Questions about the possessive, one of several constructions that describe ownership or association between two objects.
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Grammar: Forming Possessives
I have a document about a problem description where that description is given step by step, like this:
RED entry
BLUE entry
...
Now, I want to explicitly refer to two entries in ...
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2answers
138 views
How to make the genitive of a person's name with “OF”? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Why is it usually “friend of his”, but no possessive apostrophe with “friend of Peter”?
We built an engine for the boat of Mr. Sander
or
We ...
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3answers
618 views
Possessive for a third person and a first person
Bob and I are working on a project. I want to refer to "Bob's work" and "my work" collectively, without referring to Bob and myself collectively. (This will be the first reference to Bob and myself in ...
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1answer
1k views
Is it common for place names to lose their possessive apostrophe?
On a road trip, my wife and I drove by Kings Dominion. We debated whether this should in actuality be King’s Dominion. It seemed that it ought to be possessive, or possibly plural possessive.
Upon ...
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3answers
1k views
Apostrophe in “beginners guide”
In the phrase beginners guide to …, where should the apostrophe go?
Beginner’s Guide to […]
Beginners’ Guide to […]
In my particular case, this is the title for a presentation so there are ...
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3answers
285 views
Can an “s”-form plural follow an “s”-form possessive?
This is best described via an example. I believe this might be technically correct, but sounds clumsy:
You need to look through all the chemicals shelves
There are multiple shelves, of type ...
2
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2answers
210 views
User’s/Users’/Users Group [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
“User's guide” vs. “users' guide”
If referring to a Users Group (meaning a group made up of multiple individual users who have some ...
2
votes
1answer
723 views
Members’ Benefits vs Member’s Benefits [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Where should the apostrophe go in the word “beginners” in “beginners guide”?
I’m currently developing a site which has a membership scheme which ...
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1answer
449 views
Position of “of which” in the sentence [closed]
In a post here I found that both following sentences are correct..is that true? Is the first one really grammatically correct?
A camera of which the wires go through the wall.
A camera, the ...
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4answers
101 views
photographers' club of detroit or photographers club of detroit? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
“User's guide” vs. “users' guide”
I prefer non-possessive form of the name of the club: photographers club of Detroit. Is it correct?
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0answers
53 views
How do I express possession of an item owned by enumerated groups of several individuals? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
“Nikki's and Alice's X” vs. “Nikki and Alice's X”
Preferred way to apostrophise in case of dual or multiple ownership by distinct ...
9
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3answers
14k views
Should I use “everyone's”, “everyones'” or “everyones”?
I have the following sentence:
Joe got everyone's attention and started to speak.
Should it be everyone's, everyones' or everyones?
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0answers
23 views
Use of possessive or object pronoun [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When is a gerund supposed to be preceded by a possessive pronoun?
Do you mind me smoking?
Do you mind my smoking?
There's little chance of you ...
3
votes
2answers
157 views
How to pronounce acronyms with apostrophes?
Simple question:
How do you pronounce acronyms when they're used with apostrophe to express possession? For example:
In the NIH's high-risk, high-reward programmes, “if an idea isn't developing ...
3
votes
2answers
274 views
When addressing my 'Sensei', should I omit the possessive “my”?
In English, when (if ever) is it appropriate to use the possessive with a formal title when addressing someone? Kind of like I would say, "As you wish, my greatest of loves."
For example,
Thank ...
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3answers
2k views
“One of my friend's father” vs. “one of my friends' father” [duplicate]
Duplicate:
Possessive form of “one of [a list]”?
Plural possessive with separate posessions
What is correct:
One of my friend's father is serving in the Navy.
One of my ...
2
votes
3answers
850 views
“My parents' friendship with…” vs. “my parent's friendship with…” vs. “my parents friendship with…”
Which of these is correct please, if any?
my parents' friendship with Sally's parents
my parent's friendship with Sally's parents
my parents friendship with Sally's parents
What is the ...
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2answers
355 views
Pronunciation of 'host' in Shakespeare's time
Listening to the recent film production of Macbeth with Patrick Stewart, I noticed that Duncan says:
Give me your hand. Conduct me to mine host.
Obviously, it's in the text (Act 1, Scene 6). ...
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1answer
277 views
Is the use of “yours” grammatical in “jeopardize yours and her careers”?
I came across the following sentence:
Another inspector, Douglas E. Peters, testified that even after the
F.A.A. manager had been removed, the replacement manager threatened
him. The ...
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vote
2answers
104 views
“Kitchen's wall” vs. “kitchen wall” vs. “the wall of his kitchen”
Which sentence is most common and natural?
Finally, one of our neighbors broke his kitchen's wall open and got her.
Finally, one of our neighbors broke his kitchen wall open and got her.
...
20
votes
3answers
2k views
Why doesn't “its” have an apostrophe?
I know that its is the possessive and it's is the contraction, and know when to use them. But why doesn't the possessive have an apostrophe?
"The bear's eating a fish." [contraction]
"The bear's ...
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3answers
239 views
“Whom” or “who” and replies to such questions
Which is the most natural way to ask the question below? Are the replies correct? (Words in parentheses show that they are optional.)
Whose are these notebooks? - (Of) our students./These ...
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2answers
269 views
A friend of Jane and Tom or A friend of Jane and Tom's?
We can say:
She's a friend of mine.
She's a friend of Tom's.
She's a friend of my parents'.
But today I saw this: She's a friend of Jane and Tom.
Is it correct? Or should it be: She's a friend of ...
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0answers
62 views
Which is the correct: “John and Bob's phones” or “John's and Bob's phones” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Preferred way to apostrophise in case of dual or multiple ownership by distinct entities?
Which of the following two statements are correct:
Can you call John ...
