Questions tagged [possessives]
for questions about words and word forms used to indicate ownership, belonging, or a similar relationship.
528
questions
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Classifying genitive
Can we use genitive constructions in sentences like this:
The cat loved Jill with all his cat's heart;
...or should it be "with all his cat heart"?
Thank you!
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0answers
14 views
How to cite two authors' work [duplicate]
I want to cite a work by two authors: John and Alice. Which of the following is correct?
Based on John and Alice's work [1], ...
Or,
Based on John's and Alice's work [1], ...
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1answer
48 views
Connotation meant by “B of A” and “A's B”. What would be the differences?
Do you agree with the interpretation of the following three example sentences?
I don't want to be involved in the problems of my boss.The boss probably deals with some problems. e.g. slow
sales, ...
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votes
2answers
22 views
Doubts about genitive case
I'm a portuguese speaker who loves English.
I've seen on a website the following affirmation: The content of the website. You can also say, "the website content", or "the website's ...
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1answer
22 views
How can I combine this a couple of statements, using possessive with a gerund?
He plays his MP3 player in the library. I don't appreciate that.
While not being sure, I just guess it should be like below:
I do not appreciate his playing his MP3 player in the library.
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vote
1answer
30 views
Using 's when saying something 'is'
I've just said to a friend "That cloud's looking very dark". And apparently that's not correct.
He said "it's" is allowed as an abbreviation but "cloud's" is never "...
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1answer
27 views
Why it is “Task due date” and “Company name” but not “Task's due date” and “Company's name”?
When one should add 's and when not?
Examples:
Task due date / Task's due date
Company name / Company's name
Form field / Form's field
Customer service / Customers' service
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24 views
Which is more grammatically correct?
Which is more grammatically correct?
For our country, people and environment.....
or
For our country, our people and our environment.....
Do we need to repeat the word 'our' in front of every ...
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1answer
42 views
Grammar: sentence structure with possessive
The boy has three coats. His coats are in the closet.
According to the above sentences, is this sentence grammatically correct?
The three boy's coats are in the closet.
I know it is wrong, but I do ...
4
votes
1answer
124 views
Can we use double possessive after the 'be'-verb?
Possessive determiners are used to modify a following noun : Your book, John's book. ('Your' / 'John's' : Possessive determiner).
This book is yours.
(Here, 'yours' ----> a possessive pronoun.)
This ...
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1answer
25 views
City center or city's center?
I own an apartment just outside the city center/city's center.
Can I say both? Which one would native speakers usually go with?
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1answer
28 views
Possessive case after ALL and BOTH
Set 1:
My all efforts ended in smoke.
All my efforts ended in smoke.
Set 2:
My both friends are honest.
Both my friends are honest.
My grammar book says sentence one in both ...
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votes
1answer
575 views
Is is natural to say a “month has” something as an object?
I wrote an article analyzing trade figures for 2019. Originally I wrote: "We can find that only the first 3 months have their export values bigger than their import values". Upon proofreading, I was ...
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1answer
46 views
Difference between “a daughter of a policeman” and “the daughter of a policeman”
Example 1:
(1) She is a daughter of a policeman.
(2) She is the daughter of a policeman.
Does the (1) imply that her father policeman has more than one daughter?
Does the (2) imply that her ...
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1answer
24 views
The bike of Tom or the bike of Tom's - questions about possessives
I wonder which expression is correct in my examples. I know the better way to say them is "Tom's bike" and "Tom's home", but I am still curious about the form in the examples as it is quite common in ...
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0answers
19 views
Why does the author write “GE division” instead of “GE's division”?
For the sentence below, I don't understand why the author doesn't use the possessive form - he writes "GE division" instead of "GE's division" - GE standing for the company General Electric:
"To ...
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1answer
35 views
Possessive Apostrophe
Rorys approach was different, taking a leaf out of one of his favourite games. The game’s most memorable lesson for Rory was blackmail.
Is the apostrophe in this case correct?
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1answer
49 views
“The cats drinks its milk” or “Cats drinks their milk”?
"The cats drinks its milk"
"Cats drinks their milk"?
I don't if these sentences are grammarly correct. I have to use "its", "their", or both?
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1answer
23 views
I wonder if I can say like this
)) Can I say: " Someone I knew' s mom worked there two years ago." I am trying to say that my acquaintance's mother worked in a place. I replace my acquaintance's by someone I knew's, making the ...
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1answer
37 views
When is it okay to write “childrens” or “childrens' ” – language hack
Let's make a scenario in which there are two distinctively different entities which are both referenced as "child".
The first entity is a group of nodes that are named "children" from the parent ...
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1answer
19 views
Possession in English
Which is the subject and the verb in the following sentence?
This Beach's beauty is startling.
I'm reading a book of English grammar and I need to underline the subject and verb.
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0answers
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Can you omit the noun after the adjective 'own' that follows the genitive of an NP?
a. The opposition party approves of the policy, but the president's own party doesn't.
Can you omit the noun 'party' like this?
b. The opposition party approves of the policy, but the president's ...
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votes
4answers
2k views
a name for a boy, boy's name, boy name
Which of the following phrases are grammatically correct, meaning "a name for a boy"?
A boy's name.
A boys' name.
A boy name.
A boys name.
Any response would be appreciated.
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1answer
10 views
Farm usage…present and present progressive
I have a question about present possessive for the word farm. Can you say, "Do you farm chickens?" Is that present possessive usage for farm?
I have heard, do you raise chickens?
I was told you ...
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votes
1answer
59 views
Possessive form for multiple owners
Suppose I want to assert that the car owned by Tom is blue. That's pretty simple; I could say:
Tom's car is blue.
