Questions tagged [possessives]
Questions about the possessive, one of several constructions that describe ownership or association between two objects.
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questions
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Is it correct to mention a cause with a gerund preceded by a possessive? [duplicate]
Sometimes, when I want to explain the reasons for something, it seems to make more sense to use a gerund:
I think that my using X caused Y.
Instead of:
I think Y happened because I used X.
...
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0answers
20 views
What does “their” refer to in this sentence? [migrated]
Many Westerners are startled at the images of America and the West in
contemporary Japanese advertising. Their accidental encounter by an
American tourist or businessperson on a visit to Japan ...
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0answers
29 views
Sales Price vs Sale's Price [duplicate]
So, everything I see seems to indicate that "sales price" is the correct way to refer to the price that one pays for a house or similar type of property. However, would it not be better as "sale's ...
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0answers
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State of Being verbs as gerunds preceded by possessive
I have been trying to untangle whether, in the following sentence, the apostrophe -s is necessary
"He complains about his feet ('s) hurting."
Apologies if the title isn't accurate or precise. I'm ...
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0answers
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Kid's/Kids/Kids' TV shows [duplicate]
I have a computer folder containing video files within.
I am unsure of the correct terminology.
Kid's, Kids or Kids' TV shows.
Which one is correct?
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1answer
24 views
Singular characteristic to describe a list of items
Here's the question: The materials for the boxes, pallets, and crates are ready. The material for the boxes, pallets, and crates is ready.
Should "material" be plural or singular? I'm writing a paper ...
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1answer
33 views
Possessive apostrophe in this case (company listing designs in a particular range)
If a company called Peter Jones (made up name!) has a range called Peter's Pals on their site and then wants to list the designs like this:
Peter's Pals Designs
Is this correct?
Should it be Peter's ...
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0answers
40 views
Masters or Master's (for my specific situation) [duplicate]
I'm going to apply for the statistics graduate school at UCSB. So is it okay to say I am the "Applicant for UCSB Statistics Master"? Or any suggestions about other forms, like "UCSB Masters Applicant" ...
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1answer
40 views
Appropriate Use of Possessive Plurals?
We have a debate on whether it should be "classes" or "classes'" in the sentence below. Your wisdom is appreciated.
Sentence:
This rebalancing of customer classes’ impacts on the system means there ...
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2answers
3k views
Why is the apostrophe positioned differently in “ones' complement” than “two's complement”? [duplicate]
There is a concept in computer science which deals with how to demonstrate negative binary numbers. Two methods for achieving this goal are ones' complement and two's complement.
Since I got ...
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1answer
33 views
Possessive function of a business name which is made with a possessive
Garner's fourth edition, page 714, states regarding the name McDonald’s
It is quite defensible to write McDonald’s dinner combos (the name
functioning as a kind of possessive)
On what grounds ...
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plural possessives: “cows' milk”
Garner's fourth edition, page 712, offers the following corrections
Writers sometimes confound the singular and plural possessives, most
commonly by misusing the singular for the plural:
• ...
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3answers
33 views
Going to a place possessive term
If I am going to a place named Coco (it's a bubble tea place), do I say I am going to Coco, or I am going to Coco's?
What is the use of the possessive term if it's a place?
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1answer
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Apostrophe 's, “of”, or nothing to show possession/ownership?
Let's go straight forward, the subject is NOT using 's or of, but why sometime we should show possession/ownership using 's or of, why sometime not ?
Examples:
The family name = the name of the ...
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1answer
40 views
users´ needs or users needs
Which one of the following is right/ better. I am still not sure after thinking about it for quite a while now. I am talking about the needs of multiple users. The first option (s´) is used when ...
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0answers
23 views
A two weeks’ notice is - should the indefinite article truly be there? [duplicate]
As far as I know, when the possesive is used, I really should not use articles because it would bind to the same noun.
E.g.:
A two-day trip
Two day's trip
However, I have just found a site which ...
9
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1answer
724 views
Why does English employ double possessive pronouns such as theirs and ours?
I am a native speaker of AmE. I understand when and where to use their vs theirs, etc. etc. (i.e. Don't migrate this to ELL!). I've searched the site and google, and I have not quite seen an answer ...
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1answer
212 views
Which are right: “I lost one of my friend’s phone number” Or “I lost one of my friends’ phone number” [closed]
Which of these is grammatically correct:
A - I lost one of my friend’s phone number
Or
B - I lost one of my friends’ phone number
They appeared on a grammar test in a classroom, and the teacher ...
4
votes
1answer
106 views
Genitives of ancient names
I've read (in the Elements of Style) that, while genitives of names ending in ‘s’ may have an additional ‘s’, as in "Ross’s", this oughtn't
to be done with ancient names:
Exceptions are the ...
