This is a great grammar point! The phrase "a friend of + possessive" can be a bit tricky. Here's the breakdown:
The "Double Genitive"
This construction, like "a friend of John's," is called the "double genitive" because it uses two ways to show possession:
- "of": This preposition indicates a relationship or belonging.
- "'s": This apostrophe + s also shows possession.
Why Use It?
The double genitive is used to show that the person or thing mentioned is one of a group. It implies "one of the friends of John."
Examples
- "A friend of my father's is visiting us." (One of my father's friends)
- "She's a friend of Sarah's from college." (One of Sarah's friends from college)
- "He's a friend of the band's." (One of the band's friends)
Alternatives
You can often rephrase these sentences to avoid the double genitive:
- "One of my father's friends is visiting us."
- "She's one of Sarah's friends from college."
- "He's one of the band's friends."
Important Note:
When using a pronoun, you must use the possessive pronoun (mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs) and not the possessive adjective (my, your, his, her, our, their).
- Correct: "A friend of mine is coming over."
- Incorrect: "A friend of my is coming over."
This is because the possessive pronoun stands in for the entire noun phrase ("one of my friends"), while the possessive adjective needs to be followed by a noun.
I hope this explanation clears things up! Let me know if you have any other questions.
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