Which is correct?

[music2starr]

Hi, which of these sentences is grammatically correct:

1. He is a friend of John.

2. He is a friend of John's.


Thank you for your time.

[ponpoco256]

Which of these sentences is grammatically correct:
1. He is a friend of John.
2. He is a friend of John's. "He is a friend of John's" is correct.

ponpoco

[Temico]

Hi, which of these sentences is grammatically correct:

1. He is a friend of John.

2. He is a friend of John's.


Thank you for your time.

"He's a friend of John's" is correct and it means "He is a(=one) friend of John's (friends)."

Other similar examples:-

1. "It is a dress of Mary's." = "It is one dress of Mary's dresses."
2. "She is a daughter of mine." = "She is one of my daugthers."

[Rusty]

1. He is a friend of John.

2. He is a friend of John's.
Both are OK. 2. is more common.

[ponpoco256]

Double Possessives
Guide to Grammar and Writing (http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/possessives.htm)

[Q] Do we say "a friend of my uncle" or "a friend of my uncle's"?

[A] In spite of the fact that "a friend of my uncle's" seems to overwork the notion of possessiveness, that is usually what we say and write. The double possessive construction is sometimes called the "post-genitive" or "of followed by a possessive case or an absolute possessive pronoun". The double possessive has been around since the 15th century, and is widely accepted. It's extremely helpful, for instance, in distinguishing between "a picture of my father" (in which we see the old man) and "a picture of my father's" (which he owns). Native speakers will note how much more natural it is to say "He's a fan of hers" than "he's a fan of her."

ponpoco

[Rusty]

Double Possessives


ponpoco Thanks, Ponpoco.