CJ says: It sounds like it might be a favorite of your grandfather's ...

To me that apostrophe seems to violate the rules, and yet it feels right. Is it?

This is of course commonly said though strictly it requires neither the apostrophe nor the s.

It sounds like it might be a favorite of your grandfather would of course be the correct form.

Pick, Pick, Pick! I keep telling you, when in doubt, do it my way!

"It sounds like it might be one of your grandfather's favorites" would, of course, be correct.

By extension, "It sounds like it might be a favorite of your grandfather's" is, if nothing else, the second acceptable format after B.H.'s offering. Mine is probably the form most often spoken and so for those of us who follow the dictum "Write as you speak," it's a natural pattern to fall into when writing.

"It sounds like it might be a favorite of your grandfathers" refers to, of course, more than one old codger, either two belonging to the person being addressed or an unlimited number of individuals if you are speaking to a crowd. My intention was to specify one individual grandfather. The old drunken one.


I must say, however, that I approve of your post title, Hic. Is "CJ's Apostrophe" now to be considered in the same category as "Greengrocer's Apostrophe"? They say there's no such thing as bad publicity.

And isn't there a rule somewhere that you can't harp on a poster's punctuation without addressing the challenge from which that allegedly faulty punctuation comes? Whoops! Just closed this post and, 30 seconds later, find that my wrath (such as it is) was misplaced. 5 points for Hic!