§ 203. Every Nominative Case, except the Nominative Absolute (§ 206), belongs to some Verb, either expressed or implied; as in the answer to a question, "Who wrote the Task?"-" Cowper": that is, "Cowper wrote it." Or where the Verb is understood: as,— "To whom thus Adam" (Milton): that is, spake. Obs. Hence such an expression as the following, is incorrect: "Which rule, if it had been observed, a neighbouring prince would have wanted a great deal of that incense, which hath been offered up to him by his adorers." (Atterbury, vol. i. serm. i.) The Pronoun it is here the Nominative Case to the Verb observed; and which rule is left by itself, a Nominative Case without any Verb following it. (Lowth.) § 204. Complementary Nominative.-The Verbs to be and to become, with some others, take a Nominative after as well as before them: as "And Nathan said unto David, Thou art the man." (2 Sam. xii. 7.) "He had been bred a Presbyterian, but the Presbyterians had cast him out, and he had become an Independent." (Mac. H. of E. i. 531.) "My Lord dies a Protestant.” (Ib. p. 565.) The Noun following in such cases is descriptive of the Subject, and therefore agrees with it. Obs. In colloquial language such expressions occur as the following: "The dog is me, and I am myself." (Shaks. Two Gent. ii. 3.) "It's me." (Felix Holt, ch. xxii.) "That's him." (Jackdaw of Rheims.) But in grave and dignified language, such expressions are inadmissible. Compare"It is I! be not afraid!" (Mark vi. 50) — where the use of the Objective would be fatal to the majesty of the expression. § 205. The Complementary Nominative is also used after Passive Verbs of naming, making or appointing, deeming, &c., being still descriptive of the Subject: as "Churchill had been made a baron of England." (Mac. H. E. i. 521.) "Titus Antoninus has been justly denominated a second Numa." (Decline and Full, ch. iii.) "He mounted the scaffold, where the rude old guillotine of Scotland, called the Maiden, awaited him." (Mac. H. E. i. 565.) Often the word as is introduced without affecting the Syntax of the following Noun: as— "Young Numerian with his absent brother Carinus were [cf. § 247, Obs. 3] unanimously acknowledged as Roman Emperors." (Decl. and F. ch. xii.) "Diocletian may be considered as the founder of a new empire." (lb. ch. xiii.) § 206. Nominative Absolute.—The Nominative Case may also be used with a Participle, forming with it a clause grammatically independent of the rest of the sentence: as "Then I shall be no more, "And Adam, wedded to another Eve, Shall live with her rejoicing—1 extinct.” (P. L. ix.) "I shall not lag behind, nor err [miss] The way, thou leading." (Ib. x.) "God from the mount of Sinai, whose grey top In thunder, lightning, and loud trumpet's sound, "The guide trotted on before, Mr. Burchell and I bringing up the rear." (Vicar of W. ch. iii.) Obs. Sometimes the Objective is used in this construction, after the analogy of the Latin Ablative Absolute: as "Do you, that presumed Me overthrown, to enter lists with Heaven... (Samson Ag.) NOTE. This construction of the Objective Absolute is no longer in use. 2. The Objective. § 207. Direct Object.—The Objective Case depends upon a Transitive Verb, and denotes the Direct Object of an action. It is also used after a Preposition. See § 45. The Objective Case usually follows the Verb (see § 202). But when the Objective differs in form from the Nominative, as in the case of the Personal Pronouns, it may stand before the Verb without causing any ambiguity: as, "Me he restored unto mine office, and him he hanged." (Gen. xl. 13.) "Him the Almighty Power Hurled headlong flaming. . . ." (P. L. i.) "Him answered then the goddess ample-eyed." (Cowper, I. i. 677.) § 208. Complementary Object.-Verbs of making or appointing, also of calling, naming, thinking, take after them two Objectives. The former of these is the Direct Object, the latter is called the Complementary Object, being necessary to complete the meaning of the Verb: as- "Of all these bounds We make thee [Direct Obj.] lady [Compl. Obj.]" (Lear, i. 1.) “They hailed him [Direct Obj.] father [Compl. Obj.] of a line of kings.' (Macb. iii. 1.) "I'll call thee [Direct Obj.], Hamlet, King, father, Royal Dane [all Compl. Obj.]." (Ham. i. 4.) Obs. The Passives of these Verbs take after them a Complementary Nominative. [See ◊ 205.] § 209. Also the Verbs teach, ask or beg, forgive, and less frequently banish, forbid, with some others like them, often take a second Objective: as "Teach me thy statutes." (Ps. cxix. 12.) "I ask you pardon!" (Oth. v. 2.) "Forgive us our trespasses!" "We banish you our territories.” (Rich. II. i. 3.) Obs. Sometimes it is difficult to say whether the former Noun (or Pronoun) should be regarded as an Objective or a Dative. Thus in the sentence "Teach me thy statutes," me may be either a Direct or an Indirect Object of the Verb teach. In the latter case me = to me, as in O. E. On the other hand, Verbs of teaching take in Latin and in German a double Objective, so that the word me may without impropriety be parsed as an Objective. $ 210. Objective after Passive Verbs.