Exercise. In the following sentences select the nouns Tell why they are that are in the nominative case. in the nominative case. 1. The father plodded homeward through the snow. 5. Tom is cheer-leader for the school. 6. The messenger delivered the package promptly. 7. Mr. Roberts, our landlord, keeps the house in good repair. 8. Patrasche was the famous dog of Flanders. 9. A gift should be a token of affection. 10. Anthony Wayne, the leader of the Americans, was beloved by his men. 11. Will you please bring me my book, John? 12. Our pastor, Mr. Richards, is an excellent preacher. Assignments for fast workers. Draw a diagram similar to the one inserted here. Find all nouns in the nominative case in a paragraph in your history and fill in the required points. Change papers with another pupil in the group of fast workers and check your answers together. 68. CASE OF NOUNS AND PRONOUNS POSSESSIVE Mary's gloves are warm and comfortable. In this sentence there are two nouns. is used as the subject of the sentence. One (gloves) The other (Mary's) tells whose gloves are warm and comfortable. In other words, it tells who owns or possesses the gloves. Nouns which show possession are said to be in the possessive case.* 1. The children's toys were scattered about the floor. 2. Ben held a robin's nest in his hand. 3. The men applauded the Mayor's decision. 4. The chairman crowned the poet's head with laurel. 5. The boy's father was proud of him. These examples show that the form of the noun in the possessive case is distinguished from that of the nominative. The possessive case is distinguished from the nominative by the addition of an apostrophe and s to the nominative form. It should be noticed that the possessive form is always used with another noun, which it possesses or modifies. For this reason the possessive is much like an adjective in its relation to the noun of which it shows possession. Exercise. Select the nouns in the possessive case: 1. Penn's treaty with the Indians was signed under an elm tree. 2. That man's fortune was made through his industry. 3. The teacher's sympathy comforted the child greatly. 4. The game was won by Harry's team. 5. Wanamaker's store is on Broadway. 6. Edison's famous inventions have been valuable. 7. The leopard's skin is spotted. * The terms possessive and genitive mean the same thing. The term genitive is sometimes preferred because of its use in languages other than English. 8. The President's proclamation asks us to celebrate Thanksgiving. 9. We studied Longfellow's poem, The Children's Hour. 10. A famous old elm stands near the poet's home. As a rule, only nouns referring to living beings are put in the possessive case. The possessive of inanimate objects is usually indicated by the use of a preposition, as: The color of the automobile is red. (correct) The automobile's color is red. (incorrect) The following list shows exceptions to this rule: 1. Expressions about time: If a noun ends in the letter s it forms its possessive in the usual way, that is, by adding the apostrophe and s. Curtis's house is the fourth one from the corner. The possessive of plurals ending in s is made by adding an apostrophe to the plural form. Example: The girls' association made many Christmas gifts for poor children. The possessive of plurals not ending in s is formed by adding an apostrophe and s. Example: The children's clothes were torn. 69. CASE OF NOUNS AND PRONOUNS-OBJECTIVE 1. We built a boat. I 2. I sharpened the pencil. What did we build? Notice that the verb built shows that the subject, We, performs an action directly upon the word boat. The word boat is called the object of the verb. What are the objects of the verbs sharpened, frightened, and lost? Notice that the object does not explain the subject. performed by the subject. It receives the action that is To find the object of the verb, first find the verb in the sentence. Then find the subject by asking yourself, "Who or what -?" Thus, in the first sentence, the word built makes the assertion. By asking yourself, "Who built?" you will find the subject We. After you have the subject and verb, ask the question, "Does the subject perform an action upon another word?" If it does, the word is the object. If the word which follows the verb explains the subject, it is a predicate nominative and not an object. The name of the person or thing that receives the action performed by the subject is called the direct object. (The direct object of the verb is also sometimes called the object complement.) Which of the verbs in the following sentences have objects? Name the objects. 1. The hunter heard the cry of a mountain lion. 2. Leaping on his horse, he laid his gun across his saddle. 3. That night he camped far up in the mountains. 4. The next afternoon, the rider suddenly discovered the wild creature. 5. He pursued him for many miles. 6. He came upon him at last. 7. The hunter shot too high. 8. The shot wounded the lion, but it did not kill him. 9. The next shot was more successful. 10. It struck the lion in a vital spot. 11. He sprang forward, but fell before he reached the hunter. 12. The hunter took the lion's skin home. The object of a verb names that which receives an action performed by the subject. A noun or pronoun used as the object of a verb is said to be in the objective (accusative) case.* II OBJECT OF A PREPOSITION Notice the following sentences: 1. There are no birds in last year's nest. The Winter of the Spring. *The terms objective and accusative mean the same thing. The term accusative is preferred by some teachers because of its use in languages other than English. |