Definition

1. Noun:
   • A grammatical construction: The "attributive genitive case" is a grammatical term for a noun or pronoun in the genitive case that functions to modify another noun, acting similarly to an attributive adjective. It indicates a relationship of possession, origin, or association between the two nouns.

Usage

• This term is used in the technical analysis of grammar and syntax, specifically when describing the function of a genitive form within a noun phrase.
• It describes a word that is the genitive case and is being used an attributive modifier.

Examples

• Noun:
  • In the phrase "the car's engine," the word "car's" is in the attributive genitive case.
  • The classic example of the attributive genitive case is "John's" in the phrase "John's book."

Advanced Usage

• Distinction from Predicative Use: The attributive genitive is contrasted with a genitive used predicatively (e.g., "This book is John's"). The attributive genitive directly precedes and modifies the head noun.
• Syntactic Role: While in the genitive case, its syntactic role within the larger noun phrase is that of a determiner or a modifier, not the head noun.

Variants and Related Words

• Attributive Genitive (noun): A shortened, more common form of "attributive genitive case."
• Genitive Case (noun): The grammatical case that typically expresses possession or close association.
• Saxon Genitive (noun): A term often used for the English possessive construction (e.g., ), which is a primary example of the attributive genitive.

Synonyms

• Possessive Modifier: A less technical term describing its function.
• Genitive Attribute: A synonymous grammatical term.

Related Phrases/Constructions

• Double Genitive: A construction that combines the attributive genitive with an "of"-phrase (e.g., ). The word "John's" in this construction is still analyzed as an attributive genitive.

Noun

1. a word in the genitive case that is used as an attributive adjective
   • an example of the attributive genetive is `John's' in `John's mother'