II. When the possessor is a living being, good usage varies.

II. When the possessor is a living being, good usage varies.

1. If there is actual ownership or possession of some material thing, the possessive case is generally used in the singular: as,--“John’s _hat_” (not “the hat _of John_”). The possessive plural, however, is often replaced by a phrase with _of_, to avoid ambiguity or harshness: as,--“the jewels _of the ladies_” (rather than “the _ladies’_ jewels”)[17], “the wings _of the geese_” (rather than “the _geese’s_ wings”).

2. With nouns denoting a quality, an act, or the like, either the possessive or the _of_-phrase is proper: as,--“_John’s_ generosity,” or “the generosity _of John_”; “_John’s_ condition,” or “the condition _of John_”; “the _guide’s_ efforts,” or “the efforts _of the guide_”; “_Cæsar’s_ death,” or “the death _of Cæsar_.”

When there is any choice, it usually depends on euphony (that is, agreeable sound), and is therefore a question of style. Sometimes, however, there is a distinction in sense. “_John’s_ fear,” for example, indicates that John is afraid; but “the fear _of John_” means the fear which John inspires in others.

III. The following phrases are established idioms with the possessive. In some of them, however, the possessive may be replaced by _of_ and its object.

(1) The earth’s surface, the sun’s rays, the moon’s reflection, the pit’s mouth, a rope’s end, his journey’s end, at his wit’s end, the ship’s keel, the water’s edge, the cannon’s mouth, out of harm’s way, at swords’ points, for pity’s sake, for conscience’ sake; (2) a moment’s pause, a year’s time, a hand’s breadth, a boat’s length, a month’s salary, a week’s notice, a night’s rest, a day’s work, a stone’s throw, a feather’s weight, an hour’s delay, a dollar’s worth, not a foot’s difference.

In the second group of phrases (“a moment’s pause,” etc.), the possessive denotes not ownership, but +measure+ or +extent+.

IV. The possessive case of certain pronouns (_my_, _our_, _your_, _his_, _her_, _its_, _their_) is more freely used than that of nouns in expressions that do not denote actual ownership.

I know him to _my_ sorrow. [Compare: to his loss, to our detriment, to his advantage.]

The brass has lost _its_ polish.

This question must be decided on _its_ merits.

His arguments did not fail of _their_ effect.

For the inflection of these pronouns, see § 115. For the use of _whose_, see § 152.

+94.+ When a thing belongs to two or more +joint owners+, the sign of the possessive is added to the last name only.

Brown, Jones, and Richardson’s factories. [Brown, Jones, and Richardson are partners.]

It is George and William’s turn to take the boat. [George and William are to go in the boat together.]

On the other hand, in order to avoid ambiguity we should say, “Brown’s, Jones’s, and Richardson’s factories,” if each individual had a factory of his own; and “George’s and William’s answers were correct,” if each boy answered independently of the other.

+95.+ In +compound nouns+ the last part takes the possessive sign. So also when a phrase is used as a noun.

My _father-in-law’s_ home is in Easton.

We had _a quarter of an hour’s_ talk.

Other examples are the following:--

My brother-in-law’s opinion; the commander-in-chief’s orders; the lady-in-waiting’s duties; the coal dealer’s prices; Edward VII’s reign; the King of England’s portrait; half a year’s delay; in three or four months’ time; a cable and a half’s length; the pleasure of Major Pendennis and Mr. Arthur Pendennis’s company (THACKERAY).

NOTE. Noun-phrases often contain two substantives, the second of which is in apposition with the first. In such phrases, _of_ is generally preferable to the possessive. Thus, we may say either “Tom the blacksmith’s daughter” or “the daughter of Tom the blacksmith”; but “the son of Mr. Hill the carpenter” is both neater and clearer than “Mr. Hill the carpenter’s son.” The use of _’s_ is also avoided with a very long phrase like “the owner of the house on the other side of the street.”

An objective may stand in apposition with a possessive, the latter being equivalent to _of_ with an object. Thus,--“I am not yet of Percy’s mind [= of the mind of Percy], the _Hotspur_ of the North” (SHAKSPERE).

+96.+ The noun denoting the object possessed is often omitted when it may be readily understood, especially in the predicate.

_Conant’s_ [shop] is open until noon.

I buy my hats at _Bryant’s_ [shop].

We will dine at _Pennock’s_ [restaurant].

That camera is _mine_. (See § 122.)

This construction is common in such expressions as:--

He was a relative of _John’s_.

That careless tongue of _John’s_ will get him into trouble.

In the first example, “a relative of John’s” means “a relative of (= _from among_) John’s relatives.” The second example shows an extension of this construction by analogy. See § 122.

OBJECTIVE CASE

+97.+ The +objective case+, as its name implies, is the case of the +object+. Most of its uses are covered by the following rule:--

+The object of a verb or preposition is in the objective case.+

The object of a preposition has already been explained and defined (§§ 20–21).

+98.+ The +object of a verb+ may be (1) the direct object, (2) the predicate objective, (3) the indirect object, (4) the cognate object. Of these the direct object is the most important.

The objective is also used (5) adverbially (§ 109), (6) in apposition with another objective (§ 110), and (7) as the subject of an infinitive (§ 111).