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Victo Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

He is a friend of Dr. Roberts's.

He is a friend of Dr. Roberts's.

correct?

thanks
  

Top answer

I would write He is a friend of Dr. Roberts. The double possessive isn't needed here at all.

— RandomGuy

  • I would write He is a friend of Dr.
  • Roberts.
  • The double possessive isn't needed here at all.
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6 Answers
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I would write He is a friend of Dr. Roberts. The double possessive isn't needed here at all.
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That is what I thought. Thanks, bro.
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Aspara GusI would write He is a friend of Dr. Roberts. The double possessive isn't needed here at all.
Well, I am a little curious. If we were to replace Dr. Roberts with the pronoun her, would you say He is a friend of her or He is a friend of hers? I would go with the latter. In spite of the fact that a friend of Dr. Roberts's
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Meathawkthe double possessive seems correct to me
Sure, but it's unnecessary.
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And it can be easily avoided with something like: He is one of her friends. I try to avoid it all the time, especially in formal writing.
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Aspara GusSure, but it's unnecessary.
I am not a big fan of the double possessive either, but some writers or teachers do consider it necessary. I only wanted to point it out because I know some students are tested on this subject, and depending on who is grading the test, it may be mark incorrect if the students leave it out.

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