Ten years' experience

Question

The following two phrases are equivalent:
1. mother of Susan
2. Susan's mother

But so are the following:
1. ten years of experience
2. ten years' experience

Can anyone explain why the order of the two terms is
different in the two cases?
Thanks.

Suzi · Accepted Answer

good question!  I dont know the answer tho, sorry

Klavier · Answer

0 Could it be: ten-years experience? as in two-year-old boy. 0-

Abbie1948 · Answer

0 The apostrophe means that a word is potentially missing. 01i00Susan's mother01i00 means "Susan, her mother" (or, the mother of Susan) 02br
02br
00"Ten years' experience" means "Ten years, their experience" 02br
02br
00We would never actually say 'Ten years, their experience', but is simply a way of explaining the apostrophe here. 05002i02i010id1

Klavier · Answer

0 Abbie, this phrase is sort of "illogical", because 01i00experience02i00 in this case would belong to 01i00ten years02i00, but in fact it belongs to the person who has the experience. 0-

Abbie1948 · Answer

0Good point Latin. maybe it doesn't need an apostrophe at all!! 050010id10

Anonymous · Answer

Experience of ten years = ten years' experience

Mother of Susan = Susan's mother

Anonymous · Answer

The apostrophe in "Susan's mother" is showing ownership. The apostrophe in "ten years' experience" makes years both plural and posessive. There are 10 years (plural) and the years refer to the experience (posessive).

Anonymous · Answer

I believe the apostrophe is a substitution for "of". In other words, "Ten years of experience" becomes "Ten years' experience."

Anonymous · Answer

Anonymous is correct. This is the right answer.

Anonymous · Answer

Yep!
If it was only one year of experience, it would be:
"One year's experience"

Multiple years of experience would make it:
"Ten years' experience"

Ten years' experience

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