Meaning & use
V. S. Naipaul
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Meaning
proper nounproper
A Trinidadian-British novelist and travel writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2001 for work about colonialism and displacement.
Grammar: A person's name; no article is used in ordinary reference, but 'the writer V. S. Naipaul' adds a job noun before it.
Patterns
- V. S. Naipaul wrote something
- by V. S. Naipaul
- the novels of V. S. Naipaul
V. S. Naipaul was born in Trinidad in 1932 and later settled in England.
Many students first meet V. S. Naipaul through his novel A House for Mr Biswas.
The Nobel committee praised V. S. Naipaul for his uncompromising scrutiny of colonial societies.
Common combinations
- V. S. Naipaul's novels
- V. S. Naipaul's novels often follow characters who feel out of place.
- the Nobel Prize-winning author V. S. Naipaul
- The course covers the Nobel Prize-winning author V. S. Naipaul.
- by V. S. Naipaul
- She wrote her essay on a short story by V. S. Naipaul.
- the Trinidadian-born writer V. S. Naipaul
- The Trinidadian-born writer V. S. Naipaul spent much of his life in Britain.
Commonly confused: V. S. Naipaul or Naipaul?
V. S. Naipaul vs Naipaul
This is just the surname; use the initials V. S. only when giving the full name.
Practice
Which sentence uses the writer's name correctly?
Choose one answer.
The possessive form 'V. S. Naipaul's novel' correctly shows that the book belongs to or was written by him. The other options wrongly put 'the' before a personal name or omit the possessive 's'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “V. S. Naipaul”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.