Dative case in English. Noun as adjective

In English, nouns have only two cases: possessive case (Possessive Case), in which nouns take a special ending and general case (Common Case), in which nouns do not have any endings.

Common case is the form in which the noun is given in the dictionary.

Majority meaning Russian case forms expressed in English in the general case form with or without a preposition:

In English, nouns in general case can be used in the functions of subject and direct object (always without a preposition), indirect and prepositional objects, circumstances (usually with a preposition), definitions (both with and without a preposition).

Possessive nouns in the only one number is formed by adding the ending to a noun 's:

Possessive nouns in plural number is formed by adding only one apostrophe:

If the plural of a noun is formed not by adding the ending /s/, but by changing the form, then the possessive case is formed in the same way as for the singular, i.e. adding the ending / 's/:

A noun in the possessive case has only one function - definitions(individual characteristics of the word being defined):

The possessive construction can be represented with a preposition of:

the boy' s room = the room of the boy

3. Possessive case of animate and inanimate nouns:

Basically, only the possessive case has the form animate a noun denoting a living being to which some object, quality or attribute belongs:

Rare cases of using the possessive case with inanimate nouns are limited to the meaning of a specific subject:

the car 's roof - car roof(specific, specific car)

4. Cases of using the possessive case for inanimate nouns:

Nouns denoting time and distance:
Nouns denoting countries, cities and ships, as well as words: world, country, city, ship:
Some adverbs of time:
The word being defined has other determiners - the indefinite article or demonstrative pronouns:
Phrases that do not contain a noun:
To name an establishment, shop or house (of someone):

Two nouns in the possessive case do not usually follow one another. In such cases, the pretext is used of:

He is the friend of my brother 's wife

He is a friend of my brother's wife.

In the following video clip, children show the belonging of objects to each other, and the teacher pronounces a sentence using nouns in the possessive case:

English Joke

A young man hired by a supermarket reported for his first day of work. The manager greeted him with a warm handshake and a smile, gave him a broom and said, “Your first job will be to sweep out the store.”
“But I’m a college graduate,” the young man replied indignantly.
“Oh, I’m sorry. “I didn’t know that,” said the manager. “Here, give me the broom - I’ll show you how.”

There are 6 cases in Russian, and only 2 in English. Does this mean that they do not need to be studied? Of course not. Without knowing the rules for forming cases and expressing case relations, you will not be able to freely operate with vocabulary and construct grammatically correct and understandable phrases. So let's consider cases more details.

What are the cases in English?

General case, which is divided into subjective and objective:
- Subjective case, which is also called nominal. It indicates that the part of speech in a sentence functions as the subject. This is true for both nouns and pronouns.
- Objective case or Used to designate a noun or pronoun as the recipient of an action. For nouns this is not very relevant, but in the case of personal pronouns oblique case significantly affects the form of the word.
Possessive or Possessive It is used to express the ownership of some objects or subjects by others.

Below we will look at the cases in more detail.

Important! Only nouns in the possessive case change their form in speech and writing. It is formed by adding the ending to the word - s. In other cases, nouns do not change their form. This is why it is often said that English is the easiest language to learn. However, with pronouns the situation is different. Their form changes depending on the case, and it is most convenient to trace these changes using the example of personal pronouns,

Common case of nouns

In the common case, if a noun is used without a preposition, its function in the sentence depends on where it appears. This is achieved due to the analytical nature of the language, when instead of endings, changing the place of a word in a sentence and adding prepositions is used to express case relations. This is one of the reasons why English is considered the easiest language to learn. As such, there are no complex rules for changing words by case; moreover, the lack of designation of grammatical genders in writing greatly simplifies the matter.

Nouns without prepositions and their translation

If a noun comes before the predicate in an affirmative sentence or before an auxiliary verb in an interrogative sentence, then in the sentence it acts as the subject and is translated in the nominative case.

If a noun comes after a predicate in a function, then it is translated in the accusative case.

