The English Saxon Double Genitive: How It Works

The Saxon double genitive in English is used in specific situations to clarify, emphasize, or avoid ambiguity in the possession relationship between two entities.

Here's when and why it's used:

• To emphasize the possessor: When you want to give particular emphasis to the possessor rather than the possessed object. This form can be useful to emphasize the possessor, especially if the possessor is a person or an important part of the sentence.
  Example: A friend of Sarah's → Un amico di Sarah. Here, the emphasis is on the fact that the friend is specifically Sarah's.
• To avoid ambiguity: The Saxon double genitive can clarify the possessive relationship when the simple genitive might be ambiguous. This is especially useful when working with confusing names or entities.
  Example: The name of the school's principal → The name of the school's principal.
  Using "The school's principal's name" could create ambiguity as to which part of the sentence is the possessor and which is the possessed.
• With proper nouns: The Saxon double genitive is often used with proper nouns to clarify who or what is being referred to, especially when the proper noun is followed by a specific object of possession.
  Example: A colleague of John's → A colleague of John's
  This construction emphasizes that the colleague is specifically related to John.
• When the object of possession is specific or definite : When possession concerns a specific or definite object, and you want to make it clear that the possessor is someone who has a particular connection to that object.
  Example: The achievements of the university's students → I successo degli studenti dell'università
  Using The university's students' achievements may be less clear than the double genitive in some contexts.
• In colloquial and informal contexts : The double genitive is common in spoken and informal language to convey clarity and precision without structural complexity.
  Example: A member of the team's → A member of the team.
  It is a colloquial form that may be preferred for its simplicity and clarity.
• To express specific ownership: When you want to indicate that something is owned by a specific person in a particular situation, making it clear that the owner is directly involved.
  Example: The author's book → Il libro dell'autore
  This construction can emphasize that the book is by a specific author.
• There are also cases in which it's preferable not to use the double genitive in English. For example:
• For simplicity's sake : While the simple Saxon genitive is sufficient to clearly express possession without ambiguity, the double genitive may be superfluous.
  Example: John's car is generally preferred to A car of John's if there is no need for further emphasis or clarification.
• For a formal style: In very formal or technical contexts, the double genitive construction may be less common, and the simple Saxon genitive or alternative structures may be preferred. Example: In legal or academic documents, the car belonging to John
  might be used as a more formal alternative.

Now that we've thoroughly explored the theory surrounding the Saxon genitive plural, all that's left to do is analyze some examples and sentences in which it's used. This will make it easier to understand its logic and how it works: there's nothing better than seeing a grammatical structure inserted into a realistic, everyday context to fully understand it.

Here, then, are some examples of how to best use the Saxon genitive plural!

Let's start with the regular plural nouns :

• Teachers:
  • The teachers' cars are parked outside.
    
• Boys:
  • The boys' toys are on the floor.
    
• Cats:
  • The cats' bowls are in the kitchen.

Let's now look at some examples with irregular plural nouns :

• Children:
  • The children's books are on the shelves.
    
• Women:
  • Women's bags are expensive.
    
• Men (men):
  • The men's shoes are near the door.

After that, we analyze other situations that may arise, such as particular words or more complex contexts.

• Policemen:
  • The policemen's uniforms are blue. → The policemen's uniforms are blue. (As you can see, even though the word "men" is already plural, we still add the "s" because it is an irregular plural that doesn't have a proper "s").
    
• Birds:
  • Birds' nests are in the trees.
    
• Students:
  • The students' backpacks are heavy.
    
• Association (association):
  • The parents' association's decisions are important. (This is a case of a double genitive in the plural.)
    
• Friends:
  • Friends' vacation photos are beautiful. → The friends' vacation photos are beautiful."

These examples show how the Saxon genitive plural is used to indicate possession clearly and concisely, for both regular and irregular nouns, from the most standard situations to the most complex contexts.