Questions tagged [possessives]
Questions about the possessive, one of several constructions that describe ownership or association between two objects.
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Use of multiple apostrophes for multi-level possessive [on hold]
John's father is hospitalized and his father's condition is unstable.
So should a second apostrophe come in a sentence
to relate the condition of John's father?
John's father condition is unstable.
...
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2answers
35 views
Where should I put the possessive apostrophe in the construction noun + “Proper Name” + possessed thing
The sentence is as follows:
The association "Association Name" requirements.
Where should I put the possessive apostrophe?
The association "Association Name"'s requirements.
OR
The ...
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0answers
54 views
The use of possessive with genitive case
This has been puzzling me greatly. I see "Governance quality has been decreasing ..." and think it should be "Governance's quality has been decreasing ...". Which one is correct? Could someone ...
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0answers
24 views
three discourses directions or three discourses direction [closed]
Is it possible to have one noun used as a plural noun to support another noun? For examples, three discourses directions or three discourses direction, or it can only say three discourse directions. ...
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0answers
13 views
How do I make a word possessive when there are words after it before the object? [duplicate]
Would I say: "It was the boy's beside her balloon."
Or
"It was the boy beside her's balloon."
I feel like it's the first one, but it sounds weird when I say it out loud.
Thanks!
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1answer
66 views
How to introduce a related person's name plus a possessive? [closed]
How would I introduce a related person's name while also including a possessive? For example, if my father is called John Smith:
I borrowed my father John Smith's car.
I borrowed my father, John ...
1
vote
1answer
82 views
What is the possesive form of “ye”?
"Ye" is an archaic pronoun that is a plural form of "you".
The possessive form of "you" is "your". The possessive form of "thou" is "thy" (or "thine" before an adjective).
What is the possessive ...
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0answers
37 views
The Thirty Year's war - why the article?
I have been always taught that I cannot use the article when a time period is used with the genitive (because I would have two determiners binding to the same word, "a" and the numeral), for example:
...
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1answer
31 views
Gerund needs to be modified by a possessive? [duplicate]
Is this true? Not sure if
Signup up is a gerund
And if so does it need to modified by a possessive?
It doesn’t sound right to me with “your”
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0answers
12 views
“each of X things” posessive: things' or thing's?
Where does the possessive 's go?
each of 10 tasks' requirements
vs.
each of 10 task's requirements
The construction here would be introducing 10 as the number of tasks. I believe it's the former ...
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1answer
16 views
Possessive noun and sarcasm quotes
I use sarcasm quotes like so:
Let's ask the "expert".
But with a possessive noun, is the following the correct way, or isn't there one?
Let's ask for the "expert's" advice.
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1answer
21 views
Successive possessive words
In the following phrase, should the word "interests" have an apostrophe?
We favor inter-agency collaboration in order to ensure that our clients’ interests’ triumph.
I have been unable to convince ...
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1answer
22 views
Confusion with comma placement
Where should the commas be in this sentence?
That was his sister Lucy's pet hamster.
Should there be a pair of commas surrounding 'Lucy's'? The possessive is throwing me off.
Thanks :)
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1answer
39 views
Why is it “the UEFA board” not “the UEFA's board”?
As far as I know, the rule goes that 's is used to make possessive forms of abbreviations. But I've noticed some inconsistencies:
... as it was announced that the Uefa's Executive Committee had ...
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1answer
75 views
What is the possessive form of disease
What is the possessive form of disease, as in "Lyme disease's symptoms"
I wouldn't think to just use an apostrophe – disease' – as it doesn't end in an "s," but disease's doesn't look quite right and ...
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1answer
31 views
Do I include the possessive apostrophe in the parentheses after defining an acronym [duplicate]
If I use a possessive apostrophe and then denote a term as an acronym i.e. "the US Government's (USG's)," I don't include the apostrophe after "USG," right? It just feels a bit odd when I don't, as if ...
