"Their and theirs are the possessives likewise of they, when they is the plural of it.

2.Possibly, when the same persons or things stand in a joint relation of this kind to different individuals or parties, it may be proper to connect two of the simple possessives to express it; though this construction can seldom, if ever, be necessary, because any such expression as thy and her sister, my and his duty, if not erroneous, can mean nothing but your sister, our duty, &c.

But in the following instance, our may be proper, because both possessives appear to be governed by one and the same noun: "Although 'twas our and their opinion Each other's church was but a Rimmon."Hudibras. OBS.

4.The possessives mine, thine, hers, ours, yours, theirs, usually denote possession, or the relation of property, with an ellipsis of the name of the thing possessed; as, "My sword and yours are kin."Shakspeare.

It is true, that in Latin, Greek, and some other languages, there are not only genitive cases corresponding to these possessives, but also certain declinable adjectives which we render in English by these same words: that is, by my or mine, our or ours; thy or thine, your or yours; &c.

The possessives his, mine, thine, may be accounted either possessive pronouns, or the possessive cases of their respective personal pronouns."Ib., p. 40.

The possessives only are "pronouns;" and these are pronouns of the possessive case.

As such, they agree with the antecedent nouns for which they stand, in person, number, and gender; and are governed, like all other possessives, by the nouns which follow them.

And one English writer, in explaining the phrases, "John Wickliffe's influence," "Robert Bruce's exertions," and the like, will have the first nouns to be governed by the last, and the intermediate ones to be distinct possessives in apposition with the former.

B. Fowle, in his "True English Grammar," takes all titles, all given names, all possessives, and all pronouns, to be adjectives.

Here, as Jacob and Israel are only different names for the same person or nation, the four nouns in Italics are, according to the rule, all made possessives by the one sign used; but the construction is not to be commended: it would be better to say, "For the sake of Jacob my servant, and Israel mine elect."

If, then, the first is elliptical, as Priestley suggests, and the others are ungrammatical, as Murray pretends to prove, we cannot have in reality any such construction as the apposition of two possessives; for the sign of the case cannot possibly be added in more than these three ways.

These points are; first, the apposition of possessives, and the supposed ellipses which may affect that construction; secondly, the government of the possessive case after is, was, &c., when the ownership of a thing is simply affirmed or denied; thirdly, the government of the possessive by a participle, as suchthat is, while it retains the government and adjuncts of a participle. OBS.

But composing and reading, if they are mere nouns, cannot properly be qualified by any adverb; and, if they are called participles, the question recurs respecting the possessives.

16.The government of possessives by "entire clauses" or "substantive phrases," as they are sometimes called, I am persuaded, may best be disposed of, in almost every instance, by charging the construction with impropriety or awkwardness, and substituting for it some better phraseology.

17.The foregoing observations tend to show, that the government of possessives by participles, is in general a construction little to be commended,

In the following phrase from the Spectator, "Of Will's last night's lecture," it is not very clear, whether Will's is governed by night's or by lecture; yet it violates a general principle of our grammar, to suppose the latter; because, on this supposition, two possessives, each having the sign, will be governed by one noun.

Murray calls this a "laborious mode of expression," and doubtless it might be a little improved by substituting in for the third of; but my argument is, that the meaning conveyed cannot be expressed by possessives.

Prince's and dunce's are as good possessives as any; and so are the following: "That vice should triumph, virtue vice obey; This sprung some doubt of Providence's sway.

Cardell, who will have all possessives to be adjectives, writes an example thus: "John's camel's hair girdle.

UNDER NOTE IV.NOUNS WITH POSSESSIVES PLURAL.

Possessives by Rule 4th: "The chief man of the island, whose name was Publius."Acts.

10.When two or more nominatives connected by and are of the same form but distinguished by adjectives or possessives, one or more of them may be omitted by ellipsis, but the verb must be plural, and agree with them all; as, "A literary, a scientific, a wealthy, and a poor man, were assembled in one room.

"Own and self, in the plural selves, are joined to the possessives, my, our, thy, your, his, her, their; as, my own hand, myself, yourselves; both of them expressing emphasis or opposition, as, 'I did it my own self,' that is, and no one else; the latter also forming the reciprocal pronoun, as, 'he hurt himself.

"Reciprocal pronouns, or compound personal pronouns, are formed by adding self or selves to the simple possessives of the first and second persons, and to the objectives of the third person; as, myself, yourselves, himself, themselves.