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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Page 3 of 3 1 2 3 Re: life's like a double genitive #30215 05/29/01 12:40 PM Joined: Sep 2000 Posts: 4,757 M maverick Carpal Tunnel maverick Carpal Tunnel M Joined: Sep 2000 Posts: 4,757 it wanted to disappear disambiguified Hell, that would have been a loss to poetry Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: life's like a double genitive #30216 05/29/01 01:17 PM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 1,773 Sparteye Pooh-Bah Sparteye Pooh-Bah Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 1,773 "he's not here." Ah! Avoidance is the Sparteye-preferred method of solving such grammatic conundrums. Otherwise, I get all tanglied-up. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: He's not here #30217 05/29/01 01:20 PM Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Faldage Carpal Tunnel Faldage Carpal Tunnel Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 It's only a bonus if his name happens to be Dave, man. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: He's not here #30218 05/30/01 03:43 AM Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 3,065 Jakarta B Bingley Carpal Tunnel Bingley Carpal Tunnel B Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 3,065 Jakarta Unfortunately not, it's Candi. Bingley Bingley Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: life's like a double genitive #30219 05/30/01 05:14 AM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 1,027 Switzerland wsieber old hand wsieber old hand Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 1,027 Switzerland . I thank you all for muddying the waters Let me stir it a little more: He went to the birthday party of a student of his. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: life's like a double genitive #30220 05/30/01 05:22 AM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 1,027 Switzerland wsieber old hand wsieber old hand Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 1,027 Switzerland But "a friend of Molly" is no more ambiguous and can only mean that and nothing else. Or does it? To me, there is a slight disparaging note to this version: Molly is somehow objectified, compared with a friend of Molly's. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: life's like a double genitive #30221 05/30/01 07:24 AM Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 3,065 Jakarta B Bingley Carpal Tunnel Bingley Carpal Tunnel B Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 3,065 Jakarta If we change the phrase from "a friend of Molly's" to "the friend of Molly's", then I think the additional possessive does perform a function. Compare: That's the friend of Molly who always falls down the stairs at parties. That's the friend of Molly's who always falls down the stairs of at parties. I think the second sentence leaves us in no doubt that it is the friend who gets legless rather than that fine upstanding specimen of womanhood, Molly, while the first sentence causes some momentary doubt. Also I think there is an implication in "the friend of Molly" that this is her one and only friend, while "the friend of Molly's" lets us know that Molly has lots of friends, of whom this is one. Bingley Bingley Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Page 3 of 3 1 2 3 Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary Forum Statistics Forums16 Topics13,913 Posts229,317 Members9,182 Most Online3,341 Dec 9th, 2011 Newest Members Ineffable, ddrinnan, TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV 9,182 Registered Users Who's Online Now 0 members (), 688 guests, and 1 robot. Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod Top Posters(30 Days) wofahulicodoc 31 A C Bowden 13 LukeJavan8 1 ddrinnan 1 Top Posters wwh 13,858 Faldage 13,803 Jackie 11,613 tsuwm 10,542 wofahulicodoc 10,534 LukeJavan8 9,916 Buffalo Shrdlu 7,210 AnnaStrophic 6,511 Wordwind 6,296 of troy 5,400

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