Questions tagged [possessives]
for questions about words and word forms used to indicate ownership, belonging, or a similar relationship.
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Definite article before a possessive
In the book 'PRACTICAL ENGLISH USAGE', we have the following statement in section 142.12:
I couldn't quite understand why the first and second sentences would be grammatically incorrect if we used ...
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Commas with appositive?
a. The brother of Pete's wife, John, was at the party.
b. The brother of Pete's wife John was at the party.
Which is correctly punctuated if John is the brother of Pete's wife?
I think the problem ...
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Pronoun usage in "Did you enjoy his playing the violin?" [duplicate]
Why is the pronoun "his" used in this sentence?
"Did you enjoy his playing the violin?"
VoQZ
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Should we use the plural or singular with the possessive case? Ladies' stockings or Lady's? [duplicate]
When using the possessive case for purposes of stating what quality a certain object is characteristic of.
Should we use plural or singular form of a noun with an apostrophe?
I used think it should be ...
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A name of the person’s /A name of the person
He didn't tell me the name of the person. - correct.
Let's imagine that some person has several names. Which one would be correct?
He didn't tell me a name of the person.
or
He didn't tell me a ...
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this one of her uncles
I and a friend of mine are looking at a photo of a group of people, three of whom are our friend Janet's uncles.
I say: Janet's uncle looks unwell.
My friend says: No, he doesn't.
I realize that my ...
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A lot of people take taxi to visit relatives and friends' houses
It's always confusing when 2 nouns join together, and there's another noun before it. Which noun shall we put the "s", for the plural form, or both?
A lot of people take taxi to visit ...
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"two weeks' time" vs "two-week time"
I know that:
(1) in two weeks' time - correct
(2) in two-week time - incorrect
But I don't know what will be without "in".
For example (my own sentences):
(3) Two weeks' time is enough for a ...
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Is this usage of apostrophe grammatical: "the person with dementia’s employer"
This is from a booklet about caring for elderly people who has dementia:
"requesting flexible working arrangements from your employer and the person with dementia’s employer."
When I read it,...
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When we refer to a 'Room key', is the room being used as an adjective here? can't I say 'Room's key' instead?
What I am trying to find out here is the etymology of the phrase "Room key". Surely, it must have been "room's key" first. When and how did it become "Room key"? and Can ...
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Should there be a possessive in "like that of a peacock('s)"?
She has great charm, even like that of a peacock's
She has great charm, even like that of a peacock
The comparison is not between the lady and the peacock. It is between the charms of the lady and ...
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Shouldn't there be a ('s) in "University of Texas('s) Basketball Coach"?
I came across this New York Times headline:
University of Texas Basketball Coach Faces Felony Domestic Assault Charge
Shouldn't there be a ('s) in this construction like, "University of Texas's ...
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"a generation of future potential" or "the future potential of a generation"
I come across the title of a UNICEF report "Children's Exposure to Lead Pollution Undermines a Generation of Future Potential" Blockquote
I do not understand the use of “a Generation of ...
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Answering <Whose is this book?> with <One of my friends'>
Let's say I am in a library and there is a book on the desk beside mine. If someone who works at the library or someone else studying at the library comes up to me and asks, "Do you know whose ...
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"Criteria we have smth." vs "Criteria why we have smth." vs "Reasons we have smth." as a title [closed]
I'm writing an article and stuck a bit with the title.
I'd like to use form:
Criteria we have something
But I've been told that this might not be correct.
This form came from the analogy of:
...
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Is it "me" or "my" in this sentence? And why?
He was pretty emphatic about me leaving.
He was pretty emphatic about my leaving.
Which is correct, and why?
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I want to know usage of 's (with apostrophe) in the example given below
According to some grammar, 's is used for human.
I know some of the usages here:
My uncle's son Faizan goes to Bombay Cambridge School every day.
Used as ‘of’ for human possession.
It’s been ages ...
user158959
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Is an article determained by the possessive 's?
Today I came across the following sentence:
AI's decision-making process is usually too difficult for most people to comprehend.
It seemed weird to me because I thought that the word process ...
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add new dictionary entry vs add the dictionary's new entry
If there is an application that represents some dictionary and supports the ability to add new entries to it, what user interface description of this action would be the most appropriate: Add New ...
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Interpretation of saxon-genitives in various contexts [closed]
For saxon-genitives I am trying to figure out how they interact with articles and what they can mean. Consider the following imaginary situations:
Suppose a person & their friend are talking ...
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a ten-minute talk/walk VERSUS ten minutes' talk/walk
I have come across an opinion of a native speaker that:
a ten-minute talk - correct
ten minutes' talk - wrong
a ten-minute walk - correct
ten minutes' walk - correct
I can't come up with the ...
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How to properly use possessives when you refer to the death of a person?
I'm wondering, what would be the grammatically correct form when you refer to the death of a close relative/important person/anyone? I have found these two cases on Google:
The death of my wife.
My ...
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1
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Restaurant value or restaurant's value
I'm confused.
What is another way to say "the value of the restaurant" or "the target audience of the restaurant"?
Is it ok to say "restaurant's value or restaurant's target ...
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Bob Marley music or Bob Marley's music
Which of these sentences would you say? I think they're both idiomatic. What's the difference between them?