If between the direct object and the predicate there is a noun without a preposition as an object, then it is translated into the accusative case.

Nouns with prepositions and their translation

To make it easier to understand prepositions and case relations, we put them in a table. The table shows the cases of pronouns and nouns, the prepositions with which they are indicated in English, and examples with translation.

Will give birth. P.	From of (expresses belonging and denotes a part of the whole)	Definition of previous noun	She had received a letter from her boyfriend- She got The handle of the frying-pot is broken – The frying pan handle is broken a cup of tea - a cup of tea a dress of wool - woolen dress
Dat. P.	To		I gave the money to my mom - I gave the money to my mother She bought a dress for her daughter – She bought a dress for her daughter
TV P.	By	A prepositional object denoting something that performs an action on the subject in the passive voice Prepositional complement. Denotes something with the help of which one or another action is performed	The cake was made by my sister – The cake was made by my sister The play was written by an unknown writer - The play was written by an unknown author by bus - by bus, by bus with knife - with a knife She always ate porridge with this spoon - She always ate oatmeal with this spoon
Etc. P.	About	Prepositional indirect object	They told us about their new discovery - They told us about their new discovery He spoke of sport and competitions - He spoke about sports and competitions

Possessive

Nouns in the possessive case always denote ownership and come before the noun that they define. Only animate nouns are used in the possessive case. Inanimate nouns are used in this case only in some cases.

How is the possessive case formed? For animate nouns

For animate nouns that are in singular. h., the possessive case is formed using the ending ‘s, which is added to the word:

the Queen’s crown - the queen’s crown, the dog’s bone - dog bone, Mike’s dad - Mike’s dad

If an animate noun ends in -s, then either simply ‘ or -‘s is added to it:

Jhones’s friend = Jhones’ friend - Jones’ friend

With the plural, everything is simpler. If you need to put a noun in the plural. in the possessive case, only an apostrophe is added - ‘. Phonetically, no changes occur. For example:

boys’ toys – boys’ toys

If the noun forms the plural. according to other rules, that for them the possessive case is formed in the same way as in the first case - by adding the ending – 's:

Child’s cat – children’s cat – children’s cat

goose's feather - geese's feather - geese feathers

What inanimate nouns are used in the possessive case?

Below we will look in table form at which groups of inanimate nouns are used in the possessive case:

Group of nouns	Examples
Time, distance, periods of the day, cost	Month's salary - monthly salary the night’s cold - night coolness at a kilometer’s distance – at a kilometer distance seven dollar’s worth – worth seven dollars
Denoting concepts world, earth, nature, continent, sea, ocean, country, city, ship and their derivatives	The world’s population – world population the earth’s future - the future of the Earth Africa’s past - Africa’s past Paris’ caffee - Parisian cafe the ocean’s beauty – the beauty of the ocean
Collective nouns that denote gatherings of groups of people	The nation's heroes - heroes of the nation the society’s future - the future of society the crew’s decision - team decision the family's secret - family secret
Stars and planets	The sun's heat - the heat of the sun
Category of adverbs of time	Today's mail - today's mail Tomorrow's decision - tomorrow's decision yesterday’s news - yesterday’s news
Pronouns that replace animate nouns	Somebody's bag - someone's bag nobody's dog - no one's dog everybody's duty - everyone's duty

Pronoun cases: what you need to know

Pronouns have the same cases as nouns. However, if nouns undergo minor changes when expressing case relations, then pronouns can completely change their form. This is best seen in the example of personal pronouns in the plural, which almost completely change their form. Interrogative and relative pronouns also change, but remain recognizable and their use is intuitive.

Subjective case

I, you, he, she, it

my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its

me, you, him, her, it

She likes coffee most of all – She loves coffee most of all

This nice cat is mine - This cute cat is mine

Why do you hate me so much?? - Why do you hate me so much?

Subjective case

Case is a grammatical category that shows the connection of a noun with other words in a sentence. Previously, there were several cases in English, but over time only two remained: common case(the common case) and possessive(the possessive/genitive case).

