In my previous post, I explored differences between of mine and my. Making the choice to use (noun) + of mine constructions will become more comfortable if students are given the chance to hear the grammar in context. One suggestion I have is to take some of the collocations I noted earlier and do a search on YouGlish.
1. Here are search results for “a dream of mine.”
By listening to at least a half dozen of the results, students will learn additional patterns, for example, frequent use of the present perfect and infinitives: It’s always been a dream of mine to give a big talk.
2. You can also search for “a colleague of mine.”
The results illustrate the possibility of naming where or how you made the initial connection, e.g., a colleague of mine at Harvard.
3. After hearing examples of “no child of mine” or “no son of mine,” students should be able to identify the usual tone of conversation: the speaker sounds defensive, protective, or angry: “No son of mine is going to become a chocolatier.” (From Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 2005)
For speaking practice, you can consider my suggestions for pair work. See A Dream of Mine_handout.
Asking for your ideas is a habit of mine. (Wink, wink.) If you think of other meaningful ways to put this grammar into use, please share!
Photo credit: Fork in the Road, Fork, Road, Decision by SunflowerGUY. Retrieved from the Public Domain at https://pixabay.com/en/fork-in-the-road-fork-road-decision-3674578/.
English with Jennifer 