Commonly Botched Idioms: To Each His Own

What people write: to each their own

Correct expression: to each his own

Meaning: each person has a right to his own opinions and beliefs

Quick rule:

• 'Each' is singular, so the possessive pronoun must also be the singular 'his', rather than the plural 'their'.

Examples:  

• You like reality TV shows and I hate them, so to each his own.

Double Genitive: Twice as Much Possession

Alice e-mailed me with a wonderfully tricky question:

I recently heard someone say: She is a friend of my sister's and I. This doesn't seem right. Should it be: She is a friend of my sister's and mine? Or something else? Thanks for your help with this!

This is an awesome example of how easily we can get our knickers in a twist when there are too many things going on at once. In this case, there is a compound pronoun plus something nasty called a double genitive. Many English teachers and brainiacs would get this wrong, but Alice got it right. Bravo, Alice, you smart thing!

What the heck is a double genitive? Think of it as possessive overkill. In the sentence She is a friend of my sister's, possession is signaled twice: first with the preposition 'of' and then with the apostrophe + s. It sounds terribly awkward, but the grammar is correct.

Double genitive = preposition 'of' + possessive noun or pronoun. He's a friend of my boss's. Mr. Smith is a colleague of Melanie's. She's a favorite hairdresser of ours.

Where does it all go wrong? Even people who get the double genitive right in a sentence with a single pronoun will often get confused when faced with a compound pronoun.

Let's break it down:

1. Write the sentence twice, using simple nouns instead of the compound structure.
   She is a friend of my sister's. She is a friend of I.
   a. The first sentence is a correct use of the double genitive.
   b. The second sentence is incorrect because it includes a subject pronoun instead of a possessive pronoun.
2. Replace the subject pronoun with a possessive pronoun.
   She is a friend of my sister's. She is a friend of mine.  That works!
3. Then put the conjunction back together.
   She is a friend of my sister's and mine.

Correction: She is a friend of my sister's and mine.

More examples of the double genitive: 

• She's a former teacher of mine. She's a former teacher of Sam's. >> She's a former teacher of Sam's and mine. Or: She's a former teacher of ours. 
• He's a neighbor of my sister's. He's a neighbor of my brother-in-law's. >> He's a neighbor of my sister's and brother-in-law's.

This may look and sound dreadful, but it's correct.

Its vs. It's: It's Patriotic to Use Good Punctuation

Oy! This Iowa driver intended to show off his patriotism, but instead he demonstrated his poor grasp of punctuation. Thanks to @Capncavedan for posting this on Twitter.

Where does Mazda owner go wrong? The sticker's slogan uses the contraction it's instead of the possessive pronoun its.

Quick rules:

• Its is a possessive pronoun. That tree won't lose its leaves until mid-October.
• An apostrophe doesn't always show possession. Note that none of the possessive pronouns (my, your, his, her, its, our, their, whose) are spelled with an apostrophe.
• It's is a contraction of it is (or, less frequently, it has). The apostrophe takes the place of the letter 'i'. It's raining today.

Correction:

• If you don't like my flag, my country, or its rules...go home!

Whose vs. Who's: Win with Good Grammar

Jason writes:

Hey Snarky,
Check out this headline from Bleacher Report. Epic grammar fail, eh?

Oy! Thanks for sending this in, Jason. It's a great example of how homophones are so often confused.

Where does Bleacher Report go wrong? Its headline confuses whose with who's.

Quick rules:

• Whose is a possessive pronoun. Whose jacket are you wearing?
• An apostrophe doesn't always show possession. Note that none of the possessive pronouns (my, your, his, her, its, our, their, whose) are spelled with an apostrophe.
• Who's is a contraction of who is (or, less frequently, who has). The apostrophe takes the place of the letter 'i'. Who's wearing your jacket?

Correction: 

• Oakland Raiders 2010: Who's Your Leader?

Apostrophes: Hers, Mine and Ours

Hats off to grammar deputy @shayman. He used Google Maps to show me the street view at Bloor Street West and Beresford Avenue in Toronto. Hide this from your children, folks. The address belongs to a lingerie store that affronts the decency of grammar-loving people everywhere. 

Where does this fancy undies shop go wrong? It uses an apostrophe in a possessive pronoun.

Quick rule:

• You don't always need an apostrophe + s to show possession. In fact, none of the possessive pronouns include an apostrophe: Mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs

Correction:

• HERS for lingerie

Your vs. You're: Nothing to Smile About

Many thanks to @liamdutton, a grammar-wise BBC weatherman, for spotting this goof while ogling the candy at the UK grocery chain Tesco.

Where does Tesco go wrong? It mixes up the homophones your and you're.

Quick rules:

• You're is a contraction meaning you are. You're the one who wanted to see this movie. He didn't even notice that you're not wearing any shoes.
• Your is a possessive pronoun. I don't like your shirt. You'd better hang on to your money.

Correction: Smile, you're on camera

Its vs It's: Find the Answer on Cable TV

As seen on Flickr Creative Commons: todd* posted proof positive that Cox Digital Cable could use a good proofreader.

Where does Cox Digital go wrong? The company's copywriter mixes up its and it's,' incorrectly assuming that an apostrophe + s always signifies possession.

Quick rule: 

• Use it's as a contraction for it is or it has. It is not a possessive pronoun.
• Use its when you want to show possession. Like all the other possessive pronouns (yours, his, hers, ours, theirs), its has no apostrophe.

Correction: Enjoy TV at its best with Cox Digital TV and Showtime.