The Common Case

Form general case all nouns have. In the common case, nouns have a zero ending ( car,bird), i.e. this case is not indicated in any way. That is why, in the absence of prepositions, the relationship of such nouns to other words in a sentence is determined only by the place it occupies in the sentence.

Let's consider what functions a noun in the general case can perform in a sentence.

The noun that comes before the predicate is used in the function subject and corresponds in Russian to a noun in the nominative case.

For example:

Thedog bit the man. — Dog bit a man. (Who bit? The dog.)

The noun that comes after the predicate performs the function direct object and corresponds in Russian to a noun in the accusative case without a preposition.

For example:

The dog bit theman. — The dog bit a man.(Who was bitten? A man.)

If between the predicate and the noun that functions as a direct object there is another noun in the general case without a preposition that denotes a person, it is an indirect object. Such a noun corresponds in Russian to a noun in the dative case without a preposition.

For example:

Maria showed herfriends the photos. - Maria showed to my friends photos. (Who did you show it to? Friends.)

Nouns in the common case with prepositions of,to,by And with help to express relationships that in Russian are conveyed using indirect cases without prepositions. In this case, prepositions are not translated into Russian as separate words.

Nouns in the common case with the preposition OF

Noun in common case with preposition of corresponds in Russian to a noun in the genitive case and is a definition in relation to the noun that precedes it.

For example:

The walls of the house are made of brick. - Walls Houses made of brick. (Walls of what? Houses.)

Nouns in the common case with the preposition TO

Noun with preposition to corresponds in Russian to a noun in the dative case and is used as a prepositional indirect object.

For example:

Maria showed the photos toherfriends. — Maria showed photographs to my friends. (Who did you show it to? Friends.)

Nouns in the common case with the preposition BY

Noun with preposition by corresponds in Russian to a noun in the instrumental case. This combination is usually used in the passive voice to denote an agent or force. The noun in this case is used as a prepositional object.

The book was written bymyfriend. - The book was written my friend. (Written by whom? A friend.)

The building was destroyed by the hurricane. The building was destroyed hurricane. (Destroyed by what? Hurricane.)

Nouns in the common case with the preposition WITH

Noun with preposition with also corresponds to a noun in the instrumental case in Russian. This combination is used to designate an object with which a certain action is performed. The noun in this case is also used as a prepositional object.

For example:

I can't write withthispen. - I can not write with this pen. (Write with what? Pen.)

Note: nouns in the general case can be used with any prepositions and convey those relationships that in Russian are expressed using indirect cases with prepositions.

For example:

I live with my friend.- I live with a friend.

This present is for you. - This gift for you.

The Possessive Case

Regarding the form possessive case, then only some groups of nouns have it (more on this below). The possessive case most often expresses the ownership of an object. A noun in the possessive case performs the function of determining in relation to another noun.

What does the possessive case look like?

Form

The possessive case is formed using an apostrophe and the letter s - 's — or just an apostrophe - ‘ . The first way you can get the possessive case form for nouns that are in the singular (your father -> your father ‘ s book = your father's book). Second way the form of the possessive case is obtained for the plural of nouns, which are formed according to the basic rule (his parents -> his parent s‘ car = his parents' car), as well as for some proper names that end in - s(Socrates -> Socrate s‘ ideas = Socrates' ideas ) .

If the plural of a noun is formed differently than most, then use first way(their children -> their children ‘ s toys = their children's toys ).

Note 1: for a compound noun ‘ s is added to its last element: my mother-in-law -> my mother-in- law ‘ s car = my mother-in-law's car; the passer-by —> the passer- by ‘ s glasses = passerby's glasses.

Note 2: Mary and Peter 's house = Mary and Peter's house (shared). BUT: Mary ‘ s and Peter ‘ s houses = Mary's house and Peter's house (each has their own) or = Mary's house and Peter's house (each has their own).

With which nouns is the possessive case used?