-The Verbs mentioned in the preceding section, with some others, are capable of taking an Objective Case after them even in the Passive Voice. In such cases, the one Objective becomes the Subject of the sentence, and the relation of the other to the Verb remains unaffected: as "Were you well served, you would be taught your duty." § 211. Objective after Intransitive Verbs. Intransitive Verbs often take after them an Objective Case similar in meaning to the Verb itself. This is called the Cognate [Lat. cognatus, "akin "] Objective. This construction is most frequent when there is an Adjective of Quality used with the Noun: as "Well hast thou fought The better fight." (P. L. vi.) "There lay Argyle on the bed, sleeping in his irons the placid sleep of infancy." (Mac. H. E. i. 565.) "He laughed his great laugh." (Esmond, ch. xiv.) "The wind had blown a gale all day." (Southey.) Obs. 1. In all such cases there is a transitive force in the Verb: thus, to dream a dream to have or imagine a dream; to fight a fight = to carry on or engage in a fight; &c. The Object is not always strictly of cognate signification to the Verb, but it must bear some analogy to it: thus, to rain fire and brimstone = to send down fire and brimstone like rain; "to weep millstones" (Rich. III. i. 4) to shed millstones from the eyes for tears. Obs. 2. Under this rule come such expressions as "to trip it" (L'Allegro), i.e. to trip the dance; to fight it (the fight) out, &c. See § 244, 5. § 212. The Objective is used after Intransitive Verbs and after Adjectives to denote extent, duration, age, value: as "His other parts besides "Lay floating many a rood. . (P. L. i.) "And Noah was 600 years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth." (Gen. vii. 6.) “She is not worth thee." (Twelfth Night, ii. 4.) ". . . make us temples worthy Thee." (Hymn.) Also in such expressions as, ten years ago, this day week, not many days hence, the Nouns denoting time are to be regarded as Objectives. § 213. The Objective with Impersonal Verbs.—The Objective denotes the virtual though not the grammatical Subject after some old Impersonal Verbs: as, it repenteth, it behoves, it becomes or beseems: as— "It repenteth me that I have made them." (Gen. vi. 7.) 66 Behoves me keep." (Cymb. iii. 1.) Obs. The number of Impersonal Verbs was once considerably greater than at present. Compare methinks, meseems, melists, melikes. The me in these words is a Dative. See ◊ 155, Nos. 4, 5. 3. The Dative. 66 § 214. The Dative denotes the Indirect Object, and may always be explained by to or for as, Give me the daggers," i.e. to me ; "Heat me these irons hot," i.e. for me. Obs. 1. Although all distinction of form between the Objective and the Dative has long been lost, yet the functions of the two cases are so different that it is impossible to parse or analyse a sentence properly without noting the distinction. Examples: "Solomon built Him [ = for Him] an house." (Acts vii. 47.) "Heaven send the Prince a better companion !-Heaven send the companion a better prince!" (Hen. IV. Pt. II. i. 2.—Example in Meiklejohn.) "The dwarf dealt one of the champions a most angry blow. . . . It did the Saracen but very little injury." (Vic. of Wakef. xiii.) "Villain, I say, knock me [ = for me] at this gate." (Taming of Shrew, i. 2.) "He plucked me [ for me: but the Pronoun is here idiomatically redundant] ope his doublet, and offered them his throat to cut." (J. Cas. i. 3.) = Obs. 2. The Indirect Object is often indicated by a Preposition: as "He left Normandy and Maine to Robert." Here Robert is the Indirect Object, and in ANALYSIS is classified as such (see $304.) But in parsing, it is treated simply as an Objective Case, governed by the Preposition to. § 215. The words like and unlike, nigh, near (nearest, next), are followed by the Dative: as— "Oh for breath to utter what is like thee!" "Few in millions (Shaks. Hen. IV. Pt. I. ii. 4.) Can speak like us." (Temp. ii. 1.) [N.B.-This use of the Dative after the Adverb like is scarcely to be imitated.] Chance governs all." (P. L. ii.) Obs. When used as a Preposition, near is said to govern an Objective (§ 207). § 216. The Impersonal Verbs thinks, seems, lists, take before them the Dative of the Personal Pronoun. [See § 155, Nos. 4, 5.] 4. The Possessive. § 217. The Possessive Case denotes possession, and is therefore rarely used except where the Noun denotes a living thing as, Milton's poems, a negro's skin, an elephant's skull, a butterfly's wings. The use of the Possessive with reference to things without life belongs to imaginative language, objects being there freely personified: as 66 the cannon's mouth." (Shaks. As you Like it, ii. 7.) "Mountains above, Earth's, Ocean's plains below." (Ch. Harold, ii. 90.) "Alike the Armada's pride and spoils of Trafalgar." (Ib. iv. 184.) Snowdon's sovereign brow." (Excursion.` 66 |