At 02:31 PM 10/12/2009, Gerald Walton wrote:
I think part of the question regarding the New Yorker sentences had to do with whether a  possessive was needed at all. It's sometimes called the double genitive. We would say, "He is a friend of mine," but do we need to say "He is a friend of John's"? . . .

DD: I would say, "He is a friend of Bob's."  But, "He is a friend of Bob, the owner." But, strangely, the term, "Bob the owner's friend." is clearly different from, "Bob, the owner's friend." 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"

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