【问】1. In some countries students have to spend a lot of time working______.
 A. by their own B. on their own C. in their own D. with their own(大学生竞赛题)
 2. “Will Eddie use his brother's bicycle?” “No，he wants one________. ”
 A. for him B. of his own C. his alone D. only of himself(TOEFL，75. 2)
 请结合上列试题讲讲own的意义和用法。
 【答】 R. Quirk等人把own称作强调限定词。在物主代词(his，my)+own+名词结构(myowneyes)中，own用于加强物主代词的意义，强调所有关系。
 1. I’d love to have my own room. (LEG)
 我喜欢有一个自己的房间。
 2. I always write for my own people. (Yeats)
 我永远为我自己的人民写作。
 有时，own还用于强调物主代词与句子主语的互指关系：
 1. Sam cooks his own dinner every evening. [“cooks dinner for himself”]
 每天晚上萨姆给自己做饭。
 2. Sam cooks his dinner every evening.
 每天晚上萨姆给他做饭。
 正象R. Quirk等人所指出的，在句(2)中his可能与Sam形成互指关系，但也可能指完全不同的另一个人。他们还指出下列句子也是有歧义的：
 The Housing Associations are encouraging people to buy their houses. (CGEL)
 房屋联合处鼓励人们购买自己的房子。
 their到底是指the Housing Association，还是指people呢? (参见CGEL，§6.30)
 own还可以用在of my own(自己的)，on my own(独立地，单独地)这样的结构中。位于这种结构中的own究竟属于什么词类呢?语言学家对此所作的解释是不相同的。M.Swan把own称作“不与名词连用的形容词”(如同the poor，the blind一样)，ALD和LDCE的编者们把own称作“代词”，而R. Quirk等人则把my own称作“名词短语”。
 应当记住，my own room可以写成a room of my own，其意义不变：
 1. I’d love to have a room of my own. (LEG)
 我想拥有属于我自己的房间。
 2. The five children...grew up and had families of their own. (LDCE)
 五个孩子……长大了并且都建立了各自的家庭。
 3. These college professors had opinions of their own. (Sinclair)
 这些大学教授有他们自己的看法。
 下面举几个on my own的例句：
 1. I can’t carry it on my own; it’s too heavy. (LDCE)
 我无法自己拿动它，它太重了。
 2. I have usually gone on holiday with a friend，but this year I have decided to go on myown. (Wood)
 我通常和朋友一起去度假，但今年我决定自己去。
 还应指出，在own之前还可以加上very来进一步加强语气：
 I finally have my very own room：I do not have to share it.(IME)
 我终于有了我自己的房间：我不必与别人分住。