genitive question

Share on Facebook

Believer

#443483 Sat, 17 Nov 07 05:02 AM

Hi,

I think there is such a thing as the "genitive of purpose" and a typical example of it is "a girl's school," in which the phrase "girl's school" identifies or tells us that it is a school only girls attend. Can "a girl's shirt" fit in that category too?

(Walks into the store)

John: Hi, I would like to buy a nice girl's shirt for the upcoming my niece's birthday. Do you have something in stock?

Clerk: Sure, I have a nice girl's shirt in that rack. I think it would be a good shirt for you to buy because the style of it is very much in demand now and lots of girls in your niece's age seem to like it.

Then again, how would you know if we are talking about a shirt that belongs to a girl or it is a shirt that is made for girls?

Believer

Joined on Mon, Jan 2 2006

Contributing Member (1,969)

Genitives

Clive

#443486 Sat, 17 Nov 07 05:20 AM

Hi,

(Walks into the store)

John: Hi, I would like to buy a nice girl's shirt for the upcoming my niece's birthday. Do you have something in stock?

Then again, how would you know if we are talking about a shirt that belongs to a girl or it is a shirt that is made for girls? The context would normally make that very clear. When was the last time that you went into a store that sells shirts that belong to individual girls?

Or, consider the likelihood of this scenario.

John walks into a women's store.

Salesclerk: Can I help you?

John: I'd like to buy a girl's shirt.

Salesclerk: Certainly. How about that girl over there? Mary, can you take your shirt off? This gentleman wants to buy it.

Best wishes, Clive Big Smile [:D]

( A girl's shirt is commonly called a blouse. )

Clive

Joined on Thu, Oct 28 2004

Canada

Veteran Member (21,191)

El tango argentino es un pensamiento triste que se puede bailar (The tango argentino is a sad thought which can be danced) Enrique Santos Discépolo

Genitives

Cool Breeze

#443521 Sat, 17 Nov 07 11:32 AM

Believer wrote:
I think there is such a thing as the "genitive of purpose" and a typical example of it is "a girl's school," in which the phrase "girl's school" identifies or tells us that it is a school only girls attend.

Hi Believer

If more than one girl attend the school, the plural genitive must be used: a girls' school. Of course a girl's school is right if the school has only one pupil (a girl) or if you are talking about a girl owning a school, but that is a little far-fetched. Smile [:)]

Many people don't know where to place the apostrophe and I have actually seen a girls school without an apostrophe a few times. Right or wrong? That's a matter of opinion.

Cheers
CB

Cool Breeze

Joined on Fri, Apr 7 2006

Helsinki, Finland

Senior Member (2,857)

The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.- Mark Twain

Plurals, Apostrophes, Genitives