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Hoa Thai Posted 19 years ago
Grammar
the lover of mine
Hello,
One more issue with 'double possessive', please comment.
Here is a poem written by Rita J. Fitzgerald:Dear Lover of Mine Who's On My Mind
One day I saw the heavens open up,
and there was the blood from Jesus.
The King of Kings, Who poured out his blood on my sinful soul.
And I asked Jesus "When will I be without pain?" Jesus said: "Soon little girl you will be without pain."
I looked at Jesus and He smiled as the lover of mine knows my soul.
Rita J. Fitzgerald
To date, I have had an impression that double possessive is used for an undefinitive entity that belongs to a set of entities being owned. For instance, a friend of mine means a friend among a set of my friends (article 'A' is used). So is the lover of mine wrong for using definitive article 'the' ?
I, myself, think it is okay to use 'the' to emphasize / amplify the sense of uniqueness. However, I have not seen many people use this type of construct at all. What is your take?
Thanks and Best Regards,
Hoa Thai
One more issue with 'double possessive', please comment.
Here is a poem written by Rita J. Fitzgerald:Dear Lover of Mine Who's On My Mind
One day I saw the heavens open up,
and there was the blood from Jesus.
The King of Kings, Who poured out his blood on my sinful soul.
And I asked Jesus "When will I be without pain?" Jesus said: "Soon little girl you will be without pain."
I looked at Jesus and He smiled as the lover of mine knows my soul.
Rita J. Fitzgerald
To date, I have had an impression that double possessive is used for an undefinitive entity that belongs to a set of entities being owned. For instance, a friend of mine means a friend among a set of my friends (article 'A' is used). So is the lover of mine wrong for using definitive article 'the' ?
I, myself, think it is okay to use 'the' to emphasize / amplify the sense of uniqueness. However, I have not seen many people use this type of construct at all. What is your take?
Thanks and Best Regards,
Hoa Thai
Top answer
Hi, the lover of mine This sounds a bit odd to me. Poets use what is called 'artistic licence'. They play with language more freely than we would in normal, everyday speech and prose.
- Hi, the lover of mine This sounds a bit odd to me.
- Poets use what is called 'artistic licence'.
- They play with language more freely than we would in normal, everyday speech and prose.
- That's what makes poetry interesting and enjoyable.
- Best wishes, Clive
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6 Answers
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Hi,
the lover of mine
This sounds a bit odd to me. Poets use what is called 'artistic licence'. They play with language more freely than we would in normal, everyday speech and prose. That's what makes poetry interesting and enjoyable.
Best wishes, Clive
the lover of mine
This sounds a bit odd to me. Poets use what is called 'artistic licence'. They play with language more freely than we would in normal, everyday speech and prose. That's what makes poetry interesting and enjoyable.
Best wishes, Clive
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Hi Hoa,
Well, usage of "the" is correct. There is only one lover, therefore, the lover of mine is correct, it's definitive..
Hope this helps.
Well, usage of "the" is correct. There is only one lover, therefore, the lover of mine is correct, it's definitive..
Hope this helps.
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My dog sometimes escapes unnoticed from the house or the yard. It is then sometimes extremely difficult to find him before the police do.
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Cf. the old English ballad 'Scarborough Fair', which (in a version taken down in 1891) contains the lines:
MrP
Here, "once he was a lover of mine" means "once he was my lover".
Is any of you going to Scarborough Fair?
Remember me to a lad as lives there,
Remember me to a lad as lives there,
For once he was a true lover of mine.
MrP
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Clivethe lover of mineHi Clive
This sounds a bit odd to me. Poets use what is called 'artistic licence'. They play with language more freely than we would in normal, everyday speech and prose. That's what makes poetry interesting and enjoyable.
I agree. The lover of mine is incorrect. I remember a similar expression
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