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Lets say the object of a sentence is a possessive, of more than one nouns. Something that is say both someone else's and my own. IE Tom's and mine, as in the sentence

This meeting requires Tom and my's attendance.

How do I express this? Should I say "This meeting requires Tom and I's attendance" or "This meeting requires Tom's attendance and mine?" or maybe something else?

I've been taught "I" should only be used in the subject. However "Tom and I's attendance" seems most natural to me. I've used this form my whole life, but every time I type it I fear I may not be using it correctly.

I noticed this question, but it seems to apply to the subject, not the object.

tchrist
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Doug T.
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3 Answers3

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This meeting requires Tom's and my attendance.

or

This meeting requires Tom's attendance and mine (or my own).

snumpy
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It isn't really difficult, just make sure they work in both positions and your sentence is correct, therefore:

This meeting requires Tom's attendance.

This meeting requires my attendance.

This meeting requires my and Tom's attendance.

This meeting requires Tom's and my attendance.

Community
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Frantisek
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  • so basically I shouldn't be trying to group the two as in "Tom and I's?" – Doug T. May 18 '11 at 18:24
  • No. Firstly, "I's" doesn't exist. Secondly, you would do that in the following scenario: Tom is responsible for what happened. + I am responsible for what happened. = Tom and I are responsible for what happened. – Frantisek May 18 '11 at 18:26
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    I's is used in the question I linked to above which is entitled My wife and I's seafood collaboration dinner. So "I's" does appear to get used. – Doug T. May 18 '11 at 18:36
  • Uhm okey... sry then :) – Frantisek May 18 '11 at 18:38
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    @Doug T. it might be mentioned, but as the accepted answer points out, it is non-standard, and the normal way of saying it is "My wife's and my seafood..." – Daniel Roseman May 18 '11 at 18:42
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I's is never correct.
Possessive for me is my or mine. "That's my book." " That book is mine." I is always the subject, and is always followed by a verb. I am, I will, I did, Tom and I are. It is not correct to use I after another person's name when it is the object of the sentence. "George gave Tom and me the tickets." "George brought drinks to my wife and me." In these examples, George is the subject doing the action; Geirge gave, George brought. Who did George do the action to? The object or objects; the other person and me. But if you are doing the action, then you are the subject, therefore you would say, "Tom and I are going to a play." "My wife and I are having drinks." The subject, My wife and I, is followed by the linking verb, are and verb, having. Drinks is the object.

Cyndi Poole
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