As mentioned above, not all nouns can form the possessive case. The following groups can do this:

1) animate

Mary's bag - Mary's bag

the boys’ bicycles - boys’ bicycles

the team’s defeat - team defeat

the tiger's cage - tiger cage

2) some are inanimate

a) nouns that mean time And distance:

a month’s holiday - monthly vacation

a mile’s distance - one mile distance

b) names countries And cities, as well as words world,country,city:

Germany's policy - German policy

the city’s museums - city museums

c) nouns ship,boat,yacht:

the ship's name - the name of the ship

d) some nouns that denote shops:

a/the baker’s / butcher’s / chemist’s etc. (shop) - bakery, butcher shop, pharmacy

a/the travel agent's etc. (office) - travel agency

the dentist’s / doctor’s / vet’s etc. (surgery) - dentist/doctor/veterinarian waiting room

NB! in this case, in a sentence it is enough to use the word directly in the form of the possessive case (for example: I’m at the travelagent's(= travel agent's office). She went to the baker's(= baker’s shop).). Word house also often omitted in such cases (for example: I had lunch at my friend's(= my friend’s house). — I had lunch with my friend).

e) in phrases for heaven’s sake, for goodness’ sake- For heaven's sake
f) some fixed expressions: at a snail's pace- like a snail (very slowly); a hair's breadth- by a hair's breadth

Note 3: With the exception of those listed above, inanimate nouns generally show ownership using a preposition. of.

the roof of the building

the door of the car

Note 4: Two nouns in the possessive case rarely come one after the other. Usually the preposition is used with the second noun in this case of.

For example:

This is the cat ofmy friend's daughter. (instead of This is my friend’s daughter’s cat)

Also of used when a noun denoting the object to which something belongs is followed by a phrase or clause:

For example:

I didn't take the advice of the woman I met in the city.

In what other cases can the possessive case be used?

On the one hand, the possessive case is used to show ownership. For example: the girl’s name.

On the other hand, it can convey certain qualitative characteristics of an object. In this case, we are not talking about belonging, but about the properties of the object.

For example:

a children’s room = children’s room

women's magazines = women's magazines

a Bachelor's degree - bachelor's degree

This is only true if we are talking about a relation to another noun (for example: the roof of a house ofthehouse). Other relations conveyed in Russian by the genitive case are expressed differently in English (for example: the chair is smaller than the table = the chair is smallerthan the table).

Those. by adding -s to the singular form.

The resulting word is pronounced in this case in the same way as the original: parents'- [ˈpeərənts].

Among proper names that end in -s, there are those in which the possessive case form can be formed in either way. For example: Burn s‘ life = Burns ‘ s life; Jone s‘ flat = Jones ‘ s flat.

Regardless of how exactly the form of the possessive case is formed in this case, the ending of the word, as a rule, reads as [...iz]: Jones’ / Jones’s - .

We are accustomed to the fact that in Russian it is enough to inflect a word by case, thereby forming the context we need. But what to do in a similar situation with English, where there is practically no case system? Firstly, here the syntactic meaning of a word is always determined by its place in the sentence. And secondly, there are as many as three case categories, but not all of them play a really significant role. In today's material we will look at how cases are formed in the English language, what parts of speech they correspond to, and what function they perform.

First, let's find out what this section of grammar is. Case is a term denoting the syntactic role of a member of a sentence or the semantic meaning of a word in a phrase. In simple terms, case determines the dependence of one word on another. The corresponding case in the sentence expresses the subject, object, definition.

Russian grammar allows this term to be applied to a noun, pronoun, adjective, participle, numeral. But in English, cases can occur only in two parts of speech: nouns and pronouns. Moreover, they bring more changes to the class of pronouns. Let's look at the English case system.

Cases in English

Since English uses a fixed word order, the role of cases is somewhat confused and is not always actively expressed. But this is not a reason not to consider their construction and use. On the contrary, to confidently use the language you need to be able to work with any grammatical structures, and the category of case is no exception. Let's ask ourselves: how many cases are there in English? Officially there are three, but only two are identified. We will analyze the three-level classification.

