Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[Charles06]

In each of the following two questions, there are six choices. Which choice, if any, is unacceptable in informal English and why? And, which choice, if any, is unacceptable in formal English and why?

Question I:
a) a constant warmth of you,
b) a constant warmth of yours,
c) the constant warmth of you,
d) the constant warmth of yours,
e) that constant warmth of you, and
f) that constant warmth of yours.

Question II:
a) an ugly temper of you,
b) an ugly temper of yours,
c) the ugly temper of you,
d) the ugly temper of yours,
e) that ugly temper of you, and
f) that ugly temper of yours.

Please note, I do know the difference between �that beautiful picture of you� and �that beautiful picture of yours.�

Also, I have already checked the following sources:
a) George O. Curme, A Grammar of the English Language, Volume I: Parts of Speech (Verbatim, 1977), at 136,
b) George O. Curme, A Grammar of the English Language, Volume II: Syntax (Verbatim, 1977), at 76,
c) Randolph Quirk, et. al., A Grammar of Contemporary English (Seminar Press, 1972), at 889-890, and
a) Marianne Celce-Murcia and Diane Larsen-Freeman, The Grammar Book: An ESL/EFL Teacher�s Course, second edition (Heinle, 1999), at 312 ff.

Will appreciate your views. Many thanks.
Charles

[pugachevV]

That constant warmth of yours (will make you a good father).
That ugly temper of yours (will get you into trouble).
Those are the two normal ones.
I guess the others are not correct.

[Charles06]

Thanks a lot for taking the trouble to respond.
Your answers use those phrases as a subject. How about using them as predicates or subject complements, as shown below? Would the answers be different?

Question I:

a) I feel a constant warmth of you,
b) I feel a constant warmth of yours,
c) I feel the constant warmth of you,
d) I feel the constant warmth of yours, and
e) I appreciate that constant warmth of you.


Question II:
a) This is an ugly temper of you, (wife blaming husband, for example)
b) This is an ugly temper of yours,
c) This shows the ugly temper of you,
d) This shows the ugly temper of yours, and
e) This reflects that ugly temper of you.

Thanks again for the trouble.
Charles

[pugachevV]

I feel your constant warmth.
I can feel your constant warmth.
I appreciate your constant warmth.
I love your constant warmth.
You have an ugly temper.
You are showing your ugly temper
You are letting your ugly temper show.
All OK.

[Charles06]

[/quote]
I feel your constant warmth.
I can feel your constant warmth.
I appreciate your constant warmth.
I love your constant warmth.
You have an ugly temper.
You are showing your ugly temper
You are letting your ugly temper show.
All OK.[/quote]

I presume that in all the examples given above, double genitive is out of place. Am I right?
Thanks again.
Charles