A friend of Bill or Bill's?

Question

It seems whether your choice is "Bill" or "Bill's," (1a) and (1b) mean the same.

(1)a. Tom was in the restaurant with a friend of Bill.
(1)b. Tom was in the restaurant with a friend of Bill's.
Do you agree?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

victoIt seems whether your choice is "Bill" or "Bill's," (1a) and (1b) mean the same.(1)a. Tom was in the restaurant with a friend of Bill.(1)b. Tom was in the restaurant with a friend of Bill's.Do you agree?

In my opinion, there is a slight difference in intimacy.

See .

CJ

BillJ · Answer

victoIt seems whether your choice is "Bill" or "Bill's," (1a) and (1b) mean the same.
(1)a. Tom was in the restaurant with a friend of Bill.
(1)b. Tom was in the restaurant with a friend of Bill's.
Do you agree?

Not quite - there's a subtle difference. It's an example of both the genitive ending and the of-construction occurring simultaneously, called the post-genitive. The 's is required here to mark the genitive case, so only (1)b. is correct. In semantic terms it expresses a less definite meaning than the alternative: "Tom was in the restaurant with Bill's friend".

BillJ

A friend of Bill or Bill's?

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