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Eunjinny Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

They are punished for~

They are punished for the sins of their ancestors.
They are punished for their ancestor's sins.

I am confused in using possesive form and 'of' form.
It seems that the first sentence is used generally, but could you tell me why the second one is not correct?
  

Top answer

eunjinny They are punished for the sins of their ancestors. They are punished for their ancestor's sins. They are punished for their ancestors' sins.

— Yoong Liat

  • eunjinny They are punished for the sins of their ancestors.
  • They are punished for their ancestor's sins.
  • They are punished for their ancestors' sins.
  • Your second sentence refers to one 'ancestor'.
  • My sentence with s' refers to more than one ancestor.
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3 Answers
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eunjinnyThey are punished for the sins of their ancestors.

They are punished for their ancestor's sins.
They are punished for their ancestors' sins.

Your second sentence refers to one 'ancestor'.

My sentence with s'  refers to more than one ancestor.
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Thanks. *^^*

I have belief in the power of you.
I have belife in your power.
is the meaning the same?
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While you can use the 'of' genitive with nouns, especially when being more literary (as in 'the sins of your ancestors'}, you cannot do so with a personal pronoun, so your first sentence is wrong; only 'your power' is correct.
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