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What one's correct?

  • I will see you on the exam day

  • I will see you on the exam's day

  • Today is the exam day

  • Today is the exam's day

And why?

Community
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Jack Twain
  • 131

1 Answers1

1

Although the sentence might be phrased as "I will see you on the day of the exam," that doesn't mean that it can be rearranged with the so-called "Saxon genitive," "exam's day". In "day of x", x describes what happens on the day: day of the exam, Day of Judgement, and so on. The day doesn't belong to the exam, or judgement.

So when moving the describing noun to before the main noun (moving exam to before day), exam is a noun used as an adjective to describe the day (an "attributive noun"). Such nouns are not inflected for case or gender because adjectives are not inflected. Thus it should be left alone and "on the exam day" is right.

That said, "the day of the exam" is probably more idiomatic.

Andrew Leach
  • 101,901
  • Just realised I meant to write not inflected for case or number but the statement as written is not wrong. Adjectives are not inflected. – Andrew Leach May 17 '14 at 13:02
  • This is one instance where a plural attributive noun may also be used if appropriate: exams day. – Edwin Ashworth May 17 '14 at 19:54
  • @EdwinAshworth Possibly but I'd be inclined to disagree in general. On the day of the exams would be far more likely than on the exams day. – Andrew Leach May 17 '14 at 20:48
  • I'd agree that "the day of the exam" is more usual, but OP asks about correct structures. There is nothing remotely incorrect about this statement: 'Exams day is Tuesday, Jan. 28.' (internet) Doubtless modelled on 'Sports Day' / 'Founder's Day' / 'Speech Day' ... – Edwin Ashworth May 17 '14 at 21:55