The Noun – Case

The Noun – Case Introduction:

A grammatical case indicates the function of nouns and pronouns in regards to their relationship with other words in a sentence.

Noun – Case Definition:

The case of a noun tells us about the position of that noun in a sentence. 

Noun – Case types:

There are five types of cases in English Grammar. 

They are:

• Nominative case (Subjective Case)
• Accusative case (Objective case)
• Possessive case (Genitive case)
• Vocative case (Nominative of Address)
• Dative case (Refers to Indirect Object)

Nominative case:  If a Noun or Pronoun is used as the subject of a verb, it is said to be in the Nominative Case.

 For Example: 

• Mr. Reddy taught us English.
• The flower gives us fragrance.

Here in the above sentences, Mr. Reddy and the flower are the subjects of the verbs and so they are said to be in the Nominative or Subjective Case.

How do we find the Nominative Case in a sentence?  

Simply ask a question with the words who? or what?. The answer that you get is a Nominative Case.

For Example: 

 In the 1st sentence above, who taught us English? 

The answer is Mr. Reddy. So Mr. Reddy is a Nominative Case.

Similarly, in the 2nd sentence, what gives us fragrance?

Evidently, the answer is the flower.  So the flower is a Nominative Case.

Accusative case: If a Noun or Pronoun is used as the object of a verb, it is said to be in the Objective or Accusative Case.

For Example: 

• Mr. Reddy taught us English.
• The flower gives us fragrance.

Here in the above sentences, English and fragrance are the objects of the verbs and so they are said to be in the Objective or Accusative Case.

How do we find the Accusative Case in a sentence?  

Simply,  question the above sentences with the words what? or whom?. The answer that you get is an Accusative Case.

For Example: 

 In the 1st sentence above, what was taught to us by Mr. Reddy? 

The answer is English. So English is an Objective Case.

Similarly, in the 2nd sentence, what does the flower give us?

Evidently, the answer is fragrance.  So fragrance is an Objective Case.

Note: A noun that is used after a preposition is also said to be in the Accusative Case.

For Example: 

• The laptop is on the table.
• The bottle is in the fridge.

Here the table and the fridge are in the Accusative Case.

Possessive case: If a Noun denotes possession or ownership, it is said to be in the Possessive or Genitive Case.

For Example: 

• This is Mr. Madhav’s car. (It means that the car belongs to Mr. Madhav)
• This is a very big children’s park in the city. (It means that a very big park belongs to the children)

Here in the above sentences, Mr. Madhav’s car and children’s park are said to be in the Possessive Case.

How do we find the Possessive Case in a sentence?  

Simply,  question the above sentences with the word whose?. The answer that you get is a Possessive Case.

For example:

In the 1st sentence above, whose car is this? 

The answer is Mr. Madhav’s. So Mr. Madhav’s is a Possessive Case.

Similarly, in the 2nd sentence, whose park is this in the city?

Evidently, the answer is children’s park.  So children’s park is a Possessive Case.

Some more examples:

Banana’s recipe, bottle’s colour, cat’s fur, mobile’s screen, frog’s eggs, Engineers’ convention, Lions’ club, principals’ welfare, houses’ design, geese’s eggs, feet’s toenails, cattle’s pasture, mice’s traps,vice-principal’s duty, sons-in-law’s marriage  

For more details about Possessive Case or Noun

Vocative case: If a noun is used to name or call a person or thing addressed, it is said to be in the Vocative Case. This is also called the Nominative of Address. (Generally, it is used to get the attention of a person or thing) 

For example:

• Boys, don’t go there.
• Ricky, please close the door.
• Fetch me a piece of chalk, Rajan.
• Sir, May I come in?

In the above sentences, Boys, Ricky, Rajan and Sir are the names of the persons addressed.  So they are said to be in the Vocative Case or Nominative of Address.. 

Dative case: If a noun is used as an Indirect Object of the verb in a sentence, it is said to be in the Dative Case.

For example:

• Mr. Reddy taught us English.
• Venkat has given Susan some amount.
• The management supplied the staff‘ extra resources.
• Vanitha offered me a cup of coffee.
• The teacher asked the girls several questions.

In the above sentences, every verb has two objects – Direct and Indirect. 

English, some amount, extra resources, a cup of coffee and several questions are Direct Objects. 

Whereas,

Us, Susan, the staff, me and the girls are called Indirect Objects which are said to be in the Dative Case.

How do we find the Dative Case or Indirect Object in a sentence?  

Simply question the sentences with ‘to whom?’ and the answer you get is called an Indirect Object.

Note: The Dative Case or Indirect Object can be placed immediately after the verb or after the Direct Object following a Preposition.

Examples:

• She gave me a flower.
• She gave a flower to me.

Summary of the Noun Case:

1. The Nominative Case refers to the Subject of the Verb.
2. The Accusative Case refers to the Object of the Verb.
3. The Possessive Case refers to the Possession or Ownership of the Noun.
4. The Vocative Case refers to the Noun addressed or called.
5. The Dative Case refers to the Indirect Object of the Verb.

Noun – Case Exercise:

Find out the noun and its case in the following sentences:

1. Krishna helped Arjuna in many ways.
2. Mr.Akhil, students are waiting for you in the classroom.
3. Students, listen to an important announcement.
4. Sameera, Congratulations! Keep it up.
5. My friend gave me a book.
6. Mom, Where are you going?
7. She offered me all her money.
8. You are everything for my son, teacher.
9. My friends attended Rahul’s wedding.
10. This is one of your schools.
11. Students are attending virtual classes.
12. The management did not pay the teachers their salaries.
13. There is my uncle’s factory.
14. This is Sudeep’s answer paper.
15. The teachers accepted the principal’s message.
16. This message is for you, uncle.

Answers:

1. Krishna – Nominative Case, Arjuna – Objective Case
2. Mr. Akhil – Nominative Case
3. Students – Vocative Case
4. Sameera – Vocative Case
5. My friend – Nominative Case, Me – Dative Case, a Book – Objective Case
6. Mom – Vocative Case
7. Me – Dative Case, All her money – Objective Case
8. Teacher – Vocative Case
9. My friends – Nominative Case, Rahul’s wedding – Objective Case
10. You schools – Objective Case
11. Students – Nominative Case, Virtual Classes – Objective Case
12. The Management – Nominative Case, The teachers – Dative Case, Their salaries – Objective Case
13. Uncle’s factory – Possessive Case
14. Sudeep’s answer paper – Possessive Case
15. The teachers – Nominative Case, The Principal’s message – Possessive Case
16. This message – Nominative Case, Uncle – Vocative Case

• Types of Nouns
• Proper Nouns
• Common Nouns
• Collective Nouns
• Nouns of Multitude
• Material Nouns
• Abstract Nouns
• Compound Nouns
• Gender of the Noun
• Singular and Plural Nouns
• Possessive Nouns
• A list of Partitives
• Appositive
• List of Countable and Uncountable Nouns
• Countable and Uncountable Nouns