In answer to the initial question about other standard grammar texts
that lump together possessive pronouns and determiners, Diana Hacker's
_Rules for Writers_ compounds these problems by lumping together the
true possessive pronouns (e.g., mine, yours, etc.) with the possessive
determiners (e.g., my, your, etc.) but then says that "some of these
possessive pronouns function as adjectives modifying nouns: my, you,
his, her, etc." (p.498). Students with reference only to Hacker then
think that possessive nouns and adjectives are the same and never learn
to refer to these as determiners. For all the reasons that Herb and
others listed, these categories are, of course, different and phrase
differently within the noun phrase.

I've just finished reviewing these distinctions with my students, and I
am afraid that the difference in terminology between traditional and
linguistic grammars frustrates them greatly. That said, I've opted to
use Hacker alongside Longman so that students have reference to the two
approaches and the differences between them. I think the best we can do
is point out where the traditional texts are wrong but still prepare
students who will teach English and presumably grammar what terminology
they can expect their future students to know and how to correct it.

Natalie Gerber

To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at:
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
and select "Join or leave the list"

Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/