Possessive case

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Hela

#214910 Thu, 13 Apr 06 11:07 AM

Dear teachers,

I have read the following in a text of a grammar book:

"After two month's journey, we could see..."

Shouldn' it be "After two months' journey" instead? If not, why?

Thank you for your help.
Hela

Hela

Joined on Mon, Nov 15 2004

Tunisia

Regular Member (831)

Grammar, Possessives

Mister Micawber

#214914 Thu, 13 Apr 06 11:44 AM

I think you are correct; there was perhaps a misprint. Another possibility is after a two-month's journey.

Mister Micawber

Joined on Wed, Aug 4 2004

Yokohama

Veteran Member (22,610)

'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master-- that's all.'

Possessives

MrPedantic

#214963 Thu, 13 Apr 06 01:47 PM

Apart from the misplaced apostrophe, it sounds generally a little odd to me, without an article.

MrP

MrPedantic

Joined on Tue, Oct 12 2004

Veteran Member (12,167)

...opella forensis / adducit febris...

Articles, Possessives, Apostrophes

Hela

#215106 Thu, 13 Apr 06 09:28 PM

Thanks a lot and kind regards. Big Smile [:D]

Hela

Regards, Possessives

Goodman

#215142 Thu, 13 Apr 06 11:50 PM

Hela wrote:

Dear teachers,

I have read the following in a text of a grammar book:

"After two month's journey, we could see..."

Shouldn' it be "After two months' journey" instead? If not, why?

Thank you for your help.
Hela

Here is my 2 pennies....

Consider this variation: "After a two-month journey...."

Goodman

Joined on Mon, Nov 7 2005

Calif. USA

Senior Member (3,244)

The name says it all!

Grammar, Possessives

Hela

#215234 Fri, 14 Apr 06 08:19 AM

Let's recap. So are these 3 possibilities correct ? Huh? [:^)]

1) After two months' journey...

2) After a two month 's journey...

3) After a two-month journey...

Hela

Possessives

Mister Micawber

#215238 Fri, 14 Apr 06 08:46 AM

Yes, but now I don't like my #2 (with a hyphen, of course) as much-- Goodman's #3 is much better. As a matter of fact, I'm still trying to figure out whether a two-month's is logico-grammatically correct, though I do indeed say and hear it.