girl's

USAGE SUMMARY

The part of the phrase "girl's" is correct and usable in written English.
It is typically used to indicate possession, meaning something belongs to or is associated with a girl. Example: "The girl's backpack was left on the bus."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

The girl's not sane.

The New York Times

She's a girl's girl.

The New York Times

It's every girl's dream.

Huffington Post

She's a real girl's girl".

The New York Times

A girl's voice.

The New Yorker

The little girl's face.

Independent

Steve likes girl's toes.

Independent

The girl's father flinched.

The New Yorker

I'm a girl's girl.

The New York Times

The girl's heart paused.

The New Yorker

The girl's husband.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "girl's", ensure the apostrophe is correctly placed to indicate possession (e.g., "the girl's toy") or a contraction of "girl is" (though this is less common).

Common error

Avoid confusing "girl's" with "girls" (plural) or "girls'" (plural possessive). "Girl's" indicates something belonging to one girl, while "girls'" indicates something belonging to multiple girls.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "girl's" primarily functions as a possessive adjective, modifying a noun to indicate ownership or association. Ludwig AI confirms this with numerous examples showing "girl's" modifying nouns like "book", "dream", and "attention".

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

78%

Science

17%

Formal & Business

1%

Less common in

Academia

1%

Encyclopedias

1%

Wiki

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "girl's" functions primarily as a possessive adjective, indicating ownership or association with a girl. As noted by Ludwig AI, the phrase is grammatically correct and very common, appearing frequently in news and media contexts. When using "girl's", ensure the apostrophe is correctly placed to avoid confusion with plural forms. Alternatives such as "belonging to the girl" or "of the girl" can be used to vary your writing style, but "girl's" remains a direct and widely understood way to express possession.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Her

A simple pronoun indicating possession by a specific girl previously mentioned.

Belonging to the girl

This alternative uses a prepositional phrase to indicate possession, rather than the possessive form.

Of the girl

Similar to 'belonging to', this uses a preposition to show association or origin.

The girl's own

Emphasizes the personal nature of the possession or attribute.

A female child's

More formal and precise way of indicating possession, emphasizing the child's gender.

A daughter's

Specifies the possessive as belonging to a daughter, rather than just any girl.

Designed for girls

Focuses on the intended recipient when referring to items like clothing or toys.

Intended for a girl

This phrase clarifies the purpose or recipient, focusing on design or suitability.

A girl's attribute

Focuses on qualities or characteristics typically associated with girls.

A feminine

Indicates that something is characteristically associated with girls or women.

FAQs

How is "girl's" used in a sentence to show possession?

Use "girl's" to indicate that something belongs to a girl. For example, "The "girl's book" was on the table" shows the book belongs to the girl.

When should I use "girls'" instead of "girl's"?

Use "girls'" to show possession by multiple girls. For example, "The "girls' team" won the championship" indicates the team belongs to several girls.

Can I use a different phrase instead of "girl's" to indicate possession?

Yes, you can use phrases like "belonging to the girl" or "of the girl" as alternatives to "girl's". For example, "The toy "belonging to the girl" was broken".

What is the difference between "girl's" and "girls"?

"Girl's" indicates possession by a single girl or is a contraction of "girl is", while "girls" is the plural form of "girl". For example, "Those are "girls" playing in the park" refers to multiple girls.