Ngā Tohutohu
He whakamārama
In Chapters 1 to 4 of the textbook, you practised the uses of the words a and o with a range of things. In Te wāhanga tuarima of Te Kākano (pp. 54-56), the sorts of things that fit into each category are listed. A fuller list with extra examples is in the appendix of Te Kākano (pp. 140-142). Some things in the lists you have not practised using yet. If the thing that is owned is in an inferior position to the possessor the a category is used, e.g. Ko Hingaia mā ngā ākonga a Murumāra. (Hingaia and the others are Murumāra’s students.)
On the other hand, if the thing that is owned is in a superior position to the possessor the o category is used, e.g. He ātaahua te kaiako o Moana mā. (The teacher of Moana and the others is beautiful.)
As you have learnt, the a and o categories also apply to nā and nō. In Te wāhanga tuarima of Te Kākano the possessives (sometimes called the possessive determiners) are introduced and explained on pages 52 to 54. The a and o categories also apply to these possessives. The following exercise will give you further practice in using these, with the various uses of a and o that have been covered so far in the first four chapters of this study guide, the textbook and the recorded exercises. Exercises 50 to 54 of the podcasts will give you further practice.
Tuhia ngā kupu e tika ana hei whakakī i ngā ango.
