Showing possession for nouns with appositive phrases

Some grammar rules (and embarrassing mistakes!) transcend the uniqueness of different regions and style guides. This new International Grammar section by OnlineBookClub.org ultimately identifies those rules thus providing a simple, flexible rule-set, respecting the differences between regions and style guides. You can feel free to ask general questions about spelling and grammar. You can also provide example sentences for other members to proofread and inform you of any grammar mistakes.

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Elikem
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Showing possession for nouns with appositive phrases

Post by Elikem »

What is the right way to put in the possessive form, a noun that has an appositive phrase describing it. An example should make my question clearer. For instance, Mr. Green is an old retired African American man and he has a dog. You want to talk about the dog in relation to Mr. Green, the old retired African American man. Should it be "The bulldog barked at Mr. Green, an old retired African American man's puppy?" I know you can simply say "The bulldog barked at Mr. Green's puppy" but what if you want readers to have that extra information about Mr. Green? What is the right way to phrase this?
FNAWrite
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Post by FNAWrite »

"The bulldog barked at Mr. Green, an old retired African American man's puppy?"

This sentence says that the puppy is named Mr. Green and it belongs to some unidentified African-American man.

Why not say "The dog barked at the puppy belonging to Mr. Green, a retired ... etc."
Elikem
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Post by Elikem »

That makes sense! Thanks.
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