Cases
Cases
The vocative case is one of the 4 main cases in modern English. The vocative case is used to
indicate direct address (i.e., talking to somebody directly). Names in the vocative case are offset
using commas.
Examples:
Interactive example:
Do me a favour, Kev, and ask Tim to stop bleating about the wind. [show me the vocative case]
Nouns and pronouns in the vocative case are identical to those in subjective case. However, they
should be offset using comma(s). This is why the vocative case is distinguished as a case.
Genitive Case
The genitive case is one of the 4 main cases in modern English. Whilst it has other uses
(explained below), it is predominantly the form used to indicate possession. For nouns, it is
usually created by adding 's to the word or by preceding it with "of".
Examples:
Carl's haircut
the edge of the table
When the genitive case is used to show possession, it may also be classified as the "possessive
case".
Example:
Examples:
Possessive adjectives and possessive personal pronouns are also considered as being genitive
forms.
Examples:
Subjective Case
The subjective case, or nominative case, is one of the 4 main cases in modern English. It is used
for any noun or pronoun that is the subject of a verb.
Examples:
Interactive example:
Further to your letter, we welcome the idea of staying here. [show me the subjective case]
Read more at http://www.grammar-
monster.com/glossary/subjective_case.htm#Ao641AUkT8LphU8s.99
Objective Case
The objective case is one of the 4 main cases in modern English. It is used for a noun or pronoun
that is the direct object of a verb, the indirect object of a verb or the object of a preposition.
Examples:
Please pass the butter to Simon. / Please pass Simon the butter.
The Object of a Preposition (the noun which follows a preposition, e.g., in, on, at, near, by):
With the exception of "who" and "whom", the objective case causes few problems. This is
because nouns do not change, and English speakers can easily distinguish between pronouns in
the subjective case (I, you, he, she, it, we, they) and those in the objective case (me, you, him,
her, it, us, them). In other languages and old English, the direct object of a verb has its own case,
known as the accusative, and indirect objects are shown using the dative case. In modern
English, these have transformed into the objective case.
Interactive example: