Grammar: Rules for noun case


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Case is the relation of a noun or a pronoun to other words.

Rules for Case of Nouns

From A New English Grammar for Schools, by Thomas Harvey:

Rule I. — The subject of a proposition is in the nominative case.

Ben walked quickly.
Ben” is in the nominative case, because it is used as the subject of the proposition.

Rule II. — A noun or a pronoun used as the predicate of a proposition is in the nominative case.

Jane Austen is an author.
Author” is in the nominative case, because it is used as the predicate of the proposition. 

Rule III. — A noun or a pronoun used to limit the meaning of a noun denoting a different person or thing is in the possessive case.

John’s car is rusted.
John’s” is in the possessive case, because “John’s” limits the meaning of “car,” which is a noun denoting a different person or thing than “John.”

Rule IV. — A noun or a pronoun, used to limit the meaning of a noun or a pronoun denoting the same person or thing, is in the same case.

The composer Ludwig van Beethoven was deaf.
Ludwig van Beethoven” is in the same case as “composer,” because “Ludwig van Beethoven” limits the meaning of “composer,” but denotes the same person or thing.

Rule V. — A noun or a pronoun, used independently, is in the absolute case.

O Death, where is thy sting?
Death” is the absolute case, because it is a noun independent of a governing word.
***The absolute case is always the same as the nominative case of the noun.***

Rule VI. —The object of a transitive verb (a verb that requires an object to complete its meaning), in the active voice, or of its participles, is in the objective case.

Byron wrote poetry.
Poetry” is in the objective case, because it is used as the object of the transitive verb “wrote.”

Rule VII. — The object of a preposition is in the objective case.

Rain fell from the sky.
Sky” is in the objective case, because it is used as the object of the prepositional “from.”

Rule VIII. — Nouns denoting time, distance, measure, direction, or value, after verbs and adjectives, are in the objective case without a governing word.

The birds flew north.
North is in the objective case, because it follows a verb and denotes direction without a governing word.
***The relations between nouns and verbs, as well as those between nouns and adjectives, are usually expressed by prepositions. Sometimes, however, these relations are so obvious that they are not expressed, but implied. An implied relation and its subsequent term form an adverbial phrase; as there is no preposition in the English language that exactly expresses this relation, the noun is said to be in the objective case without a governing word. In the sentence above, what is really meant is, “The birds flew to the north.***

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