CASES IN ENGLISH

In this slide we will learn about the cases in English Grammar

 LEGEND
• If the text is in dark green then it is the subject. Eg- Text
• If the text is in orange then it is the preposition. Eg- Text
• If the text is in light green then it is the direct object. Eg- Text
• If the text is in blue then it is the indirect object. Eg- Text
 Cases

A case shows us the position of the noun. There

are five cases in English Grammar:

• Nominative Case
• Accusative Case (Objective case)
• Dative Case
• Possessive Case (Genitive Case)
• Vocative Case
 1. Nominative Case

When a noun or a pronoun is used as a subject of a verb then it is said to be in the

nominative case.

Examples:

• Mr. Gupta is a businessman.

Here Mr. Gupta is in the nominative case as it is the subject.

• He is an intelligent boy.

Here He is in the nominative case as it is the subject.

Note: Ask ‘Who?’ or ‘What?’ to find the nominative subject.

 EXERCISE
Identify the Nominative Subject:

1. He plays with the football.

2. The cat is sleeping.
3. The girl is dancing gracefully.
4. I am buying a mobile phone today.
5. They are from Germany.
 Answers EXERCISE

Identify the Nominative Subject:

1. He plays with the football.

2. The cat is sleeping.
3. The girl is dancing gracefully.
4. I am buying a mobile phone today.
5. They are from Germany.
 2. Objective Case

When a noun or a pronoun is used as a direct object of a verb, it is said to be in the

objective case.

Examples:

• He uses a good mobile phone.

Here “He” is in the nominative case as it is the subject and “mobile phone” is in the
objective case as it is the direct object of the verb.

• She has many chocolates.

Here “She” is in the nominative case as it is the subject and “chocolates” is the direct
object of the verb.
When a noun or a pronoun is used as a direct object of a preposition, it is said to be
in the accusative case.

Examples:

• He is on the hill.

Here “He” is in the nominative case as it is the subject and “hill” is in the accusative
case as it is the direct object of the preposition “on”.

• The cat is under the table.

Here “The cat” is in the nominative case as it is the subject and “table” is the direct
object of the preposition “under”.

Note: Ask “what?” or “whom?” with subject and verb to find the direct object.
 3. Dative Case

Before learning the dative case we need to learn about direct and indirect
objects.

Direct Object: A direct object is the word upon which the action has to be done.

Indirect Object: An indirect object is the person or thing upon which the action
is done for.

Examples:

1. He gave a pen to him.

When a noun or a pronoun is used as an indirect object of a verb, it is said to be in
the dative case.

Examples:

• He gave a mobile phone to him.

Here “He” is in the nominative case as it is the subject, “mobile phone” is in the
objective case as it is the direct object of the verb and “him” is in the dative case as it
is the indirect case.

• She baked a cake for him.

Here “She” is in the nominative case as it is the subject, “cake” is the direct object of
the verb and “him” is in the dative case as it is the indirect object.

Note: We