genitive
/ˈdʒenətɪv/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈdʒenətɪv/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈdʒen.ɪ.tɪv/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈdʒen.ə.t̬ɪv/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈje-nə-tiv/ (ame, mw)
genitive — noun
- genitivesingular
- genitivesplural
1. A word form found in many languages that marks ownership or belonging. In Englis
A word form found in many languages that marks ownership or belonging. In English, the genitive appears as 's (as in Maria's bag) or as an of-phrase (the cover of the book).
Kenji's teacher taught the class about the genitive and how it changes German article endings.
Linnea looked up the genitive form of the Latin word for 'friend' in her textbook.
collocation: genitive form
The genitive in English is usually just an apostrophe and an s added to a noun.
The exam asked Mika to identify every genitive in a short passage from a Russian story.
Ravi wrote a note reminding himself to review the genitive before the Polish test.
- possessive case
the more common school-grammar term; narrower, strongly implies ownership
- possessive form
broader, can include non-case constructions like 'of the dog'
文法句型
the genitive
in the genitive
用法筆記
In English grammar teaching, 'genitive' is often used alongside the simpler term 'possessive case.' The genitive covers both the 's form (Sara's book) and the of-construction (the cover of the book). Not every language marks the genitive the same way — case endings, word order, and prepositions can all serve the same role.
常見錯誤
genitive — adjective
- genitivepositive
- more genitivecomparative
- most genitivesuperlative
1. Used to describe a word or form that indicates possession or a close link betwee
Used to describe a word or form that indicates possession or a close link between two things in a sentence.
Zara circled every genitive ending she found in the Old English poem.
collocation: genitive ending
Theo forgot to add the genitive marker to the father's name on his homework.
The textbook had a clear table showing all six genitive forms of the Russian word for 'sister'.
Tariq's grammar book explained how genitive adjective endings change with the noun's gender.
Jin asked the tutor why some genitive constructions in Greek use a different word order.
- possessive
more general, used for any ownership marking in grammar
文法句型
genitive + case/ending/form/marker/construction
用法筆記
Always appears before a noun (attributive only). Distinguish from the noun sense: you say 'the genitive case' (adjective) or 'the genitive' (noun), but not 'a genitive case ending' to mean the case itself — there, 'genitive' is the adjective modifying 'case ending.'