Which of the following sentences contains an error in the use of the genitive noun case?

Which of the following sentences contains an error in the use of the genitive noun case?

• A. The girl's dress is beautiful.
• B. The cats licking its paws.
• C. That is Peter's bike.
• D. The teacher's desk is messy.

Answer: (B)

The sentence "The cats licking its paws" contains an error in the use of the genitive noun case due to the incorrect use of the possessive pronoun "its." In this context, the sentence likely intends to convey ownership related to multiple cats. To accurately reflect the genitive case, the possessive form should match the plural subject. The correct form would be "the cats licking their paws," as "their" is the appropriate possessive pronoun representing multiple entities (in this case, the cats). The other sentences accurately use the genitive case. "The girl's dress" correctly denotes a singular possessive form where the dress belongs to one girl. "That is Peter's bike" correctly shows possession of the bike by one individual named Peter. Similarly, "the teacher's desk" indicates that the desk belongs to one teacher. Each of these sentences properly employs the genitive noun case to show possession.

The sentence "The cats licking its paws" contains an error in the use of the genitive noun case due to the incorrect use of the possessive pronoun "its."

In this context, the sentence likely intends to convey ownership related to multiple cats. To accurately reflect the genitive case, the possessive form should match the plural subject. The correct form would be "the cats licking their paws," as "their" is the appropriate possessive pronoun representing multiple entities (in this case, the cats).

The other sentences accurately use the genitive case. "The girl's dress" correctly denotes a singular possessive form where the dress belongs to one girl. "That is Peter's bike" correctly shows possession of the bike by one individual named Peter. Similarly, "the teacher's desk" indicates that the desk belongs to one teacher. Each of these sentences properly employs the genitive noun case to show possession.