0
Anonymous Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Possessive Form Needed?

A book I'm reading includes the following phrase:

"Analyze a firm's cost position relative to its competitors."

Should competitors be competitors'? If no, why not?

Thanks!
  

Top answer

The sentence is okay and is the one you would typically hear. " is also okay, but here it seems like you're trying to be overly correct about grammar. Note that both sentences are elliptical (that is, words have been left out for brevity): Analyze a firm's cost position relative to the cost positions of its competitors.

— Anonymous

  • The sentence is okay and is the one you would typically hear.
  • " is also okay, but here it seems like you're trying to be overly correct about grammar.
  • Note that both sentences are elliptical (that is, words have been left out for brevity): Analyze a firm's cost position relative to the cost positions of its competitors.
  • Analyze a firm's cost position relative to its competitors' cost positions.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

1 Answers
0
The sentence is okay and is the one you would typically hear. "...to its competitors'." is also okay, but here it seems like you're trying to be overly correct about grammar. Note that both sentences are elliptical (that is, words have been left out for brevity):

Analyze a firm's cost position relative to the cost positions of its competitors.

Analyze a firm's cost position rel
0

Related Questions