As an expert in the English language, I can provide you with a detailed explanation of possessive forms and how they apply to the word "ladies."
In English, possessive forms are used to show ownership or a relationship between two entities. For singular nouns, the possessive form is typically made by adding an apostrophe followed by an "s" ('s). For plural nouns that already end in "s," the possessive form is made by adding an apostrophe after the "s" (s').
The word "lady" is a singular noun, and its possessive form is "lady's." This indicates that something belongs to or is associated with one lady. For example, "The lady's purse was on the table" means that the purse belongs to one specific lady.
When we talk about more than one lady, the word becomes "ladies," which is the plural form of "lady." The possessive form of "ladies" can be a bit tricky because it depends on the context. If you are referring to something that is owned or associated with more than one lady, you would use "ladies'" without an additional "s" after the apostrophe. This is because the noun is already plural. For example, "The ladies' coats were hanging in the cloakroom" means that the coats belong to multiple ladies.
It's important to note that the possessive form of "lady" (singular) and "ladies" (plural) is pronounced the same way, but they are written differently. The singular possessive "lady's" has an "s" after the apostrophe, while the plural possessive "ladies'" does not.
Let's look at the example you provided: "He observed the lady's grimace as she joined the long line towards the ladies' room." In this sentence, "lady's" is used because it refers to one specific lady, and "ladies'" is used because it refers to a group of ladies who collectively own or are associated with the room.
In summary, the possessive form of "lady" is "lady's" when referring to a singular entity, and the possessive form of "ladies" is "ladies'" when referring to a plural entity. Both are pronounced as "ladies" with an apostrophe at the end, but they are written differently to reflect the number of entities being referred to.
Now, let's proceed with the translation into Chinese.
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