Quote:
Originally posted by ltl/fb
dtb, double possessive is really OK? I really do need a cold shower.
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Oh yeeees. It is called the "double genitive" construction (i.e, "a friend of my father's" or "a friend of mine"). Although some object to its usage, the construction has been used in English since the 14th century and serves a useful purpose. It can help sort out ambiguous phrases like "Bob's photograph", which could mean either "a photograph of Bob" (revealing his image) or a photograph in Bob's possession. "A photograph of Bob's", however, can only be a photo that Bob has in his possession and may or may not show Bob's image!
One of my favorite grammar books (Woe is I) says both are correct, but when a pronoun is used, make it a possessive (duh!):
a friend of
his, not a friend of
him.