2
votes
1answer
48 views
Indicating Possession Between You and Another Person
Is there a good way to indicate that something belongs to you and another person when you want to mention the other person by name?
As an example, suppose some friends ask you "Where's the party at?" ...
2
votes
1answer
48 views
the + country name (genitive case)?
For country names that warrant the use of the definite article (US, UK, UAE, etc.), is the definite article required in the genitive case as well?
Abu Dhabi holds 94% of the UAE's oil reserves
Abu ...
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1answer
494 views
adults’ English teacher or adult’s English teacher? [duplicate]
In this sentence, “I would like to apply for the post of adults’ English teacher,” do you say “adults’ English teacher” or “adult’s English teacher”?
If this sentence is totally wrong, could you ...
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2answers
205 views
'my picture' - ownership vs. depiction
Consider the sentences:
Take my picture [handing over a frame]
Take my picture [handing over a camera]
(Photo vs. picture being insignificant - a more contrived example could avoid it; as is the ...
2
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2answers
204 views
How do we use the possessive case (i.e., 's) with “or”?
I'm having a hard time finding out what the grammar is when we want to use "or" and possessive. If, for example, I want to refer to the information of a person or an organization, do I say, "that ...
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1answer
58 views
Can I use “who” after a possessive?
Example: I punched the man's nose, who cried in pain.
I just feel like it's refering to the nose instead of the man, even though the meaning is clear.
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vote
1answer
50 views
Can possessives in the middle of a word exist?
According to one online dictionary, the apostrophe-s combination is
an ending used in writing to represent the possessive morpheme after most singular nouns, some plural nouns, especially those not ...
0
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1answer
26 views
Is/Are list with 2nd person and 3rd person [duplicate]
Should you use is or are here:
I can't tell is you or Amanda is/are the best.
I know with you it would be are.
I know with Amanda it would be is.
And I know with a list of Amanda and Dave it ...
2
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0answers
35 views
What is the rule of 'of' in front a possessive pronoun?
I'd like to know why sometimes we use 'of' in front of the possessive pronoun and sometimes we dont, like in these questions:
"Is this pen hers or yours?"
"Where is that restaurant of yours?"
1
vote
1answer
69 views
How do you make a phrase possessive? [duplicate]
I just read a post where someone said "That's a friend of mine's house." My first thought was, "mine's" is a double possessive! The friend owns the house, and the one posting the comment owns the ...
3
votes
1answer
74 views
Use of a possessive noun in place of a location
My friend and I have been arguing about the following sentence:
"I left my trainers at my relatives’ in London"
He believes this is correct as colloquially it is obvious that he has left his ...
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0answers
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Spelling and pronunciation of singular possessive names? [duplicate]
Singular possessive
Jones's glasses
My lawyer's fee
Plural possessive
The Joneses' house
Their lawyers' fees
1) Are these possessive forms correct?
2) Is there any difference in the pronunciation ...
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2answers
282 views
“One of my friends'” or “One of my friends's”? [closed]
When specifying possession, my understanding is that one adds an apostrophe if modifying a plural ending with an 's', or adds apostrophe followed by an s if not. How does one specify possession of one ...
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1answer
43 views
Is it appropriate here to use “of” or not here?
Which is correct?
a) There is no consensus about the definition of chronic brain damage.
b) There is no consensus about chronic brain damage definition.
How many words could be placed in a row ...
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0answers
21 views
Compound nouns vs possessive (of) [duplicate]
Which should I choose: The factory roof or the roof of the factory?
Are there some grammar/rules about the difference? What case should I use the first sentence in? What case should I use the second ...
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0answers
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British English for possessive 's when a names ends with “s” [duplicate]
My son has a teacher that he wishes to give a gift to, Mrs. Coomes.
What is the correct way to use what would normally be 's when the name ends with es? Another answer states adding es on the end ...
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0answers
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Confusing examples; Apostrophe-“s” vs “of ” [duplicate]
These examples are very confusing to me and I still can't understand the difference between 's and of. For some sentences, it is grammatically wrong but for some sentences it is correct. Please help ...
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1answer
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Which one of these sentences is better? A thesis title - Apostrophes Showing Possession
Sentence 1 : The comparison of Muhammed Bedruddîn Mahmûd el-Aynî’s "Şerhu Süneni Ebû Davud" and "Umdet'ül- Kârî" books
Sentence 2 : Comparison of the "Şerhu Süneni Ebû Davud" and "Umdet'ül- Kârî" ...
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2answers
50 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 ...
0
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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
84 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
383 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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1answer
42 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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1answer
37 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
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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
29 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
44 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
156 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 ...
0
votes
1answer
51 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
281 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
264 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?
