A part of grammar not often thought about by native speakers of English is the use of grammatical cases for nouns and pronouns. As they are often overlooked, you may be unaware of the definition or may not know any examples.
Cases are used to indicate the function of a noun/pronoun and show the relationship between them and other elements in a sentence. In English grammar, the three main cases are:
1. Nominative
2. Accusative
3. Genitive
The "dative" case is also used in some instances - although some linguists argue that modern English no longer uses the dative case. This will be discussed later on!
We will be focusing on the accusative case in this article, which concerns the direct object in a sentence.
Accusative Case: Definition
The accusative case (also known as the objective case) is a grammatical case used to indicate the direct object of a verb. In English, the accusative case is often marked by the use of pronouns such as "me," "you," "him," "her," "it," "us," and "them," or by the use of nouns with articles such as "the" or "a."
In case you need reminding, the direct object in a sentence refers to a person or thing that receives the action of the verb. For example, take the following sentence:
In this sentence, the direct object is the noun "pasta," as it is the receiver of the verb (to eat). This means that "pasta" is in the accusative case.
Fig. 1 - The direct object in a sentence is the thing or person that receives the action of a verb.
Another type of object is the indirect object. Make sure you don't get it confused with the direct object, as both have different functions in a sentence.
The indirect object receives the action of the direct object, whereas the direct object receives the action of the verb.
For example:
"Michael gave the book to me."
In this sentence, the direct object is "the book," as it receives the action of the verb (to give). The indirect object is "me," as it receives the action of the direct object (the book).
The direct object is in the accusative case, whereas the indirect object uses a different case called the "dative" case. We'll explore this more later on!
Accusative Case in English
The accusative case - much like the other cases in English - is reliant on word order. The main word order in English is:
Subject Verb Object
For example:
| Subject | Verb | Object |
| She | loves | him. |
| The cat | ate | the mouse. |
| They | chased | us. |
| The girl | read | a book. |
Accusative Case and Pronouns
It is important to know that the accusative case in English is only used with the following pronouns:
Depending on a pronoun's case, its spelling can change. For example:
Take the sentence:
"I stared at them."
Here, the pronoun "them" acts as the direct object of the verb, so is in the accusative case. If "them" was used as the subject of the verb instead, the sentence would read as follows:
"They stared at me."
When "them" is the subject, it becomes "they." In this sentence, "they" is in the nominative case (as it acts as the subject of the verb).
Notice also how the subject of the first sentence ("I") becomes "me" when it functions as the direct object.
Accusative Case Examples
Take a look at some examples of the accusative case below, starting with the nouns:
| Accusative Case Examples |
|---|
| Examples with Nouns | Descriptions |
| "I opened the box." | In this sentence, the direct object is the "box," so it is in the accusative case. |
| "We all bake cupcakes." | Here, "cupcakes" is in the accusative case as it is the direct object. |
| "Lauren drives a bus." | Here, "bus" is the direct object, so is in the accusative case |
| "The teacher called on the student." | In this sentence, "student" is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb "called on." |
Now here are some pronouns that are in the accusative case:
| Accusative Case Examples |
|---|
| Examples with Pronouns | Descriptions |
| "Steph called him last night." | In this sentence, the pronoun “him” is in the accusative case because it functions as the direct object. |
| "I waved at her as I drove past." | Here, the pronoun “her” is in the accusative case. |
| "They accidentally knocked us over." | The pronoun “us” is in the accusative case. |
| "She gave him a gift." | In this sentence, "him" is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb "gave," and "her" is in the dative case because it is the indirect object. |
Accusative vs. Dative Case
Both accusative and dative cases concern the relationship between an object and other elements in a sentence. It has been argued that the dative case is no longer used in modern English, but it is sometimes combined with the accusative case to form what is collectively known as the "objective case."
When a noun or pronoun is in the accusative case, it acts as the direct object in a sentence. On the other hand, when a noun or pronoun is in the dative case, it acts as the indirect object in a sentence.
A direct object is the receiver of the action of the verb, whereas the indirect object is the receiver of the direct object. For example:
"I threw her the phone."
Here, the direct object is the "phone," and the indirect object is "her." This means that "the phone" is in the accusative case, whereas "her" is in the dative case.
The sentence could also be written as follows:
"I threw the phone to her."
Although the word order has changed, the function of the noun and pronoun stay the same - the "phone" is still the direct object, and "her" is the indirect object.
Difference Between Nominative and Accusative Case
The difference between the nominative and accusative case concerns the function of the noun/pronoun in a sentence. When a noun or pronoun is in the accusative case, it functions as the direct object in a sentence. On the other hand, when a noun or pronoun is in the nominative case, it acts as the subject in a sentence.
The nominative case is also known as the subjective case.
Fig. 2 - In the sentence "he kicked the ball," the subject is "he" and the direct object is the "ball."
In case you need reminding, the subject in a sentence refers to the person or thing that carries out the action of the verb. For example, take the following sentence:
In this sentence, the subject is the pronoun "she" as it carries out the action of holding the kitten.
Accusative - Key takeaways
The accusative case (also known as the objective case) is a grammatical case used to indicate the direct object of a verb.
The direct object in a sentence refers to a person or thing that receives the action of the verb.
The accusative case is used with the following pronouns: me, her, him, us, and them.
The dative case concerns the indirect object in a sentence, whereas the accusative case determines the direct object. They can both be referred to as the objective case.
When a noun/pronoun is in the accusative case, it functions as the direct object. When it's in the nominative case, it functions as the subject.
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