Could someone please tell me which of the following are correct and why (so I can fix this myself from now on)? I seem to run into this problem a lot. Example 1: Sister-in-laws OR sisters-in-law? Context: Sarah and I are sister-in-laws. Example 2: My brother and I's OR my brother's and I's? Context: Indian food is my brother and I's favorite.
"Sisters-in-law" is correct. second example should read "Indian food is my brother's and my favorite," though it sounds a little clunky. Probably would go more with "My brother and I love Indian food," or something similar.
Sisters-in-law, because there are two women(not two laws.) On the Indian food example: if you said the sentence without brother-- would I or my sound better. ie. Indian food is I's favorite or Indian food is my favorite. Once you have that then you can put the brother back in. Indian food is my brother and my favorite. Have to agree with theIllustratedMan that it would sound clunky and would do better as he suggested.
Dear jc sisters-in-law because there is only one law about this particular example. Sarah and I are sisters-in-law My brother and I. Indian food is my brother and I's favourite is correct.
Cacian, it should be "My brother's and my favourite." "I" is a subject. What you want here is a possessive pronoun. Just like jonsnana said, if you remove the other person, it sounds like horrendous grammar. You wouldn't say "My dog followed my sister and I to school" because "My dog followed I to school" doesn't sound right. Same here: "Indian food is I's favourite" doesn't sound right unless someone's name is I.
exactly! there is no such possessive pronoun as 'I's'... the possessive of the pronoun 'I' is 'my'...
