Dec 4, 2002 11:15
21 yrs ago
English term
Possession
English
Other
I know the following sentence is correct:
Jane and John's house is convenient.
meaning the house of both Jane and John is convenient.
But what about:
I and my familiy's house is convenient.
Is it correct?
It is in the same form as the first sentence is. The first noun (I) is in the nominative case, and the second one (my family) in the possesive case (because of the 's).
Nevertheless, the second sentence sounds funny and awkward to me. What is the explanation?
Jane and John's house is convenient.
meaning the house of both Jane and John is convenient.
But what about:
I and my familiy's house is convenient.
Is it correct?
It is in the same form as the first sentence is. The first noun (I) is in the nominative case, and the second one (my family) in the possesive case (because of the 's).
Nevertheless, the second sentence sounds funny and awkward to me. What is the explanation?
Responses
+5
11 mins
Selected
My family's house is convenient
"I" is not possessive, so that's why it sounds odd to you.
Since the "I" in the sentence is a member of the family, you really don't need to specify "I", thereby avoiding your problem.
Otherwise, if you intend two different houses (but based on your sentence you don't) you need to use a plural verb:
My house and that of my family are convenient.
Since the "I" in the sentence is a member of the family, you really don't need to specify "I", thereby avoiding your problem.
Otherwise, if you intend two different houses (but based on your sentence you don't) you need to use a plural verb:
My house and that of my family are convenient.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
wandadorff
12 mins
|
| agree |
Teresa Goscinska
23 mins
|
| agree |
jerrie
: my family's
2 hrs
|
| agree |
JCEC
16 hrs
|
| agree |
airmailrpl
19 hrs
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Graded automatically based on peer agreement. KudoZ."
+1
1 hr
Mary Worby
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in English
&
English
United Kingdom
Friendly, reliable and accurate!
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, French to English
Related KudoZ points
:
164
collective possession
Essentially, in your first sentence, you are saying:
(Jane and John)'s house - i.e. the subject the two of them, they own the house together. Jane is not in the nominative case.
In the same way, in your second example, 'I' would not be in the nominative.
It's an unusual formulation, but it would (I think) be technically correct to say
My and my family's house
But the construction is stilted so is generally avoided!
HTH
Mary
(Jane and John)'s house - i.e. the subject the two of them, they own the house together. Jane is not in the nominative case.
In the same way, in your second example, 'I' would not be in the nominative.
It's an unusual formulation, but it would (I think) be technically correct to say
My and my family's house
But the construction is stilted so is generally avoided!
HTH
Mary
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Mike Birch
: implying that 'I' live in my family's house, as opposed to simply 'my family's house' where 'I' live elsewhere
5 hrs
|
+1
2 hrs
Jane is not really nominative.
In the first sentence, it is really Jane's and John's house, but since "Jane and John" are usually thought of as a unit, it becomes (Jane and John)'s house (to use a mathematical convention).
Now, when it comes to the second sentence, the unit would be "my family and I". The difference here is that I is a pronoun, unlike the sentence above. And 's can only be used with nouns, not pronouns. So by mixing a noun and a pronoun in the phrase, you can no longer simply add 's after the second term. We could try, "my family's and my house", but it still sounds awkward because of the repetition of the "my" and also for another simple reason. "I" am part of my family. Jane is not part of John. So the two sentences are not really paralletl, and the collective noun would be "my family." Now we are ready to try that sentence again.
"My family's house is convenient."
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Note added at 2002-12-04 13:47:59 (GMT)
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parallel
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Note added at 2002-12-04 14:39:52 (GMT)
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It is not correct in English to say, I and my family, or I and Daniel. The I (or me) is supposed to come at the end. So if the house belongs to Daniel and me, it is Daniel\'s and my house. You are still mixing a noun and a pronoun. Since the \'s can\'t be applied to each term, you must make each one possessive in its appropriate way: \"Daniel\'s\" and \"my\".
Now, when it comes to the second sentence, the unit would be "my family and I". The difference here is that I is a pronoun, unlike the sentence above. And 's can only be used with nouns, not pronouns. So by mixing a noun and a pronoun in the phrase, you can no longer simply add 's after the second term. We could try, "my family's and my house", but it still sounds awkward because of the repetition of the "my" and also for another simple reason. "I" am part of my family. Jane is not part of John. So the two sentences are not really paralletl, and the collective noun would be "my family." Now we are ready to try that sentence again.
"My family's house is convenient."
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Note added at 2002-12-04 13:47:59 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
parallel
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Note added at 2002-12-04 14:39:52 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
It is not correct in English to say, I and my family, or I and Daniel. The I (or me) is supposed to come at the end. So if the house belongs to Daniel and me, it is Daniel\'s and my house. You are still mixing a noun and a pronoun. Since the \'s can\'t be applied to each term, you must make each one possessive in its appropriate way: \"Daniel\'s\" and \"my\".
2 hrs
their house / our house
if you want to avoid all potential grammar issues and keep it really simple!
or else
Jane and John's house
My family's house
As already suggested above
or else
Jane and John's house
My family's house
As already suggested above
19 hrs
Daniel's house and mine are convenient
How about turning it round?
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Note added at 2002-12-05 07:11:06 (GMT)
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I\'m assuming there are two houses here - one for Daniel and one for me. If that\'s not so, then forget it.
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Note added at 2002-12-05 07:11:06 (GMT)
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I\'m assuming there are two houses here - one for Daniel and one for me. If that\'s not so, then forget it.
Discussion
--- you've said:
"Now, when it comes to the second sentence, the unit would be "my family and I". The difference here is that I is a pronoun, unlike the sentence above. And 's can only be used with nouns, not pronouns. So by mixing a noun and a pronoun in the phrase, you can no longer simply add 's after the second term." --- then what option which sounds well is there? For the sake of clarity, let us replace the second sentence with "I and Daniel's house is convenient." How could you correct it now? What about "Daniel and my (I's possessive) house is convenient." hehe... That's funny, but, again, it follows the same structure as the first sentence.
The sentences are the same with Jane changed to I (both nominative) and John's changed to my family's (both possessive).
cbolton - if you say that the first noun is to be possessive - how is the first sentence correct (when Jane is nominative)?