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In the grammatical case now we would learn the functions of some parts of speech in different grammatical constituents. Syntactical case is a linguistics term regarding a manner of categorizing nouns, pronouns, adjectives, participles, and numerals according to their traditionally corresponding syntactical functions within a given phrase, clause, or sentence. In some languages, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, determiners, participles, prepositions, numerals, articles and their modifiers take different inflected forms, depending on their case. English has largely lost its inflected case system although personal pronouns still have three cases, which are simplified forms of the nominative, accusative and genitive cases. They are used with personal pronouns: subjective case (I, you, he, she, it, we, they, who, whoever), objective case (me, you, him, her, it, us, them, whom, whomever) and possessive case (my, mine; your, yours; his; her, hers; its; our, ours; their, theirs; whose; whosever).
Subjective Case
The subjective case is the case used for a noun or pronoun that is the subject of a verb. For example.
The boy eats pies.
(The noun “boy” is the subject of the verb “eats.” “Boy” is a subjective case. In English, nouns do not change in different cases. Pronouns, however, do.)
He eats pies.
(The pronoun “he” is the subject of the verb “eats.” “He” is in the subjective case. In the objective case (i.e., if “he” were not the subject of a verb), this would be “him.” For example, “The cannibals ate him.”)
They eat pies.
(The pronoun “they” is the subject of the verb “eats.” “They” is in the subjective case.)
They eat them.
(Here, “they” is in the subjective case, but “them” is the objective case.)
The subjective case is also used for a subject complement. For example:
Lee is an editor.
(Here, “Lee” is in the subjective case because it’s the subject of “is,” and “editor” is in the subjective case because it’s a subject complement; i.e., it renames the subject.)
It was I.
(Here, “it” is in the subjective case because it’s the subject of “was,” and “I” is in the subjective case because it’s a subject complement; i.e., it renames the subject.)
Objective Case
The objective case is used for nouns and pronouns that function as objects.
There are three types of objects:
Direct Object. The direct object is the thing being acted on by the verb. For example:
I saw her yesterday.
(“Her” is the direct object of the verb “saw.” “Her” is the objective-case version of “she.”)
Indirect Object. The indirect object of a sentence is the recipient of the direct object. For example:
I wrote him a letter.
(“Him” is the indirect object of the verb “wrote”, i.e., the recipient of “a letter,” which is the direct object. “Him” is the objective-case version of “he.”)
Object of a Preposition. The object of a preposition is the noun or pronoun governed by a preposition. For example:
It is a present from them.
(“Them” is the object of the preposition “from.” “Them” is the objective-case version of “they.”)
In English, the objective case only affects personal pronouns (e.g., “I,” “he,” “she,” “we,” “they”). For example, “he” becomes “him,” and “they” becomes “them.”
Examples of the Objective Case (Direct Object)
The direct object of a verb is the thing being acted upon by the verb. In other words, the direct object is the receiver of the action. The direct object can be found by locating the verb and asking “what?” or “whom?”. For example:
Please send him immediately.
(Q: “send” what or whom? A: “him”)
(In this example, the pronoun “him” is in the objective case. It has changed its form from “he” to “him.” “He” is the subjective case version.)
Please send this letter immediately.
(Q: “send” what? A: “this letter”)
(In this example, the noun phrase “this letter” is in the objective case. However, it does not change. Remember that only some personal pronouns change their forms in the objective case in English.)
Examples of the Objective Case (Indirect Object)
The indirect object is the recipient of the direct object. The indirect object can be found by locating the direct object and then asking who or what received it.
Please send me the letter immediately.
(Q: “send” what? A: “the letter”)
(Q: Who (or what) received “the letter? A: “me”)
Friends should always tell you the truth. But, please don’t.
(Q: “tell” what? A: “the truth”)
(Q: Who (or what) received it? A: “you”)
(Not all personal pronouns change their forms in the objective case. In this example, “you” is in the objective case, which is the same spelling as the subjective case version.)
Examples of the Objective Case (Object of a Preposition)
The noun or pronoun after a preposition is known as the object of a preposition. In the examples below, the prepositions are in bold.
She sits with me.
We will sail alongside her.
You can tell a lot about a fellow’s character by his way of eating jellybeans. (President Ronald Reagan)
(Here, the objects of the prepositions are noun clauses. An object can be a single word, a pronoun, a noun phrase, or a noun clause.)
Possessive Case
The possessive case is used for showing possession (i.e., ownership). The possessive case applies to nouns, pronouns, and determiners. For example:
Possessive Nouns. With a noun, the possessive case is usually shown by preceding it with “of” or by adding ‘s (or just ‘) to the end.
Possessive Pronouns. The possessive-case pronouns are “mine,” “yours,” “his,” “hers,” “its,” “ours,” and “theirs.”
Possessive Determiners. The possessive-case determiners are “my,” “your,” “his,” “her,” “its,” “our,” and “their.” (The possessive determiners are known as possessive adjectives in traditional grammar.)
