Breakdown of Professori hylkäsi hakemuksen lautakunnan harkinnan nojalla.
professori
the professor
hakemus
application
hylätä
to reject / to abandon
nojalla
by virtue of / on the basis of
lautakunta
the committee / the board
harkinta
the consideration
Questions & Answers about Professori hylkäsi hakemuksen lautakunnan harkinnan nojalla.
Why are both lautakunnan and harkinnan in the genitive case before nojalla?
The postposition nojalla requires the noun it governs to be in the genitive case. Here, it governs harkinta (consideration), making it harkinnan. Before that, lautakunnan is just a standard genitive modifier indicating whose consideration it is (the board's). This creates a natural chain of genitives.
Could I use perusteella instead of nojalla in this sentence?
Yes, perusteella (on the grounds of / based on) would also work perfectly here. However, nojalla carries a slightly more formal, official, or legal nuance (by virtue of / on the authority of). This fits perfectly in a bureaucratic context like a board making an official decision.
Why is the object hakemuksen in the genitive-looking accusative case rather than the partitive?
The verb hylätä (to reject) expresses a completed, definitive action. The professor didn't just reject a part of the application or engage in an ongoing process; the whole application was completely rejected. Therefore, it takes the total object case, which for a singular noun ends in -n.
What is the base form of harkinnan, and why does its spelling change?
The base form is the noun harkinta (consideration or deliberation), derived from the verb harkita (to consider). When you add the genitive -n ending to satisfy the postposition nojalla, consonant gradation triggers. The strong -nt- cluster weakens to -nn-, resulting in harkinnan.
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