Kooyeen  +  298277 Mon, 27 Nov 06 10:04 PM Hi, Bill and I have a dog. What's the usual way to say this: That's Bill and my dog. / That's Bill's and my dog. / ... Using pronouns: That's you and my dog. / That's your and my dog. / That's yours and my dog. / ... Kooyeen Joined on Thu, Dec 22 2005 Italy Senior Member 4,981 Parental Advisory / Explicit Posts Nouns, Pronouns

	Waïti  +  298290 Mon, 27 Nov 06 10:44 PM Hiya Kooyeen (long time no see, buddy, btw) I think I'd say : "that's Bill's dog and mine" and using pronouns "that's yours and mine" or "that's your dog and mine" However, in case I need to remind you : I'm not a native ! It may be safer for you to hear from an informed Grammar God. Ciao, Waïti. Waïti Joined on Thu, Aug 25 2005 Regular Member 568 Grammar, Nouns, Pronouns

	Feebs11  +  298292 Mon, 27 Nov 06 11:11 PM That's our dog    avoids multiple pronouns Feebs11 Joined on Thu, Nov 23 2006 UK Veteran Member 5,015 Nouns, Pronouns

	Kooyeen  +  298293 Mon, 27 Nov 06 11:20 PM Hey Waïti (sorry I can't use emoticons, I guess my browser has some problems) You are right, but the problem is another. Maybe I should have used different examples, like these: Come to Bill's and my party Come to her and my party / Come to hers and my party In other words, I'd like to know how native speakers (Americans) say sentences like "Come to Mike and Jenny's party" using pronouns instead of one or both names. Thank you Kooyeen Nouns, Pronouns

	Yankee  +  298298 Mon, 27 Nov 06 11:36 PM  Kooyeen wrote: ... What's the usual way to say this: ... That's you and my dog. / That's your and my dog. / That's yours and my dog. / ... Well, actually, there is a clever alternative which is not only quite usual but also quite painless:  "That's our dog."       If you felt further clarification was really necessary, you could just add 'yours and mine' as an afterthought. The only additional comment I'd make about using 'your and my dog' is that it wouldn't be used much.  Regarding Bill:  Saying 'Bill's and my dog'  is the best of the options given. Yankee Joined on Sat, Apr 15 2006 Connecticut, USA Veteran Member 6,502 Amy "You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." - Mark Twain

	Marius Hancu  +  298299 Mon, 27 Nov 06 11:41 PM Yes, you would normally say: Mary and John's dog (as the dog belongs to both) but here you need to move the possessive ('s) to the first owner, because the pronoun doesn't take an 's, and Mary and my dog means differently (she is with my dog, which doesn't belong to her). Thus, a compromise Marius Hancu Joined on Wed, Apr 26 2006 Veteran Member 11,673 Possessives, Nouns, Pronouns

	Kooyeen  +  298318 Tue, 28 Nov 06 12:22 AM Thank you very much. Yankee, you said that "your and my dog" is not used much. So, is "yours and my dog" a better alternative? Or, for example "Hers and my birthday party" instead of "Her and my birthday party"? Thanks Kooyeen

	CalifJim  +  298404 Tue, 28 Nov 06 06:53 AM Kooyeen, If you want to know how that idea is expressed in real spoken American English, here's how: They are almost always reworded to avoid a possessive adjective (my, your, etc.) joined to another noun by and.  Because of this, the 'problem' you pose is almost entirely theoretical. Bill and my dog becomes the dog that belongs to Bill and me, for example, or the dog that Bill and I have/own. Normally the conversation has already mentioned Bill and I/me in the context, so, as suggested above, our dog becomes the solution. You may be surprised to hear this, but when a speaker, not having planned ahead, has painted himself into a grammatical corner on this concept, it is not unusual for the choice to be Bill and I's dog.  CJ CalifJim Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004 California Veteran Member 22,452 "There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche American English, Conversations, Possessives, Nouns

	Kooyeen  +  298508 Tue, 28 Nov 06 03:20 PM Ok, thank you very much! Kooyeen