English Grammar

DOUBLE POSSESSIVES

Formation, meaning and use of double possessives.

The double possessive consists of a noun + 'of' + the possessive form of a noun or pronoun
(note: people and animals only (living things), not objects, institutions, etc.).
Example: A cousin of Paul's / a cousin of his.

Difference between possessive and double possessive:

POSSESSIVE:
The possessive form of a noun or pronoun is used to indicate ownership.
It is formed by adding ‘s after the possessor’s name, or by using a possessive pronoun.
e.g. My grandmother's house / her house.

DOUBLE POSSESSIVE:
The double possessive (or double genitive) is formed by using both the preposition 'of' and the possessive form of a noun or pronoun.
Example: 'a glove of Julie's' or a 'glove of hers'.

The double possessive can be helpful for clarification or differentiation:
Examples:
- A photo of Emily = a picture of Emily
- A photo of Emily’s / of hers = one of the photos belonging to Emily

- Charlie is my colleague = my only colleague.
- Charlie is a colleague of mine = Charlie is one of my colleagues.

- This is my coat. = this coat belongs to me.
- This is a coat of mine = one of the coats that I own.

- Tony is Carla’s boyfriend. = her only/present boyfriend.
- Tony is an old boyfriend of Carla’s. = one of her previous boyfriends.

- This is a painting of Picasso = the painting depicts Picasso.
- This is a painting of Picasso’s = one of Picasso’s paintings.

- Charlie introduced me to a cousin of his (= one of his cousins).
- I know Vanessa. She's a friend of Chloe's (= one of Chloe's friends).
- It has long been a dream of Adam’s to play with Tiger Woods (= one of his dreams).
- Continuing the family business has always been an ambition of my father’s and mine.

Please note that, while grammatically correct and frequently used by English speakers, it is best to avoid using double comparatives in formal writing.

How to avoid using the double possessive:
The use of the double possessive can be avoided by simply rephrasing the sentence.
Example:
With the double possessive: "I can lend you a sweater of mine."
Without the double possessive: "I can lend you one of my sweaters."

The double possessive is sometimes used in a negative way, to show disapproval:
- That son of yours is up to no good!
- That dog of yours is a nuisance!
- Those kids of yours are far too noisy!
- No child of ours will go to that amusement park!