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votes
2answers
980 views
Preferred way to apostrophise in case of dual or multiple ownership by distinct entities [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
“Nikki's and Alice's X” vs. “Nikki and Alice's X”
Consider describing the wedding of X and Y. If I want to avoid the overly-formal ...
6
votes
2answers
211 views
“Nikki's and Alice's X” vs. “Nikki and Alice's X”
Which option is grammatical?
There will be readings from Nikki Giovanni’s and Alice Walker’s writings.
There will be readings from Nikki Giovanni and Alice Walker's writings.
Saying it ...
9
votes
6answers
658 views
“Your” vs. “you're”: Why the confusion?
I have seen many comments on different blogs and forums where English native speakers spelled you're as your. I'm not a native speaker, but I know and understand the difference between the two. Why is ...
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votes
3answers
4k views
Our bodies' or our body's
In this context:
"This [subject] [verb clause] by boosting our [body's || bodies'] immune system?"
In this case the writer is using "our" as a generic substitution for "your". The argument went that ...
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votes
2answers
19k views
“Today's assumption” or “todays assumption” — which is valid grammar?
We (non native English-speakers) are writing a paper and are wondering if the following construct is valid English:
Yesterday's assumption is no longer valid.
Specifically the apostrophe after ...
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1answer
217 views
“User's expertise” or “user expertise”?
What is the correct form when referring to the expertise of a user (e.g. in programming, writing)?
user's expertise
user expertise
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votes
3answers
199 views
Use of possessive form in this phrase?
In the following phrase, we are debating if a possessive genitive form should be used or not:
"Such mapping enabled the use of the classical statistical mechanics' tools"
Should "classical ...
2
votes
1answer
419 views
Referring to some attribute of an inanimate object — use “who's”?
This came up in describing an input to a function:
A handle to the daemon who's name is desired.
(Daemon is a type of process on a system.)
Somehow, "who's" just doesn't seem right because it's ...
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1answer
214 views
What is a Possessive Ending? [closed]
Can someone please explain what a Possessive Ending is and provide examples? I'm trying to get a deeper knowledge of the English language and this term came about.
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0answers
19 views
“of which” with more nouns [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
possessive connecting word for inanimate object
I would like to know whether this could be said by using "of which":
Search for a car whose color of the hood is red.
...
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votes
1answer
312 views
Achilles heel and Achilles tendon
Studying possessive apostrophes I have searched on ELU the questions correlated to this matter.
I have found the following: «What is the correct possessive for nouns ending in s?» and ...
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2answers
785 views
How to indicate possession by e.g. passers-by, mothers-in-law
I'm quite fond of internal pluralisation, such as passers-by, mothers-in-law, or even Chambers of Commerce.
However, I've recently realised that I've no idea how to indicate possession in such a ...
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vote
2answers
430 views
Possessive form of “one of [a list]”? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Plural possessive with separate posessions
Which of the following is more correct? Or is there another form I'm missing?
We drove to the movies in one of my buddy's ...
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3answers
154 views
“Saying/doing it from your heart” vs. “Saying/doing it from heart”
What is the difference between the following two?
They didn't play the game from their heart.
They didn't play the game from heart.
Or
You didn't say that from your heart
You ...
2
votes
0answers
51 views
How to handle the possessive case of the name Franks [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What is the correct possessive for nouns ending in s?
When did it become correct to add an 's' to a singular possessive already ending in 's'?
Hey guys ...
7
votes
5answers
1k views
Strunk and White says “Charles's” is correct — is this still the case? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What is the correct possessive for nouns ending in s?
When did it become correct to add an 's' to a singular possessive already ending in 's'?
I just ...
1
vote
2answers
106 views
“by winning” vs “by her winning” or “of her win”
I have a dilema, here's a little excerpt:
Anna, an accomplished classical musician, was encouraged by her
winning the prestigious award .... plans to launch a new album.
Sounds really wrong. ...
4
votes
2answers
131 views
How should I correctly repeat possessives?
planning of mine, the student and the company
planning of mine, the student's, and the company's
Which is correct/better, and why? I would assume 2 is correct, but is 1 incorrect?
2
votes
3answers
769 views
What's the exact usage of “that of”
I think in the following sentence:
Adam's answer was similar to that of clergy.
"That of clergy" can be replaced by "clergy's" or "clergy's answer":
Adam's answer was similar to clergy's.
...
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1answer
176 views
Using a possessive apostrophe with an initialism [closed]
Should you write "some of the UK's longest tunnels..." or "some of the UKs longest tunnels..."?
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2answers
114 views
Unions' Assassins' Guild or Union's Assassins' Guild?
Is it Unions' Assassins' Guild or Union's Assassins' Guild?
If my English serves me, I think both are right but have slightly different meanings. Can someone shed some light?
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1answer
220 views
How to write the “plural of plural”?
I'm always confused how to write a "something of something else" in English, especially when plural is involved. For example, what would be the correct way to write the following sentences in English:
...
3
votes
1answer
131 views
What is the correct way to possessivize (if that's a word) a compound noun? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Preferred way to apostrophise in case of dual or multiple ownership by distinct entities
When forming the possessive of a compound noun, does one add "'s" to both or ...
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3answers
2k views
Apostrophe before or after s? [closed]
In the sentence:
The author was greatly in love with Annabel Lee and described their love for each other as greater than anyone elses’.
Does the apostrophe go before or after the s in else?
...
4
votes
2answers
670 views
Store names & possessive
Observation: It seems that it's common to turn a store name into a possessive, for example a store named "Palisade" gets transformed to possessive in speech like, "Hey how about going to Palisade's ...
4
votes
1answer
1k views
Plural possessive with separate posessions
When we refer to a house that belongs to a family, we say "family's house". Pluralizing family gives us "families". Referring to the houses of several families, we say "families' houses". Forming the ...