Subjective category

Translated into Russian, this is the most common nominative case, which emphasizes that the noun/pronoun acts as the subject. This grammatical construction is not distinguished by anything remarkable: both nouns and pronouns are used in it in their usual dictionary form.

She is my best friend –ShemybestFriend.
Peter is a clever boy –Peter -smartboy.
Children read the book –Childrenreadbook.

The second case in English is much more unique.

Objective category

This is the so-called indirect case. In this case, nouns/pronouns are not active persons/objects, but objects of these actions. Accordingly, in a sentence this construction is associated with the role of a complement.

When translated into Russian, depending on the context, words can be put in the genitive, dative, propositional and accusative case. It is noteworthy that nouns still do not change their construction, and most personal pronouns receive a completely new form.

Subject	An object	Transformation
I	Me	I ⟶ me, me
You	You	you, you ⟶ you, you, you, you
He	Him	he ⟶ him, him
She	Her	she ⟶ her, her
It	It	it ⟶ to him, his, this, this, her, her (inanimate)
We	Us	we ⟶ us, us
They	Them	they ⟶ them, us

The pronoun who (who?) also undergoes changes, which turns into whom (whom? to whom?).

Give me a pen, please –Giveto me,Please,handle.
I told them the truth –Isaidthemthe truth.
The boy bought a ball – Boyboughtball.

In the case of nouns, these two case categories are combined into one common case, because no changes occur in their composition anyway, and the syntactic role is always determined to a greater extent by the location of the word. A separate and most specific case is the third group.

Possessive category

The most important type of case in English . It is a significant construction that not only expresses the role of a noun/pronoun, but also changes its composition.

The class of pronouns is also being transformed into new forms.

The purpose of these forms and endings, as well as this case group as a whole, is to show belonging to someone or possessing something, as well as to describe and tell what kind of persons/objects they are. Parts of speech of this category always appear before the word being defined, which means that it finally controls the position of the member of the sentence. And this is another exceptional feature of this category.

This is Liz' s mirror –ThisLizinomirror.
These are mine children 's pictures –Thesedrawingsmychildren.

Accordingly, the syntactic role of such constructions is definition.

And the last important nuance of this group: as a rule, possessive endings are attached only to the animate class of nouns. But there are exceptions to this law. Let's take a closer look at them.

Grammar note: in constructions related to dedication, the erection of something in honor of someone, the possessive form is not used: theLermontovmonument.

It is noteworthy that in addition to its own case system, English grammar has other possibilities for declension of a noun. Next, we will learn how to form cases in English using function words.

Prepositions as cases

Prepositions and cases actually have a lot in common even in Russian. Remember that many of them are used only with certain cases and are unique markers of these cases. But prepositions in English not only indicate case, but also help form it. Let's look at such cases using specific examples, and the table below will help us with this.

Prepositions	Correspondence	Examples	Translation
Of, from	whom? what? – possessive form of inanimate. noun, genitive case	I got a postcard from my grandparents. The cover of the book was made of cardboard.	I received a postcard from my grandmother and my grandfather. Cover of this book was done made of cardboard.
By, with	How? how? with the help of whom/what? by whom/what? instrumental case	I cut the rope with a knife. The computer was bought by my son. This novel was written by Walter Scott.	I cut this rope knife. This computer was purchased my son. This novel was written Walter Scott.
About, of	about what? about whom? prepositional	I'm thinking of moving to Poland. I was talking about this film with my friend.	I'm thinking about moving to Poland. I was talking about this film with my friend.
To, for	to whom? what? for whom, if it can be translated as dative case	I want to say something to you. He wrote a fairy tale for his daughter.	I want to tell you something. He wrote to his daughter a fairy tale.

Now we have examined all the possible ways of declension of English words. Having mastered this material, we not only learned to put nouns into the correct form, but also became acquainted with many frequently encountered stable constructions. This means that with each lesson we become more and more aware of the nuances of English speech. See you in new classes!