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0answers
64 views
Final /s/ vs /z/ sound at the end of verbs/nouns issue [duplicate]
So, I've seen this rule at several English books about how if a word has a voiced final sound (e.g. r, voiced th, l, m, n..) then added 's' is pronounced more like /z/. If the final sound is voiceless ...
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4answers
129 views
My friend, Adam's birthday or My friend's, Adam's birthday [duplicate]
Which one is correct?
It is my friend's, Adam's birthday.
It is my friend, Adam's birthday.
Does the word 'friend' need an apostrophe to show possession?
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2answers
44 views
If my grandparent is deceased, do I refer to them as “is” or “was” my grandparent?
How does this work when the person being referenced is deceased? Which of these is correct?
John was my grandfather.
John is my grandfather.
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3answers
92 views
How to form possessive for a list of people? “(Jane Doe and I)'s” [duplicate]
I'm writing a sentence, and I'm not sure if it's grammatically correct.
Here are my partner, Jane Doe, and I's completed assignment.
Would this be alright? I never know how to properly use ...
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1answer
38 views
When introducing an initialism for the first time in a paper, but the noun is possessive, do I make the initialism possessive as well?
E.G., "Mobile network operator's (MNO's) networks are overloaded."
Or
"Mobile network operator's (MNO) networks are overloaded."
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2answers
53 views
First of these's?
Say a list of things has already been mentioned.
How do I refer to an attribute of the first thing in said list?
"The first-of-these's attribute"
"The first's attribute"
edit: thanks for the ...
0
votes
1answer
28 views
What is the structure of “dorm room door”? Is it genitive?
I wonder where we can make genitive without 's or of. I know that using "of" in "dorm room door" might be complicated but the question is when we are allowed to make such phrases.
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3answers
82 views
“me's” when referring to another version of you?
Let's say I want to refer to a toy that I had when I was younger. Would it be incorrect to say "young me's toy"?
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1answer
35 views
Estonia's forests or Estonian forests? [closed]
Which use is correct in sentences such as:
Estonia's state forests are managed....
The importance and role of Estonia's forests in cultural history.
Estonia's forest area increased ...
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0answers
53 views
What I resented was [Kim mistreating my cat]. Why is [] a subordinate clause?
I intended Kim to interview both candidates. [raised object]
I intended for Kim to interview both candidates. [subject]
As shown above, The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language analyzes an ...
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0answers
11 views
“worth” with possessive(s) in coordinated nominals
According to Garner Modern English Grammar
The idiomatic possessive should be used with periods of time and
statements of worth — 30 days’ notice (i.e., notice of 30 days), three
days’ time, ...
6
votes
1answer
176 views
Analyzing 'genitive/accusative + V-ing phrase (gerund-participle phrase)' as different constructions
(1) I regretted [his leaving the firm].
(2) I regretted [him leaving the firm].
(3) I regretted [leaving the firm].
(4) He didn’t bother [giving me a copy].
Regarding the above ...
0
votes
1answer
48 views
“John and Me's ping pong game” [duplicate]
If you played someone in a game of ping pong, and wanted to refer to the game later, you could refer to it as "our game". For instance:
"It was after our game."
But if I were talking to a different ...
3
votes
1answer
192 views
with/without + pronoun (me vs. my) + gerund-participial phrase
The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (Page 461) has this section:
(f) Subject of clausal complement of with/without
Pronouns in this position normally appear in accusative case:
[...
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2answers
58 views
Is apostrophe needed in this case?
Which of the following would be correct?
"Improve the population quality of life" or "Improve the population's quality of life?"
I could bypass this whole situation by simply using "Improve the ...
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vote
1answer
3k views
Should I write each “team's”, “teams” or “team” captain?
I'm writing about the captains of sport teams. Each team has one and only one captain. I'm confused on how to express this :
We will communicate this information to ...
each team captain
each team'...
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1answer
30 views
Ambiguity with two possessive pronouns in a sentence
Is it clear who the first and second "their" refer to in the following sentence, or is the sentence likely to confuse the reader --
"It has been decided between the parties that party number 1 will ...
