Практическая грамматика

The Absolute Genitive (Possessive)

The Dependent Genitive (Possessive) is used with the noun it modifies and comes before it.
The Absolute Genitive (Possessive) may be used without any noun or be separated from the noun it modifies.


A. The Dependent Genitive.
1. The chief meaning of the genitive (possessive) case is that of possession:
… a young man and a girl came out of the solicitor's office.
(Braine)
He stayed at Fanny's flat. (Aldington)

2. Very close to the meaning of possession is that of a part to a whole:

A faint smile had come on Victorine's face - she was adding up
the money she might earn. (Galsworthy)
His sister's eyes fixed on him with certain astonishment obliged
him at last to look at Fleur. (Galsworthy)

3. The Dependent Genitive (Possessive) may express the doer of an action (the so-called subjective genitive) or show that some person is the object of the action (the so-called objective genitive):

It was Tom's step, then, that Maggie heard on the steps. (Eliot)
Gwendolyn’s reception in the neighborhood fulfilled her uncle's expectations. (Eliot)

4. The noun in the genitive (possessive) case may denote qualitative rela­tions:

He looked ever so much smarter in his new officer's clothes with
the little blue chevron... (Aldington)

The use of the genitive (possessive) case of nouns denoting inanimate things and abstract notions is rather limited.

The genitive (possessive) case of nouns denoting inanimate things may denote the relations between a part and the whole.
... the sudden shaking of an aspen's leaves in the puffs of breeze that rose along the river... (Galsworthy)
He stepped on the truck's running board hanging on with his left arm. (Heym)

The genitive (possessive) case of nouns expressing time, distance and weight is widely used.

From the depot he was sent to the officers' training camp with two days' leave. (Aldington)
They both quite took to him again and during his month's leave gave him a good time. (Aldington)
There is a remnant still of the last year's golden clusters... (Eliot)
The three of us had had dinner, and walked down past the theatre to the river's edge. (Snow)

The genitive (possessive) case is used in some set expressions: for heaven's (God's) sake; to one's heart's delight; at one's wit's end; a stone's throw); a hair's breadth etc.

When Saturday came round I was at my wit’s end. (Cronin)

The genitive (possessive) case is often used with the nouns town, city, country, river, water, ocean, wind, world etc.

And the wind’s rustle was so gentle…(Galsworthy)