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This page pertains to UD version 2.

nmod:poss: possessive nominal modifier

A subtype of nmod, nmod:poss is used for a possessive modifier preceding its nominal head. The modifier could be a possessive pronoun or a noun with a genitive case clitic (e.g. ‘s). This relation is not used for other pre-head modifiers such as noun compounds or quotative phrases.

Marie 's book
nmod:poss(book, Marie)
case(Marie, 's)
my book
nmod:poss(book, my)

If preceded by a determiner, the determiner normally belongs within the possessive phrase:

the Chair 's office
det(Chair-2, the-1)
nmod:poss(office-4, Chair-2)
case(Chair-2, 's-3)

However, when the possessive modifier denotes kind rather than a referent, the determiner attaches outside the possessive phrase:

a children 's story
det(story, a)
nmod:poss(story, children)
case(children, 's)

The indefinite article clearly agrees in number with story and not children.


nmod:poss in other languages: [apu] [bej] [bm] [en] [fi] [ga] [hbo] [hy] [id] [jv] [koi] [kpv] [ky] [mdf] [myv] [pcm] [sms] [sv] [swl] [tr] [u] [vi]