................

5. Actually, I’ve already given something. Sorry. ......................................................................................................................

6. Oh, just a small house with a garden, you know, typical. ......................................................................................................................

7. Yes, the charge is RM500 for one that seats 30 people. ......................................................................................................................

II) The verbs in the middle column have been jumbled. Put them in their right sentences.

1. A millionaire provided a swimming pool to the

2. The Director was presented school.

3. My mother’s counsin donated the best parking-place

4. A farmer nearby catered me RM5,000 in her will

5. When I retired they left us with logs for the fire

6. The restaurant allocated me with a camcorder

IV) Think of something that ...

1. you would hand over to a mugger if threatened................

2. has been handed down in your family ................

3. you have given away at some time in your life. ................

4. is often given out in classrooms. ................

5. you value and would not want to let go of . ................

III) Some phrasal verbs connected with ‘giving’. Check their meaning in a dictionary and then fill the gaps below. hand over give out let go of give away hand down

1. That bed has been ................ in the family. It was my greatgrandmother’s originally.

2. Would you help us ................ some leaflets in the shopping-centre?

3. I don’t want to ................ that old painting. It might be valuable one day.

4. When Tim’s bike got too small for him we ................ it ................; it wasn’t worth trying to sell it, too much bother.

5. The landlord will ................ the keys as soon as you pay the deposit and the first month’s rent.

V) The rise and fall of Mr Fatcatt - a sad story. Fill the gaps with suitable words.

Horace Fatcatt began his career by buying up old ................ (1) in London when prices were low. He got ................ (2) from several banks to finance his deals, and soon he was of the biggest private ................ (3) in the city, with some 3,000 ................ (4) renting houses and flats from him. He was also the ................ (5) of many shops and businesses. He became very rich and bought himself a huge ................ (6) in Scotland, but he ................ (7) more and more money from the banks and soon the bubble burst. Recession came and he had to sell all his ................ (8) ................ (9), everything. He was left with just a few personal ................ (10) and finally died penniless.

I) Suggested questions:

1. Do you rent this house?

2. Could I possibly borrow your camera? Would you lend me your camera?

3. Which room have I been allocated?

4. Does the school provide exercise books and things?

5. Would you like to contribute to our collection for the disabled?

6. What sort of property do you have/live in/own?

7. Is it/possible to hire a room for a meeting?

II)

1. The millionaire donated a swimming pool to the school.

2. The Director was allocated the best parkingplace.

3. My mother’s cousin left me RM5,000 in her will.

4. A farmer nearby provided us with logs for the fire.

5. When I retired they presented me with a camcorder.

6. The restaurant catered for vegetarians.

III)

1. handed down 2. give out 3. let go of

4. gave ... away 5. hand over

IV)

1. your wallet/handbag/money

2. jewellery/furniture

3. a book/a picture of someone

4. hand-out/tests

5. an antique/a set of books

V)

1. properties

2. loans

3. landlords

4. tenants

5. owner/proprietor

6. estate

7. borrowed

8. properties

9. possessions

10. belongings/possessions