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Al-cameleer
Al-cameleer
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If one were to say "I entered my apartment building", does that mean that:

  • the building contains the speaker's apartment (which belongs to him/which he holds on lease); or
  • that the ENTIRE building belongs to such person?

I'm assuming that it's mostly always used to mean the former. However, is there a way to properly distinguish between the two in American English?

For example, is using the below two phrases more accurate & idiomatic?:

  • "my apartment's building" for the former; and
  • "my apartment building" for the latter.

In (British) English, if one were to say "I entered my block of flats", it would be pretty obvious that the entire block pertains to the speaker, not that the speaker entered the building which contains his flat. Then, if the same speaker wanted to mean that he entered the building (containing his flat) itself, then he would probably say "I entered my flat's block".

Perhaps the same can be applied to American English (i.e. "block of flats" = "apartment building"; and "flat's block" = "apartment's building"), however as a British English speaker, I have rarely heard American speakers use "apartment's building".

If one were to say "I entered my apartment building", does that mean that:

  • the building contains the speaker's apartment (which belongs to him/which he holds on lease); or
  • that the ENTIRE building belongs to such person?

I'm assuming that it's mostly always used to mean the former. However, is there a way to properly distinguish between the two in American English?

For example, is using the below two phrases more accurate & idiomatic?:

  • "my apartment's building" for the former; and
  • "my apartment building" for the latter.

In (British) English, if one were to say "I entered my block of flats", it would be pretty obvious that the entire block pertains to the speaker, not that the speaker entered the building which contains his flat. Then, if the same speaker wanted to mean that he entered the building (containing his flat) itself, then he would probably say "I entered my flat's block".

Perhaps the same can be applied to American English (i.e. "block of flats" = "apartment building"; and "flat's block" = "apartment's building"), however as a British English speaker, I have rarely heard American speakers use "apartment's building".

If one were to say "I entered my apartment building", does that mean that:

  • the building contains the speaker's apartment (which belongs to him/which he holds on lease); or
  • that the ENTIRE building belongs to such person?

I'm assuming that it's mostly always used to mean the former. However, is there a way to properly distinguish between the two in American English?

For example, is using the below two phrases more accurate & idiomatic?:

  • "my apartment's building" for the former; and
  • "my apartment building" for the latter.
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Al-cameleer
Al-cameleer
  • 661
  • 4
  • 13

"My apartment building" - does the entire building belong to the speaker or just the apartment?

If one were to say "I entered my apartment building", does that mean that:

  • the building contains the speaker's apartment (which belongs to him/which he holds on lease); or
  • that the ENTIRE building belongs to such person?

I'm assuming that it's mostly always used to mean the former. However, is there a way to properly distinguish between the two in American English?

For example, is using the below two phrases more accurate & idiomatic?:

  • "my apartment's building" for the former; and
  • "my apartment building" for the latter.

In (British) English, if one were to say "I entered my block of flats", it would be pretty obvious that the entire block pertains to the speaker, not that the speaker entered the building which contains his flat. Then, if the same speaker wanted to mean that he entered the building (containing his flat) itself, then he would probably say "I entered my flat's block".

Perhaps the same can be applied to American English (i.e. "block of flats" = "apartment building"; and "flat's block" = "apartment's building"), however as a British English speaker, I have rarely heard American speakers use "apartment's building".