I listen to Bob Marley music.
or
I listen to Bob Marley's music.
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"list items" or "list's item": A compound noun or possessive?
If we are referring the items belong to a list, it sounds like a list in this case is a possessive noun: "the items of a list".
However, the google says that a form "the list items"...
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... mankind and man's place
For people do not and cannot think in isolation from society, and therefore from the class interests and class struggles which pervade society, any more than they can live and act in such isolation. A ...
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My / her - word choice
Which of the two options is more appropriate for this sentence? Why?
I am a 25-year-old girl who likes interacting with people and practising my / her English.
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Apostrophe on hours’ or not [duplicate]
Can someone tell me if “We can call out within 24 hours' notice or can arrange a day that best suits you.” Is grammatically correct with the apostrophe after the ‘s’ on the word hours? Or would there ...
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It's vs its on social media username context
I'm not a native speaker and just realize there is a difference between "it's" and "its". I still have a little bit confused in some contexts. As an example, on social media ...
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Which is grammatically correct, and why?
Are you a parent who wants the best for their kids?
Are you a parent who wants the best for your kids?
Opppppe
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our readers thought that
a. When that article was published, readers thought that the policy of our journal had changed.
b. When that article was published, the readers thought that the policy of our journal had changed.
c. ...
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Pete's and Tom's computers
a. Pete's and Tom's computers were stolen.
Could the sentence be used if each had one computer?
Could the sentence be used if one had one computer and the other had more?
Could the sentence be used if ...
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his guests would notice it
a. Jeff's friends went to Sally's place and talked to her father.
Does that necessarily mean all of Jeff's friends went to Sally's place and talked to her father?
b. I knew that if I gave the flash ...
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1 a women's stereotype 2 a woman's stereotype 3 women's stereotype 4 a woman stereotype - what's the difference?
1 a women's stereotype
2 a woman's stereotype
3 women's stereotype
4 a woman stereotype
What do they mean?
My take
1 a stereotype which women have about something
2 a stereotype which women have ...
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What is the possessive form of "Macy's"? [duplicate]
Basic rules:
For a singular noun ending with no "s," we add an apostrophe and s at the end.<br />
For a plural noun ending with no "s," we add an apostrophe and s at the end.&...
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Repeated possessive (ex. 'of mine,' or 'of Trump's')
Mr. Brooks, a hard-right Republican and a once-fierce ally of Mr. Trump’s whom the former president has accused of becoming “woke,” has drawn intense scrutiny for his actions preceding the violence on ...
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Did I use the gerund "companies advertising snacks..." properly, or should it be "companies' advertising snacks"? [duplicate]
Companies advertising snacks in an attractive manner entices children into buying them.
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Apostrophe s after subject meaning place
I've already heard the 's usage in sentences that seemed like
"I went to the doctor's"
"I'm going to my mom's"
Is this a possessive usage of 's? Is it correct and/or common?
I ...
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Can I use both “of”and “‘s” to show possession for people?
I have just read from the Cambridge Essential Grammar in Use series that for people we normally use “‘s” to show possession and “of” for things, but I have been using both “‘s” and “of” for both ...
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Is "they" use correct in the sentence of "If the current player is unable to make a move, they lose the game" [duplicate]
I encountered a sentence, it says "If the current player is unable to make a move, they lose the game". I wonder whether they usage is correct.
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the courage of that man
a. He mentioned the courage of Tom.
b. He mentioned the courage of President Dubcek during the Prague Spring.
Do you find these sentences grammatically correct?
Do you find them natural?
I think ...
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a house of ghosts [closed]
a. People used to think that that lone house on the hill was a house of ghosts.
I don't think 'of' here indicates ownership. I think it is just attributive and shows that the house was haunted. Is ...
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Using 's for "ancestors"
Majumder grew up in the house of his _______.
ancestors'
ancestor
Which one of these should I use?
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women's vs woman's [closed]
Are the following sentences correct?
These are women’s accessories. They are not men’s.
These are lady’s high heels. They are obviously not men’s.
This isn’t a woman’s vest. It’s a man’s.
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“Office of the director” or “Director’s Office”?
I learn English for years and this is something I don’t understand completely.
In my natural language, If I want to say, for example, that an office belongs to a director, I say, “escritório do ...
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“Which pencil of mine”
Is this sentence correct?
Which pencil of mine did you take?
or is it grammatically wrong and I should say, “Which of my pencils did you take” which I am sure is grammatically correct? “Which pencil ...
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Is it "dog and cat'S communication skills" OR "dog'S and cat'S communication skills"? [duplicate]
Should it be dog's and cat's skills because the possession is separate ownership and not shared?
I have a theory:
Despite the fact that dog or cat's communication skills are not shared, it's the same ...
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2
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Should I use possessive + gerund structure or reduced participial clause?
I haven't seen a perfect participle in a reduced form (I know some aren't keen on using this) so often (eg: a house having burnt). Is it still okay to use it as in the first sentence below, or does ...
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apostrophe after "is a ... of the King('s)"?
Famine is a major concern of the King
If the King is concerned about famine, should the above sentence end "King's" instead?
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Can I say my hobby is my + noun?
I know I can say: My hobby is swimming. But when I'm told to tell which part of speech "swimming" is, I still doubt whether It's a noun or a verb. My guess is I put a noun after "hobby ...
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