Examples of the Possessive Case
The possessive case is predominantly used for showing possession but not always. Look at these examples (possessive case shaded):
I don’t have a bank account, because I don’t know my mother’s maiden name. (Comedian Paula Poundstone)
(These two are clearly about possession. They mean: “the mother of me” and “the maiden name of my mother.”)
You can tell a lot about a fellow’s character by his way of eating jellybeans. (President Ronald Reagan)
(These two are clearly about possession. They mean: “character of a fellow” and “way of him”)
Psychiatry enables us to correct our faults by confessing our parents’ shortcomings. (Educator Laurence J Peter)
(These three are about possession too.)
My theory of evolution is that Darwin was adopted. (Comedian Steven Wright)
(Remember that a noun can be made possessive by preceding it with “of.” This is common when the possessor is not a person. In this example, the possessor is “evolution,” which “owns” “my theory.” You can see that the idea of possession (i.e., ownership) can be quite abstract.)
Hope is tomorrow’s veneer over today’s disappointment. (Comedian Evan Esar)
(Here are two more examples of abstract possession. How can a time own something? This is common in temporal expressions such as “a day’s pay” and “two weeks’ holiday.”)
Wagner’s music is better than it sounds. (Comedian Edgar Wilson Nye)
(This is another example of abstract possession. Wagner does not own the music. It is music by Wagner. This happens in terms such “children’s stories,” which are stories for children (not owned by them), and “Picasso’s paintings,” which are paintings by Picasso (not owned by him).
Vocative Case
The vocative case is used to show direct address (i.e., to show when you are talking to somebody or something directly). In English, words in the vocative case are offset using commas.
Easy Examples of the Vocative Case
Hi, Sarah.
Jack, get off.
I know, Stephen.
(The comma before Stephen is required to show Stephen is being addressed. Without the comma, it means I know a person called Stephen.)
Dammit, sir, it is your duty to get married. You can’t always live for pleasure. (Playwright Oscar Wilde)
Nominative Case
The nominative case is the case used for a noun or pronoun which is the subject of a verb. For example (nominative case shaded):
Mark eats cakes.
(The noun “Mark” is the subject of the verb “eats.” “Mark” is in the nominative case. In English, nouns do not change in different cases. Pronouns, however, do.)
He eats cakes.
(The pronoun “He” is the subject of the verb “eats.” “He” is in the nominative case.)
They eat cakes.
(The pronoun “They” is the subject of the verb “eats.” “They” is in the nominative case.)
The nominative case is also used for a subject complement. For example:
Mark is a businessman.
(Here, “Mark” is in the nominative case because it’s the subject of “is,” and “businessman” is in the nominative case because it’s a subject complement; i.e., it renames the subject.)
It was I.
(Here, “It” is in the nominative case because it’s the subject of “was,” and “I” is in the nominative case because it’s a subject complement; i.e., it renames the subject.)
The nominative case is also known as the subjective case.
Accusative Case
The accusative case’s main function is to show the direct object of a verb.
You can find the direct object by finding the verb and asking “what?” (or “whom?”).
Examples of the Accusative Case
Here are some examples of the accusative case with an explanation of how to find the direct object:
She stroked the cat.
Step 1. Find the verb = “stroked”
Step 2. Ask “What?” = “the cat”
Therefore, the direct object is the cat. The words the cat are in the accusative case. Luckily for us, nouns do not change their forms in the accusative case. Some pronouns do though.
Barney will draw him tomorrow.
Step 1. Find the verb = “will draw”
Step 2. Ask “What?” = “him”
Therefore, the direct object is him. The pronoun him is in the accusative case. It has changed from he to him.
The Accusative Case Is the Objective Case
In English, we use the term objective case for the accusative case and the dative case.
Apposition
Apposition is a grammatical construction in which two elements, normally noun phrases, are placed side by side and so one element identifies the other in a different way. The two elements are said to be in apposition, and one of the elements is called the appositive, but its identification requires consideration of how the elements are used in a sentence.
Example
The boy, a great artist, is my brother.
Subhas, a brilliant fighter, reads with us.
My sister, Kakali, reads with Bhola.
Mithu, a singer, came to my house.
Exercise
Find out nouns from the following sentences and classify them.
1. Always speak the truth
2. We all love honest people.
3. Kolkata is my city.
4. He was my class teacher.
5. A committee of five was appointed.
6 The students are learning grammar.
7. Without health there is no happiness.
8. Never tell a lie.
9. Wisdom is better than strength.
10. Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister of India.
Change the gender of the following words.
Boy, Lion, Hero, peacock, Bull, Wife, Queen, Lady, Woman, Nun, Grandfather, Dog, Goose, Niece
Change singular to plural and plural to singular
Tree, Box, Ox, Man, Boy, Class, Brush, Dish, Branch, Ratio, Photo, Logo, Baby, Lady, Story, Army, thief, wolves, knives, lives, halves
Find out and name the cases in the following sentences.
a. Shakespeare’s plays.
b. A mother’s love.
c. The book is on the desk.
d. Give me the cover of the table.
e. Kabir, the great reformer, was a weaver.
f. His parents are doctors.
g. They appear to be gypsies.
h. Mahira, a writer, is from Kolkata.
i. We received her letter.
j. Rohan is a good boy.
