Modification by nouns in the genitive case

The use of articles with nouns in the genitive case is accounted for by the element of the combination to which it refers.

1. The article which refers to the noun in the genitive case is chosen in accordance with the general rules.

The articles here refer to the noun boy’s which together with the article is a determiner to the noun books.

Note. When the noun in the genitive case is a proper name, there is naturally no article.

2. When an attribute is expressed by a noun in the genitive case it refers to the head-noun, as in a women’s college, a children’s hospital, a doctor’s degree, widow’s weeds, a doll’s house, cow’s milk, lady’s clothes, etc. It is important to note that such combinations cannot be substituted for by of-phrase. The article for the head-noun is chosen in accordance with the general rules:

Is there a girls’ school in this area?

“I’m looking for the girls’ school ”, she said, “that used to be here when I was a child”.

Girls’ schools are not popular nowadays.

As the article in the examples above refers to the head noun, the noun in the genitive case may have the plural form and yet be preceded by the indefinite article, as in a soldiers’ canteen, a three miles’ walk, a fifteen minutes’ break.

A noun in the genitive case used as a descriptive attribute is not a determiner; it may be preceded by other attributes also referring to the head- noun:

They gave the girl a beautiful doll’s house as a birthday present.

The expensive widow’s weeds only emphasized her prettiness.