The English Saxon Double Genitive

12/17/2025 Learning & Grammar created by Sprachcaffe Team

Here's how to use the double genitive in English | We've already discussed the Saxon genitive and its grammatical features, both singular and plural, and yet here we are again.

This time, we're talking about the English Saxon double genitive, a special construction you'll need to sound like a native English speaker!

Forget the classic use of the preposition “of” or, at least, get used to thinking differently in certain contexts, putting into practice the use, considered more correct, of the Saxon double genitive

But what is it, exactly? How is it formed and when is it used? There are so many questions, so let's not waste time chatting and get straight to this lesson, at the end of which you'll also find exercises and examples to further consolidate the topic.

What is the English Saxon Double Genitive?

The double genitive, also called the double possessive, combines the preposition "of" with a possessive form, as in a friend of Mary's or a friend of mine. It looks like it says the same thing twice, but it is natural, correct English that native speakers use constantly. This guide from SPRACHCAFFE explains how it works, the two rules that govern it, and gives you two exercises with answers.

The double genitive uses "of" followed by a noun in the possessive ('s) or a possessive pronoun:

a friend of Mary's
a colleague of John's
a friend of mine / yours / his / hers / ours / theirs

It usually carries a partitive meaning, "one of several." A friend of Mary's means one of Mary's friends. This is why it pairs naturally with an indefinite or demonstrative word (a, an, this, that, some, any) rather than "the."

It builds on the Saxon genitive (adding 's to show possession). If you want the basics of that, see our separate guide to the Saxon genitive.

Two rules that make it work

Rule 1: the possessor is normally a person (or animate). You can say a friend of my father's or a painting of the artist's, but not "a window of the house's." For things, use a plain of-phrase: a window of the house.

Rule 2: the head noun is normally indefinite or demonstrative. Say a friend of Mary's, that idea of yours, some photos of theirs, not "the friend of Mary's." With "the," English prefers the simple genitive (Mary's friend).

A useful contrast: "of Tom" vs "of Tom's"

The double genitive can change the meaning:

a picture of Tom → a picture that shows Tom
a picture of Tom's → a picture that Tom owns or took

That small "'s" is the difference between who is in the picture and who owns it.

When to use it

To mean "one of several": He's a friend of Sarah's (one of her friends).
With possessive pronouns: Is she a relative of yours?
For emphasis, often with this/that: That temper of his will cause trouble.

When you simply want to state possession with no partitive or emphatic nuance, the plain Saxon genitive is better: John's car, not a car of John's.

Smiling girl posing by a red phone booth in London with Big Ben visible in the background.

Age: 18+

England

Tradition meets confidence.

Exercises

Exercise 1: complete with the double genitive

Use "of" + the correct possessive form of the word in brackets.

He's a friend ___ (Mary).
That's a colleague ___ (John).
She's an old friend ___ (I).
Is he a relative ___ (you)?
I saw that dog ___ (they) again.
This is a cousin ___ (my sister).
That temper ___ (he) will cause trouble.
They're neighbours ___ (we).

Answer key: 1. of Mary's 2. of John's 3. of mine 4. of yours 5. of theirs 6. of my sister's 7. of his 8. of ours

Exercise 2: rewrite as a double genitive

Turn each "one of…" phrase into a double genitive.

one of Mary's friends
one of John's colleagues
one of my books
one of your ideas
one of the teacher's students
one of our neighbours
one of his songs
one of her paintings

Answer key: 1. a friend of Mary's 2. a colleague of John's 3. a book of mine 4. an idea of yours 5. a student of the teacher's 6. a neighbour of ours 7. a song of his 8. a painting of hers

Back