Hi all, I'm trying to wrap my head around a sentence that someone else wrote. I'm almost positive one can't use an apostrophe in this way to indicate possession, but I think I need a sanity check at this point! Here's the basic structure: Jane Doe from Portland, Oregon's website is fabulous. Yikes! It appears as if Jane's location is part of her name. I have to keep the sentence short and my only suggestion is: Jane Doe is from Portland, Oregon, and her website is fabulous. (Forget about the apostrophe altogether.) Your thoughts? At the very least, I need to be able to explain to the author why I believe the original sentence is incorrect. Thanks so much for your help! Marjatta
eek! I agree with you. Forget the apostrophe. The sentence is trying to do too many things at once and doesn't have enough words to make it work the way the author intended.
Is, I fancy, correct but awkward. If the awkwardness is unbearable.. go with Jane Doe from Portland has a wonderful website. Thom Yorke from Radiohead's unbearable earnestness... Hector of the burnished helmet's burnished helmet... and so on, each correct...
it's a muddled mess, no question... the author had options but failed to exercise any of them... were it me, i'd try: Jane, who hails from Portland, Oregon, has a fabulous website. Based in Portland, Oregon, Jane has a fabulous website. Jane (in Portland, Oregon) has a fabulous website.
Thanks, all! What an eye-opener! I didn't realize an apostrophe could actually be used in this way, but at least I can now make good suggestions for alternatives as well. You guys rock!
