The Printable KISS Grammar Workbooks To Charles Dickens Page
(Code and Color Key)

Apostrophes to Show Possession
from Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities
Analysis Key

Note that this is as much an exercise on identifying clauses as it is on apostrophes.

1. He {at first} supposed [DO that his daughter's marriage had taken place

     yesterday]. |

_____________the marriage of his daughter_______________________
2. [Adv. (condition) to "can see" If a girl, doll [#1] or no doll [#1], swoons {within

      a yard or two} {of a man's nose}], he can see it (DO) {without a perspective-glass}. |

_____________________the nose of a man_______________________
3. He looked {like his illustration} [#2], [Adv. (time) to "looked" as he raised 

     his eyes (DO) {to Mr. Lorry's face}]. |
 

_____________________the face of Mr. Lorry_____________________
4. [Adv. (comparison) to "so" As a whirlpool {of boiling waters} has a centre 

     point (DO)], so, all this raging circled {round Defarge's wine-shop}. |

________________the wine-shop of Defarge_______________________


5. "You have no idea (DO) [Adj. to "idea" how such an apprehension 

     weighs {on the sufferer's mind}]." |

________________the mind of the sufferer_________________________
6. It was almost morning (PN), [Adv. (time) to "was" when Defarge's 

     wine-shop parted {with its last knot} {of customers}]. |

________________the wine-shop of Defarge_______________________
7. [Adv. (condition) to "must" Whatever might befall now], he must on 

      {to his journey's end}. |

___________________the end of his journey_______________________
8. He stood {at Mr. Cruncher's elbow} as negligently [Adv. (comparison) to "as"

     as he might have stood {at the Old Bailey itself [#3] }]|

___________________the elbow of Mr. Cruncher__________________
9. They returned home [NuA] {to breakfast} [#4], | and all went well, | 

     and {in due course} the golden hair [Adj. to "hair" that had mingled 

     {with the poor shoemaker's white locks} {in the Paris garret}], were [#5]

     mingled (P) {with them} again {in the morning sunlight}, {on the threshold} 

      {of the door} {at parting}. |

___________with the white locks of the poor shoemaker_____________
10. Mr. Lorry's inquiries {into Miss Pross's personal history} had 

     established the fact (DO) [Adj. to "fact" that her brother Solomon [#6]

     was a heartless scoundrel (PN) [Adj. to "scoundrel" who had stripped 

     her (DO) {of everything} [Adj. to "everything" she possessed]]]. |

___The inquiries of Mr. Lorry into the personal history of Miss Pross had__

Notes
1. "Doll" (both times) is an appositive to "girl." See KISS Level 5.4 - Appositives.
2. Alternatively, "looked like" can be considered the verb phrase (because it means "resembled"), That  would make "illustration" a predicate noun. See KISS Level 2.1.5 - Phrasal Verbs (Preposition? Or Part of the Verb?).
3. "Itself" is an appositive to Old Bailey."
4. Alternatively, "to breakfast" can be considered a verb phrase here (to have breakfast). That would make it an infinitive of purpose to "returned."
5. Whether or not "hair were mingled" would be considered a subject/verb agreement error, I do not know. Clearly Dickens is thinking of "hair" as a plural, collective noun.
6. "Solomon" is an appositive to "brother."