OK, but that is for a single owner. But suppose the car were owned by more than ...
3
votes
1answer
30 views
Can adjectives be followed by genitive?
A dirty man’s job - (A job for a dirty man).
A dirty, man’s job - (Would that be correct? I want to say that it is a dirty job for men (man)?
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1answer
53 views
What is the possessive form of Daniel's
If a company's name is Daniel's what is the correct possessive form ?
Like in the sentence " I used to work at Daniel's ' / 's Human Resources Department "
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0answers
38 views
What does “their” refer to in this sentence?
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 ...
0
votes
2answers
77 views
“two year's ” or “two years' ” or “two-year” [duplicate]
In _____ time, criteria for enrolling into university are going to be
quite different.
a) two year's
b) two-year
c) two years'
When it comes to me I'd pick b) or c), but the source of mine tells ...
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1answer
46 views
How to differentiate between a singular noun’s possession and its plural one in spoken English
In spoken English if for example:
someone says “cars tires” then how to know if the speaker is talking about car’s tires or cars’ tires. Because the pronunciation is same for both.
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2answers
552 views
“My and her” or “mine and her”
I would like to simultaneously introduce my thesis partner Lisa and refer to our thesis. I.e. summarise the following in one sentence:
I conducted a thesis project with Lisa. As outlined in our ...
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vote
2answers
86 views
“A/the degree of [a] doctor” vs. “a doctor's degree”
After four years in America, he got __________.
A. a degree of doctor
B. a doctor's degree
C. the degree of a doctor
D. a doctor degree
The correct answer is B but I want to know why not C or A?
...
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1answer
40 views
possessive apostrophe and THE for academic phrases
I am applying for PhD. In university's site I have seen several possessive phrases which have completely confused me. Which of these are correct?
1- UCI EECS Department / UCI Department of EECS / UCI'...
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0answers
20 views
men paying/ men's paying [duplicate]
They are fetishising men paying the bill in heterosexual
couples.
I came across this sentence in a stand-up show. I wonder if it is grammatically correct?
I think this one is better since the ...
0
votes
1answer
29 views
“With vs Having” Showing Possession
I have a problem with the words "having" and "with" in the following context:
The computer is a machine having different parts.
The computer is a machine with different parts.
Do these ...
1
vote
1answer
15 views
Files' types vs Files types
I know that we need to use X's for belonging:
Boy's ball = the ball of the boy
Girl's book = the book of the girl
and for many:
Kids' toys = the toys of the kids
Dogs' food = the food of the dogs
...
2
votes
2answers
38 views
Why “Lord of the Rings” instead of “Rings' Lord”?
Is there any difference in meaning?
Are Possessive ’s and of interchangeable?
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1answer
64 views
Two people in the genitive case
I'm confused on how to talk about two people's past relationship in this sentence
"She knows about him and Frank's past" or
"She knows about he and Frank's past" or
"She knows about his and Frank's ...
0
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1answer
23 views
Opportunity analysis or Opportunities analysis?
Please help me to say it correctly in other words in English:
The Anasysis of opportunities. (it's from the SWOT analysis).
Considered options are:
1) Opportunities analysis
2) Opportunities' ...
0
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1answer
23 views
“A friend of one” vs “a friend of one's”
Tell me please of there is any difference between the following sentences?
A friend of Kate came over for my birthday party.
A friend of Kate's came over for my birthday party.
Are both ...
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vote
2answers
79 views
Difference between “it's” and “its”?
I wrote an essay and it contained a lot of it's. Upon doing a grammar check on it, all the it's were suggested to be replaced by its.
I am currently not much familiar with the difference between the ...
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0answers
27 views
“They have their own house” or “They have a house of their own”? [duplicate]
Is it correct if I say"They have their own house?" or does the variant "They have a house of their own" suit better from the point of view of grammar?And if both of the variants do exist, is their ...
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4answers
66 views
Are any possessive apostrophes needed here? “…headphones for their iPhones”
I am a new English learner and need some assistance with understanding when to properly use an apostrophe for showing possession.
I have an example sentence:
Sophie, Brock, and Hannah all own ...
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2answers
68 views
“a car of his son” is wrong to use/but/ “a friend of mine” is alright?
There's a question asking which answer is correct in "He uses [a car of his son /his son's car]."
While I know the right one is 'his son's car', I also remember that I surely heard of 'a friend of ...
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votes
1answer
40 views
Confusion about the use of the possessive in the field name “Women's studies”
Why does the field Women's studies take the possessive s?
And why is it not the case for "Archaeological studies", for example?
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1answer
44 views
Why I can't use “that its” in this case?
I faced a question where I was supposed to fill in the missing blank. The question was:
The large family _____ house had been destroyed by the storm was invited to stay at a hotel.
There were ...
0
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1answer
51 views
“whose” vs “that its” in English
I'm an English learner and today I faced a question where I was supposed to fill in the missing blank.
The question was:
The large family _____ house had been destroyed by the storm was invited to ...
0
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1answer
20 views
“heart function” or “heart's function”
What's the correct genitive construction of heart and function?
Should it be "heart's function" or "heart function"?
For instance:
"The heart function is to supply blood to whole body."
or
"...
0
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1answer
47 views
question about plural and possesives [closed]
Is this dialogue correct? (regarding plural and possessives) Thank you.
"I like it; keep going. Would you want some more clovers? I can bring you some," the fairy said.
"Yes! Thank you... What'...
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2answers
57 views
What is correct (possessive question)
I haven't the foggiest how to express this basic idea correctly in English:
The meaning is "the trip that Paul and I will make to London". So, is "Paul and I's trip to London" or "Paul and mine trip ...
