Grammar: Forming Possessives

I have a document about a problem description where that description is given step by step, like this:

1. RED entry


2. BLUE entry


3. ...

Now, I want to explicitly refer to two entries in that document, but I'm not sure about the most grammatically correct way to express myself:

1. In problem's description at RED and BLUE' entries the word X must be replaced by Y.


2. In problem's description at RED and BLUE's entries the word X must be replaced by Y.


3. In problem's description at entries RED and BLUE the word X must be replaced by Y

Which one of that is the most correct ?

Answer

None of your sentences are particularly easy to understand for a native English speaker. I think what you mean is something like this:

In the problem description for the RED and BLUE entries, the word X must be replaced by Y.

You have two cases where you are using a possessive with -'s where you should just be using an attributive, namely:

• problem's description -> the problem description


• RED and BLUE's entries -> the RED and BLUE entries

Note that in both cases you really need the definite article.

The reason for this is that the English possessive is typically only used in places where the possessor actually owns the possessed thing. In situations where the possessor is inanimate or is only associated with the possessed thing, the attributive is more often used (though in some situations the possessive may still occur).