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1answer
63 views
Apostrophe Use In Abbreviated Decade Which Is Also A Possessive
I always put apostrophes before abbreviated decades. Ex: The '60s.
However, what if you want to abbreviate a decade that is also possessive of the word that comes after it? Ex: Classic dance genres ...
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0answers
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Correct way to write this compound possessive? [duplicate]
The scenario is that both Alex and Yuval need to review the pull request.
What is the correct way to write it in English?
Pull request awaits Alex and Yuval reviews.
Pull request awaits Alex's and ...
2
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0answers
65 views
Possessive pronoun/object pronoun + Gerund
I have been thinking about this for quite a while and have done some research on it. What I have learned is that possessive pronoun+gerund is a structure that's more "formal", while object pronoun + ...
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2answers
82 views
Grammaticality of 'that' relative clause in phrase beginning with possessive pronoun [duplicate]
I would like to ask about the grammaticality of a 'that' relative clause modifying a noun phrase that begins with a possessive pronoun. Please consider these examples:
Please send in your ...
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0answers
43 views
Pronunciation of 's after word ending in “is”, “es”
Alexis's sister. Is it pronounced Alec sis sister or Alec sis sis sister?
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1answer
130 views
plural possessive of Woods [closed]
How do you make the last name Woods plural possessive?
example: a friend of the Woods (2 people)
I assume it is Woodses, but have been "corrected" by someone.
1
vote
1answer
55 views
how to attribute a singular property to a plural noun?
Please consider the following examples:
The size/sizes of the planets is/are written here.
The door/doors of a 100 houses is/are 100Kg.
Men's nose/noses is/are bigger than that/those of women.
Which ...
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votes
1answer
386 views
Is “it's” or “its” possessive? [closed]
For a very long time now I've been using "it's" as the possessive form for "it". There have been some people that have said "its" is the possessive form, but I'm not sure if that's true. "It's" seems ...
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2answers
56 views
Possessive when using a title
Which is correct:
Mary Queen of Scots birthplace
Mary Queen of Scots' birthplace?
2
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1answer
27 views
“Can you send me Fred and your flight information?” [duplicate]
This doesn't quite sound right but might be right. Consider
"Can you send me Fred and Amy's flight information?" This is correct via The Chicago Manual of Style.
Alternatively,
"Can you send me ...
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1answer
32 views
“My Articles' Comments” or “My Article Comments” | “My Reviews' Comments” or “My Review Comments”
I need to add menu items (filters) on my website but I'm not sure which one is correct:
My Articles' Comments
My Reviews' Comments
OR
My Article Comments
My Review Comments
For example, if you ...
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1answer
80 views
“Garry is my brother's Jack son.”
My son was given this worksheet. He wrote the word Jack in the lower right box and Garry above it in chart 2. I think he got it backwards, but does the sentence "Garry is my brother's Jack son" make ...
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1answer
39 views
Users wrists or user's wrists - addressing all wrists of users [closed]
I am launching new wearable software company with motto: Get your service on users wrists and I am not sure if it should be users or user's.
By the motto, I want to tell that you can get your ...
0
votes
1answer
52 views
possessives and number (sing./pl)
I'm revising a text containing these two sentences:
a) Students’ sex was coded by using their first names. b) Students’
birthday was self-reported in the survey,
I'm sure the correct version ...
2
votes
1answer
92 views
Several tricky questions about the use of possessive case [closed]
In my excercise book there are several examples in the "Possessive case" section, which I can't understand properly.
1) The ___ history goes back to 1808.
A) state's newspaper
B) state newspaper'...
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0answers
84 views
Does the apostrophe come before or after the s when the noun is less than one?
I have a noun, "second", that I need to make possessive in the sentence,
It's like having a second's slower reflexes.
When I make it plural, the apostrophe comes after the s.
It's like having ...
2
votes
2answers
342 views
Does a possessive still require an apostrophe when a noun has been omitted to avoid repetition?
This is quite hard to explain (and seemingly impossible to search for on Google) so here's an example: In relation to dogs and their owners (masters), I saw this sentence: "Their understanding of the ...
