I know we have a lot of people on here who like grammar, so I was hoping a few of you could help me out with this one...

It's a header, and it needs to lead with the number:

4 thousand unique individual's behaviour analysed

Basically I can't work out whether that apostrophe in 'individual's' is right. Should it go after the 's', since we're talking about 2 million individuals as a collective? Or does the word 'unique' change that?

As a side note, I think the word 'unique' is redundant because individuals by their very nature are unique. But forget that for now.

Individuals'

...and I'd concur on your aside about the use of 'unique'...

Cheers - that was my gut feeling. Now the really tricky part... can you explain why?

It is the plural possessive:

http://www.scribendi.com/advice/how_to_use_plural_possessives_properly.en.html

On an aside, writing the number '4 thousand' in this sense isn't very good form.

You should really use either '4,000' or 'Four thousand'.

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/10-rules-for-writing-numbers-and-numerals/

Adding the word unique is completely redundant, as you note.

Thanks.

The way I see it is:

4,000 unique individuals' behaviour is the noun phrase, with behaviour the head noun.

Analysed is the adverb (the verb is has been dropped, something headlines tend to do).

So the 'behaviour' we're analysing belongs to the 4,000 unique individuals.

It'd be much easier if we could say: "We analysed the behaviour of 4,000 individuals" but alas, the number has to come first in this instance.

I thought this was an ask your nana type question thread  ;)

Anyone know what pub does a lovely cavarly  ;D

Quoted from RichMariner

Thanks.

The way I see it is:

4,000 unique individuals' behaviour is the noun phrase, with behaviour the head noun.

Analysed is the adverb (the verb is has been dropped, something headlines tend to do).

So the 'behaviour' we're analysing belongs to the 4,000 unique individuals.

It'd be much easier if we could say: "We analysed the behaviour of 4,000 individuals" but alas, the number has to come first in this instance.

I am intrigued to know what the outcome was after the four thousand had been analysed. ;)

Quoted from Maringer

It is the plural possessive:

http://www.scribendi.com/advice/how_to_use_plural_possessives_properly.en.html

On an aside, writing the number '4 thousand' in this sense isn't very good form.

You should really use either '4,000' or 'Four thousand'.

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/10-rules-for-writing-numbers-and-numerals/

Adding the word unique is completely redundant, as you note.

Isn't the word "completely" redundant?  :)

Completely.

It was just a rhetorical device. One of these, I expect:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_rhetorical_terms

I'll be buggered if I'm going to try and work out which was it was though.  ;)

I agree with the feedback comments above. Is the 4,000 meant to be an exact number or an approximation?

It's an approximation.

I've been editing and proof reading a presentation that I'm not a part of, so the context to all of this is fairly limited I'm afraid.

I believe "unique individuals" and "completely redundant" are examples of pleonasm - a bit like:

• Personal friends (since when are friends not personal?)
  
• Added bonuses (bonuses by their very nature are additional)
  
• Free gifts (if you have to pay for it, it's not a gift)
  

Quoted from RichMariner

It's an approximation.

I've been editing and proof reading a presentation that I'm not a part of, so the context to all of this is fairly limited I'm afraid.

I believe "unique individuals" and "completely redundant" are examples of pleonasm - a bit like:

• Personal friends (since when are friends not personal?) When they're FaceBook friends?
  
• Added bonuses (bonuses by their very nature are additional)
  
• Free gifts (if you have to pay for it, it's not a gift)
  

Quoted from RichMariner

It's an approximation.

I've been editing and proof reading a presentation that I'm not a part of, so the context to all of this is fairly limited I'm afraid.

I believe "unique individuals" and "completely redundant" are examples of pleonasm - a bit like:

• Personal friends (since when are friends not personal?)
  
• Added bonuses (bonuses by their very nature are additional)
  
• Free gifts (if you have to pay for it, it's not a gift) Gifts that cost nothing i.e. wild flowers