Question about the genitive of possession

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pin130
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Question about the genitive of possession

Post by pin130 »

I'm under the impression (maybe mistaken) that the genitive of possession goes before the thing possessed,
such as "pueros ceteros ad lupi speluncam vocavit" the wolf's cave (Nutting exercise 42). Yet I've seen it turned around, such as in exercise 41: "go with them into the sailor's boat"--translated in the key as "cum eis in cymbam nautae ire". Is it true that the genitive of possession goes first? Or do other factor's determine which goes first?

Nesrad
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Re: Question about the genitive of possession

Post by Nesrad »

I believe Nutting says at some point that the genitive precedes the noun it qualifies, but this is by no means a rule. I've asked myself the same question in the past, and I got different answers depending on the grammar I consulted, with a slight preference for the genitive before the noun.

pin130
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Re: Question about the genitive of possession

Post by pin130 »

Thanks Nesrad. But does this mean you choose which goes first by the way it sounds better to the ear?
What made you choose one way for these words and the other way for those words?

Nesrad
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Re: Question about the genitive of possession

Post by Nesrad »

I think I was trying to avoid putting "in" before the genitive in order to not cause confusion in the mind of a beginner.

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