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Anonymous Posted 13 years ago
Grammar
Only friend of him and only source of blessing?
Hi. Please tell if if the sentences tell the only friend and only source for the contents of the sentences.
He is the friend of John Doe's. (only friend of John Doe's)
It is the source of blessing. (only source of blessing)
Also do the following sentences tell the only friend of John Doe's came in just now and only outpouring in history came on the Jews on that day?
Look, the friend of John Doe's just came in.
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit came on the Jews on the Day of the Pentecost.
As a side note of mine, I think we can use the definite article before the phrase like "the friend of John Doe's" at the beginning of the sentence if the if the writer of the sentence can presume the reader to know whom he is talking about, presumably from the context, like the context below, if the Jane Doe has been known to be a loner and don't have any known friends but one, who is John (he has been coming to her house regularly for the past few months) to those who know her. Thank you for your help in advance.
eg, (friends of Jane Doe, A and B, talking)
A: Look, the friend of Jane Doe just came into the room.
B: Yes, that's John.
He is the friend of John Doe's. (only friend of John Doe's)
It is the source of blessing. (only source of blessing)
Also do the following sentences tell the only friend of John Doe's came in just now and only outpouring in history came on the Jews on that day?
Look, the friend of John Doe's just came in.
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit came on the Jews on the Day of the Pentecost.
As a side note of mine, I think we can use the definite article before the phrase like "the friend of John Doe's" at the beginning of the sentence if the if the writer of the sentence can presume the reader to know whom he is talking about, presumably from the context, like the context below, if the Jane Doe has been known to be a loner and don't have any known friends but one, who is John (he has been coming to her house regularly for the past few months) to those who know her. Thank you for your help in advance.
eg, (friends of Jane Doe, A and B, talking)
A: Look, the friend of Jane Doe just came into the room.
B: Yes, that's John.
Top answer
It really depends on the context. "The" doesn't always mean "the only," although it can have that meaning. You need to look at the whole body of text around these sentences to know if it has an exclusive meaning or not.
- It really depends on the context.
- "The" doesn't always mean "the only," although it can have that meaning.
- You need to look at the whole body of text around these sentences to know if it has an exclusive meaning or not.
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4 Answers
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It really depends on the context. "The" doesn't always mean "the only," although it can have that meaning. You need to look at the whole body of text around these sentences to know if it has an exclusive meaning or not.
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Thank you very much. Please tell me if they both (numbers 1 and 2 below) are correct or not for the context described. Thank you in advance for your help.
Made-up context: John Doe has many friends and one of them shows up in a meeting. Subsequently, a person who knows that person, whose first name is Tom, is the (a?) friend of John Doe's utters this:
Oh, There is Tom. I know
Made-up context: John Doe has many friends and one of them shows up in a meeting. Subsequently, a person who knows that person, whose first name is Tom, is the (a?) friend of John Doe's utters this:
Oh, There is Tom. I know
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It would be better to say "the friend of John Doe" or "John Doe's friend". The apostrophe (') + "s" indicates "of".
"a friend of John" would be the more usual phrase. Number 1 might carry the implication that John has no other friends, but it would be an odd and awkward way to say so. If Number 1 were used, the listener would expect to hear something more, such as "He is the friend of John
"a friend of John" would be the more usual phrase. Number 1 might carry the implication that John has no other friends, but it would be an odd and awkward way to say so. If Number 1 were used, the listener would expect to hear something more, such as "He is the friend of John
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AnonymousThank you very much. Please tell me if they both (numbers 1 and 2 below) are correct or not for the context described. Thank you in advance for your help.Made-up context: John Doe has many friends and one of them shows up in a meeting. Subsequently, a person who knows that person, whose first name is Tom, is the (a?) friend of John Doe's utters this:Oh, There is
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