3. THE OBJECTIVE CASE. 1. The Objective Case is that case of a noun or pron that is "governed by " a transitive verb or by a preposition. It is only the pronoun that has a special form for this c The English noun formerly had it, but lost it between the years and 1300. 2. The Objective Case is the case of the Direct Obje the Dative Case is the case of the Indirect Objectsomething more. (i) The Direct Object answers to the question Whom? or What? (ii) The Indirect Object answers to the question To whom? To wl or For whom? For what? 3. The object of an active-transitive verb must always Noun or the Equivalent of a Noun. RULE VIII.-The Direct Object of an Active-Transi Verb is put in the Objective Case. Thus we read: (i) We met the man (Noun). (ii) We met (Pronoun). (iii) We saw the fighting (Verbal Noun). (iv) I lil work (Infinitive). (v) I heard that he had left (Noun sentence). RULE IX.-Verbs of teaching, asking, making, appo ing, etc., take two objects. (iv) Thus we say (i) He teaches me grammar. (ii) He asked question. (iii) They made him manager. The Queen appo him Treasurer. In the last two instances the objects are sometimes called factitive o RULE X.-Some Intransitive Verbs take an objective after them, if the objective has a similar or cognate mea to that of the verb itself. Thus we find: (i) To die the death. (ii) To sleep a sleep. (i go one's way. To wend one's way. (iv) To run a race. (v) Drea dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before. Such objects are called cognate objects. RULE XI. The limitations of a Verb by words or ph expressing space, time, measure, etc., are said to be in objective case; as (i) he walked three miles; (ii) he travelled all night; (iii) the stone weighed three pounds. 1. Because these words limit or modify the verbs to which they are attached, they are sometimes called Adverbial Objects. 2. The following phrases are adverbial objects of the same kind: (i) They bound him hand and foot. (ii) They fell upon him tooth and nail. (iii) They turned out the Turks, bag and baggage. Such phrases are rightly called adverbial, beeause they modify bound, fell, and turned; and show how he was bound, how they fell upon him, etc. REMARKS ON EXCEPTIONS. 1. The same verb may be either Intransitive or Transitive, according to its use. Intransitive. Thus (i) The soldier ran away. (ii) The man works very hard. (iii) We walked up the hill. Transitive. (i) The soldier ran his spear into the Arab. (ii) The master works his men too hard. (iii) The groom walked the horse up the hill. 2. An Intransitive verb performs the function of a Transitive verb when a preposition is added to it. Intransitive. (i) The children laughed. (ii) The man spoke. Thus Transitive. (i) The children laughed at the clown. (ii) The man spoke of wild beasts. 3. The preposition may continue to adhere to such a verb, so that it remains even when the verb has been made passive. Thus we can say: (i) He was laughed-at. (ii) Whales were spoken-of. (iii) Prosecution was hinted-at. And this is an enormous convenience in the use of the English language. 4. THE DATIVE CASE. 1. The Dative is the case of the Indirect Object. Thus we say: He handed her a chair. She gave it me. 2. The Dative is also the case of the Direct Object, with such verbs as be, worth, seem, please, think (= seem); a with the adjectives like and near. Thus we have the phrases, meseems; if you please (if it ple you); methought (=it seemed to me); woe is me! and, she is him; he was near us. "Woe worth the chase! woe worth the day —“Lady of the Lake." "When in Salamanca's cave Him listed his magic wand to wave, The bells would ring in Notre-Dame." _66 3. The Dative is sometimes the case of possession or benefit. As in, Woe is me! Well is thee! 66 'Convey me Salisbury into his tent." RULE XII.-Verbs of giving, promising, telling, showi etc., take two objects; and the indirect object is put in dative case. Thus we say: He gave her a fan. She promised me a book. Te a story. Show me the picture-book. RULE XIII.-When such verbs are turned into the pass voice, either the Direct or the Indirect Object may be tur into the Subject of the Passive Verb. Thus we can either Direct Object used as Subject. (i) A fan was given her. (ii) A book was promised me. (iii) A story was told us. Indirect Object used as Subje (i) She was given a fan.' (ii) I was promised a book.1 (iii) We were told a story.1 (iv) The picture-book was shown (iv) I was shown the picture-b me. 1 This has sometimes been called the Retained Object. The v fan, etc., are in the objective case, not because they are governed by passive verbs was given, etc., but because they still retain, in a l form, the influence or government exercised upon them by the a verbs, give, promise, etc. REMARKS ON EXCEPTIONS. 1. The Dative of the Personal Pronoun was in frequent use in the time of Shakespeare, to add a certain liveliness and interest to the statement. Thus we find, in several of his plays, such sentences as— (i) "He plucked me ope his doublet." (ii) “Villain, I say, knock me at this gate, and rap me well." Grammarians call this kind of dative the ethical dative. 2. The Dative was once the Absolute Case. "This said, they both betook them several ways.' -Milton. II. SYNTAX OF THE ADJECTIVE. 1. In our Old English-the English spoken before the coming of the Normans, and for some generations after-every adjective agreed with its noun in gender, number, and case; and even as late as Chaucer (1340-1400) adjectives had a form for the plural number. Thus in the Prologue to the 'Canterbury Tales,' he writes— "And smale fowles maken melodie," where e is the plural inflexion. 2. In course of time, partly under the influence of the Normans and the Norman language, all these inflexions dropped off; and there are now only two adjectives in the whole language that have any inflexions at all (except for comparison), and these inflexions are only for the plural number. The two adjectives that are inflected are the demonstrative adjectives this and that, which make their plurals in these (formerly thise) and those. (1) The, which is a broken-down form of that, never changes at all. (ii) When an adjective is used as a noun, it may take a plural inflection; as the blacks, goods, equals, edibles, annuals, monthlies, weeklies, etc. 3. Most adjectives are inflected for comparison. 4. Every adjective is either an explicit or an implicit pred cate. The following are examples : Adjectives used as Explicit Predicates. 1. The way was long; the wind was cold. 3. The duke is very rich. Adjectives used as Implicit Predicates. 1. We had before us a long way and a cold wind. 3. The rich duke is very niggardly. 5. When an adjective is used as an explicit predicate, it said to be used predicatively; when it is used as an implic predicate, it is said to be used attributively. Adjectives used predicatively. 1. The cherries are ripe. 2. The man we met was very old. Adjectives used attributively. 1. Let us pluck only the ripe cherries, 2. We met an old man. RULE XIV. An adjective may qualify a noun or prono predicatively, not only after the verb be, but after such i transitive verbs as look, seem, feel, taste, etc. Thus we find: (i) She looked angry. (ii) He seemed weary. (iii) felt better. (iv) It tasted sour. (v) He fell ill. RULE XV.-After verbs of making, thinking, considerin etc., an adjective may be used factitively as well as predic tively. Thus we can say, (i) We made all the young ones happy. present thought him odd. (iii) We considered him very clever. Factitive comes from the Latin facio, I make. (ii) RULE XVI. An adjective may, especially in poetry, be us as an abstract noun. Thus we speak of "the True, the Good, and the Beautiful; sublime and the ridiculous;" Mrs Browning has the phrase," from depths of God's divine;" and Longfellow speaks of "A band Of stern in heart and strong in hand." |