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Which is correct a friend of his or a friend of him?
We often say a friend of his or a friend of theirs but both word combinations are grammatically incorrect. The correct way to refer to the friend is “a friend of him” or a “friend of them”, respectively.
Is it correct to say of mine?
“My thing” and “thing of mine” are completely interchangeable, though there is a modern tendency to use “my”. No, not even close. “Of me” might be used colloquially, but it is not proper English, and “of mine” essentially means “which belongs to me”.
What is double genitive?
Definition of double genitive : a syntactic construction in English in which possession is marked both by the preposition of and a noun or pronoun in the possessive case (as in “A friend of Bob’s is a friend of mine”) — called also double possessive.
Why do we say a friend of mine?
Indicate possession of the noun you are trying to modify (i.e. “friend”), in the manner you are questioning, not by using “me,” but by using “mine” because “mine” is a possessive pronoun.
How do you use the word mine in a sentence?
Mine sentence example
- Mine will be taught to mind.
- It was a gold mine , wasn’t it?
- So I say the horses and chickens are mine and Alex says the other animals are his.
- You may bring mine with you.
- Then I will take his soft chubby hand in mine , and go out in the bright sunshine with him.
How do you use mine and yours?
In the sentence, mine is a possessive pronoun that replaces my book. In the sentence, yours is a possessive pronoun that replaces your book….English Grammar Rules.
Subject | Possessive Pronouns |
---|---|
I | Mine |
You | Yours |
He | His |
She | Hers |
What does Bob is a friend of mine mean?
Bob is a friend of mine means Bob is one of many acquaintances that you are friendly with. If you were one of many contributors to eg an art exhibition, you could show people round saying ‘That’s one of mine, and that’s one of mine’ without it sounding repetitious.
Is the word ‘of mine’ archaic?
No, “of mine” is not archaic, it’s routinely used. But it is far less common than the “my X” form. Bob is my friend. Bob is a friend of mine. Both mean essentially the same thing. It’s not limited to “friend”, though now that you mention it, that may be the most common word used there.
What is the difference between ‘I’ and ‘ mine’?
I, me, my, and mine are essentially the same word, to be used in different parts of a sentence — “I” is the subject, “me” is the object (direct or indirect), “my” is an adjective form, and “mine” is the possessive form. I’d make the minor quibble that “of mine” isn’t really limited to subject complements.
What does that is a car of mine mean?
That said, “X of mine” is mostly used when you want to indicate that something is one of many that you own or are associated with. If, say, you have many cars, you might point to one and say, “That is a car of mine.” But if you only have one, you normally say, “That is my car.” (If you have many, you could also say, “That is one of my cars.”)