English uses the possessive determiner where in Italian would not use it. For example, “Take your hands out of your pockets!” is translated in Italian as Togli le mani dalle tasche! Even if I am using any possessive determiner, the phrase is understood to mean the hands of the person to whom I am speaking from her/his own pockets; if I meant somebody else’s pockets, I would use the possessive, as in Togli le mani dalle mie tasche! (The highlighted phrase means “my pockets.”)
Is using the possessive determiner strictly necessary with the following sentences?
Those comments are replies to my comments I deleted.
Those emails have been sent after I sent my emails I deleted.
Could I rephrase them as follows?
Those comments are replies to the ones I deleted.
Those emails have been sent after I sent the ones I deleted.
I know that I could delete comments/emails I didn’t write, but could not those sentences be understood, in some circumstances?
For example, if I am talking about comments I wrote on this very site, the comments I can delete are only the one I wrote, since I am not a moderator on ELL; if I am talking about emails while I am using my computer, I am probably talking of my emails.Is such context sufficient to avoid any possessive determiner, or does English require to always use possessive determiners?
Answer
English does use the definite article instead of the possessive adjective in certain contexts:
He hit me on the head.
She patted him on the back.
In both cases the personal pronoun is sufficient to identify whose body part was being hit or patted. Whether or not the possessive adjective is needed in sentences such as:
Those comments are replies to the comments I deleted
depends entirely on the context. If the only comments that you can delete are indeed your own and this is known to the person you are speaking to, then the definite article is fine. Conversely, if you can delete anyone’s comments and the preceding exchange has not made it clear whose comments you are talking about, then you need to specify.
I agree with Jay that:
Those comments are replies to my comments I deleted
is a little awkward. It sounds more natural, in my opinion, when my and I are farther apart:
Those comments are replies to my comments that I deleted.
Those comments are replies to the comments of mine that I deleted.
Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : apaderno , Answer Author : Shoe
