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Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
Apostrophe
Should it be
Fred was a colleague of Arthur's and Jim's
or
Fred was a colleague of Arthur and Jim
Fred was a colleague of Arthur's and Jim's
or
Fred was a colleague of Arthur and Jim
Top answer
The first sentence uses a "double genitive", and some people will tell you it is wrong. However, both sentence types are in common use, and have been for a long time. Personally, I use only one genitive, but it's mostly a matter of personal choice.
- The first sentence uses a "double genitive", and some people will tell you it is wrong.
- However, both sentence types are in common use, and have been for a long time.
- Personally, I use only one genitive, but it's mostly a matter of personal choice.
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2 Answers
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The first sentence uses a "double genitive", and some people will tell you it is wrong. However, both sentence types are in common use, and have been for a long time. Personally, I use only one genitive, but it's mostly a matter of personal choice.
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The double genitive is certainly used with pronouns.
A friend of mine, a colleague of his, vs. A friend of me, a colleague of him
If you feel it's awkward, re-write: Jim and Aurthur's colleague.
A friend of mine, a colleague of his, vs. A friend of me, a colleague of him
If you feel it's awkward, re-write: Jim and Aurthur's colleague.
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