I want to write:

to save others from Lizzie and Robyn's plights

They suffer plights separately, but connected in type. Should it be as I have written, or should it be

Lizzie's and Robyn's plights

Many thanks IA.

Deb

I'd cheat and say something like 'the plights suffered by Lizzie and Robyn'.

If I was a betting person, I'd say the first one is correct. But it's amazing how you think you know until you think too hard.

I think I'd do what Sharley said : "to save others from the plights suffered by L and R."

Apart from anything else there are too many s/z sounds squashed together in Lizzie and Robyn's plights - sounds like "splights" , though that might just be me. Feel free to ignore!

Thank you both. I think, actually, I will leave as is unless someone tells me it's wrong, because although I agree, Jem, that it isn't hugely elegant as is, it isn't hugely elegant the other way either...

It's in my covering letter, so hope it isn't a turn-off.

Deb

I'd say it was:

from Lizzie's and Robyn's plights.

Otherwise you are saving others from Lizzie (herself) then you are saving them from Robyn's plights.

That is how the sentence reads once you get to Lizzie, then the reader has to self-correct after reading the rest.

I'd also guess that the second example is the one that is grammatically correct.

Chris

Oh, I agree that's gramatically correct, but I was just offering an alternative.

What Chris said, but echoing Jem, Sharley that a rewrite may be preferable.

"To avoid the plight of Lizzie and Robbie, Frank voted in favour of genuflection with a rubric."

The second one is grammatically correct, but lots of people would say the first and believe it to be the grammatically correct version. I, too, would avoid that particular construct, and rephrase as has been suggested.

If they're sharing the same plight, it's acceptable to use just one apostrophe, on the second name. Here, however, you have 'plights' (plural) so you would need apostrophes on both names, because their plights could be different.

It would be liking saying, 'to save others from Lizzie's anger and Robyn's manipulations' because they're two different things, or, if they're both manipulators, 'to save others from Lizzie and Robyn's manipulations'.

Ah, Terry, many thanks for the full explanation. That makes perfect sense. Fortunately I had already changed it so both names had apostrophes before sending off.

Thank you all very much!

Deb