The False Possessive

[Baker, John]

        He should have been much disappointed.  Or, better still,
agreeably disappointed.


John Baker


-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf
Of Jonathan Lighter
Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 1:51 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: The False Possessive

The theory of the false possessive holds that inanimate things cannot
logically "possess" anything.  Of course, tradition allows us to use the
few idiomatic exceptions like "a day's wage."  It is a corruption we
must unfortunately live with.

BRAIN-TEASER:

Any English professor of 1899 could see what's wrong with this sentence.
Can you?

"I was very disappointed."

JL

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