Here's a breakdown:
* Genitive case: This is a grammatical case that typically indicates possession or ownership. In English, it's often marked by an apostrophe-s ('s) or the preposition "of."
* Adverbial: Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, providing information about how, when, where, or to what extent something happens.
* Functioning as an adverb: In an adverbial genitive, the genitive noun is not directly related to the verb or adjective it modifies in a possessive sense. Instead, it modifies the action or quality expressed by the verb or adjective, functioning as an adverb.
Examples:
* "He walked a mile's distance." Here, "a mile's distance" is in the genitive case and functions as an adverb, modifying the verb "walked" by specifying how far he walked.
* "She was a moment's silence." "A moment's" is the genitive, functioning as an adverb modifying the adjective "silence" by specifying the duration of the silence.
* "He spoke a whisper's volume." "A whisper's" is the genitive, acting as an adverb modifying the verb "spoke" by indicating the volume of his speech.
Key points to remember:
* Adverbial genitives are often used to express duration, distance, measure, or manner.
* They can be distinguished from possessive genitives by their function: an adverbial genitive modifies an action or quality, while a possessive genitive indicates ownership.
* The use of adverbial genitives is less common in modern English compared to other languages.
Understanding the adverbial genitive can help you analyze and interpret sentences more effectively, recognizing how a genitive noun can contribute to the meaning of a phrase.