Some people will tell you that it’s fine to say “a friend of John” and that it’s also fine to say “John’s friend,” but “a friend of John’s” is another matter. “The double possessive is redundant and ...

The big story in my hometown of Rockford this week is the teachers strike — or should that be “teachers’ strike.” Should “teachers” take the possessive form or not? First, a word about terminology, ...

Last week in this column we talked about some difficult possessives. This week, Bill in Williamsport, Pa., builds on that discussion with a question about a possessive issue we didn’t cover: “Joe is a ...