The confusing possessive form...
 

How do you say a sentence like this correctly?

It's mine and Jenny's car.
Or
It's Jenny's and my car?
Or
It's Jenny and my car?

It's very confusing and I find myself using some variation of it in my classes.

Thanks
HC

Joint Possession
 

Happy Camper,
I did a search and found part of your answer.

When two people jointly possess one thing, you can use one appostrophe:
"Tim and Jenny's car"

Use apostrophes twice when the people possess things separately:
"Tim's and Jenny's cars"

If one word is a possessive adjective, then both words should be possessive, so
"It's my and Jenny's car"
but I think "mine and Jenny's car" is wrong...

I'll keep looking for a better explanation...

Any idea on these phrases using My or Mine?

Oreamnos,

I think the 3rd example above answers your question.

"mine" is wrong because you can't say "jenny's and mine car"
and I think the word with the apostrophe has to come last, so
"my and jenny's car" not "jenny's and my car"

But I have yet to find a grammar site explaining the 3rd example explicitly :(

Thanks little sage!

I think that it should be 'This is Jenny's and my car.' We were always taught that out of respect, you put the other person ahead of yourself. And it is definately not 'This is Jenny's and mine car.' Would you say "This is mine car?" I don't think so! :)

But i think that refers to when you are the subject of the sentence. For example "Bob and I are going to the store" (Bob and I) is the subject. but does that "respect" rule still apply if you are the object of the sentence? :confused:

Mine and Jenny's sounds right
so does.. It's Jenny's and my car

A sentence should not start with "It" right

Mine and Jenny's car sounds right but you would never say Mine car.


any sentence?

Isnt there some rule-you should not start a sentence with a preposition?

Prepositions (in/near/throughout/with reference to) often begin sentences.

"Mine" is a possessive pronoun, however, and I don't know of any rules about starting a sentence with one or not.

In reference to some of the comments in posts above:

I think "mine and Jenny's" sounds right because it would be OK in these sentences:
The car is mine and Jenny's. or simply It's mine and Jenny's.

The Harbrace College Handbook partly clears up our original problem with the dual ownership of that car by explaining when to use apostrophes:

"To indicate individual ownership, add the apostrophe and s to each name:

Joan's and Sam's apartments (each own individual apartments)

compare to

Joe and Betty's mail (indicating mail belonging jointly to Joe and Betty)."

But the other confusing part of the infamous "It's my and Jenny's car" sentence is the choice of either my or mine. "My" is an adjective and modifies the word "car" (It's my car.) "Mine" is a pronoun and replaces the word "car" (It's mine.)

So, it is my opinion that the correct form of the sentence is
"It's my and Jenny's car" but after spending so much time looking in grammar books trying to explain why I will be sure never to use this sentence again in my life. :p

"Prepositions (in/near/throughout/with reference to) often begin sentences"

Yes of course they begin sentences but is it proper??

Why wouldn't it be proper?