The Imperative.

52. The Imperative is the function discharged and the form adopted in pressing conceived and desired relations.

Examples: Note (you) this. Lend me sixpence. God be praised. “Some holy angel fly to the court of England.’

53. The Imperative is sometimes used absolutely (Comp. Rule

31).

Example: An object lesson should be

ven, say, at least once a week. The Infinitive.

54. The Infinitive is not a function, but a form. It is an abstract substantive. (See Rules 27-31.)

SUBSTANTIVES.

55. The Subject is always a Substantive in the Nominative Case, and must have the Nominative Case-Form if it be a declinable word.

A substantive used absolutely (Nom. Absolute) and a noun denoting the person addressed (Nom. of Address) are in the Nominative Case.

Attributes.

56. Nouns denoting 2 attributes of the person or thing denoted by the Subject or the Object must be in the same case as the Subject or Object respectively. (Comp. Rules 24, 25, and 22.) Examples: The rose is a flower (both Nom.). Socrates was called a wise man (both Nom.).

The committee asked him to be president (both Obj.).

Apposition.

57. Nouns and Pronouns used as equivalent names for the same person or thing, and Nouns and Pronouns denoting the same person or thing in the same relation to the thought or statement,3 are said to be in apposition, and must be in the

same case.

The student should note the following imperatives, in the 3rd Person (and 1st Person).

(a) So may he rest: his faults lie gently on him.-Shakespeare.
(b) Silken rest tie all thy cares up.-Beaumont and Fletcher.

(c) Bless'd be the great.-Pope.

(d) Come we now to his translation of the Iliad.-Pope.

2 The word "denoting" excludes the purely relative attribute of belonging to a person or thing. This is connoted by a word which takes a special case-form; viz., the Possessive.

3 This excludes the reflexive pronouns.

Examples: It is I. Victoria is the Queen. Cromwell, the Protector, was a real hero. An arrow struck Harold the king. William the Conqueror's followers obtained possession of the greater part of England.

Possessive Case.

58. Nouns and Pronouns denoting persons or things and connoting the relative attribute of possession or ownership.1 are in the Possessive Case, and must take the Possessive Case-form.

Examples: William's horse was killed under him at Battle.

Richard's absence from England was unfortunate.
Edward I. called his infant son Prince of Wales.

59. The Saxon Possessive Case-form ('s) is inappropriate for names of inanimate objects. It should be used for none but names of persons and living things, names of things personified, and names of points and periods of time. For other names the Norman genitive is preferable.

The Adjective-Pronouns are always in the Possessive Case, and "its" of course is used for a thing. Note the absence of an apostrophe (').

Examples: Henry's reign. The lion's mane. Fame's allurements.

The

day's duties. A second's duration. Our home. Its sacredness. The time of harvest. The tip of the finger. The love of beauty. (Not harvest's time, beauty's love, etc.)

60. When two or more Nouns form a Compound word, and when two or more Nouns are in Apposition, or connote possession of something in common, the last name only takes the possessive suffix or case-form.

Examples: The British and Foreign School Society's Annual Report. Edward the Confessor's tomb. John, William, and Mary's father.

61. The Possessive form may be used after "of" (itself a genitive sign) when "of" governs a noun following or understood.

Examples: A play of Shakespeare's (writing). That invention of yours (= of your inventing).

'It would be more correct to say that a substantive which denotes a person or thing, and connotes the attribute of special (and in most cases exclusive) relationship, is in the Possessive Case. This will be evident from the second example.

62. The noun which " governs a possessive case is often omitted when the omitted noun is suggested by familiar usage. Examples: St. Paul's (cathedral). The book was bought at Smith's (shop).

63. The noun which " governs a plural possessive should not be put in the plural unless the meaning requires it.

Example: It is not their fault but their misfortune that their friends are unreasonable.

Objective Case.

64. Nouns and Pronouns denoting persons or things which are the objects of an activity, or which not being subjects or attributes of the subject, are essential to the development of the activity, are in the objective case, and require the objective caseform if there be one. This is expressed briefly by saying that Transitive Verbs in the Active Voice govern the Objective Case. (See Rules 14-16.)

Examples: He feels it deeply. Milton wrote "Paradise Regained." Children love play. They expect us. We know both him and you. The cat caught a sparrow.

65. Prepositions govern the Objective Case.

Persons or things which form an essential and unnamed part of the relation denoted by a preposition must be named to complete the sense. The nouns or pronouns denoting such persons or things are put in the Objective Case:

Examples: This is for me. I will give it to you. Conscience asserts itself within us, but has no authority beyond our own

actions.

66. Prepositional Verbs which are Transitive govern the Objective Case.

Examples: Run over the names again. He has given over trying. She sent in her resignation. We will look over the offence. We must not give up the struggle. We must put up with the inevitable.

Some Prepositional Verbs are Intransitive.

Examples: When the New Year comes in. Go on.

Winter comes on apace.

Prices will go up.

A prepositional verb is a compound word formed by the union of a preposition, or a prepositional root, with a verb. The new word is distinct from the verb forming part of it, and does not represent unaltered the two elements entering into it, but a new notion or idea.

67. The Adjectives "like," "nigh," and "worth" govern the Objective Case.

Examples: It is like him. It is nigh dawn. A peck of March dust is worth a king's ransom.

These adjectives imply the existence of persons or things which must be named to complete the sense. They are relational words.

68. Nouns denoting duration, extension, and measurement, when used after verbs asserting duration, extension, or measurement, or after other correlative or co-variant terms, are in the Objective Case. It is necessary to name some quantitative standard in order to complete the sense.

Examples: The play lasted three hours. The plain extends many miles on both sides of the river. The bell weighs several tons. The corps is six hundred rifles strong.

In 1661 the

justices fixed the labourer's wages at seven shillings a week.
Wheat was then seventy shillings the quarter, and the
labourer worked twelve hours a day.

69. Nouns that follow verbs to which they are cognate-that is, nouns that are derived from the same root as the preceding verb, and denote the same fundamental idea-are put in the Objective Case. The verb is regarded as transitive, and the noun is called the Cognate Object.

Examples: To sing a song. To dream dreams. To run a race.

70. When a verb which takes two Objects is put in the Passive Voice one of the "objects" is made the Subject of the sentence (Nom. Case). The other also, after verbs of calling, etc., is then in the Nominative Case; but after verbs of giving, teaching, asking, etc., the noun which follows the participle is in the Objective Case. (See Rules 21-22.)

PRONOUNS.

71. Pronouns agree with their corresponding Noun, and with any corresponding Pronoun, in Gender, Number, and Person. The Noun or pronoun corresponding to a relative pronoun, that is, denoting the same person or thing as the relative pronoun, is called its Antecedent.

Examples: I saw Charles and told him that he would meet his brother.
Thou who art a lover of peace must show forbearance.

72. If the same person or thing has been denoted by two or more nouns, the corresponding pronoun must be singular.

Example: The husband and father loves to see his wife and his child happy.

73. A noun preceded by each, every, no, or many a, requires the corresponding pronoun to be singular.

Examples: Each man must bear his own burden.

No man can look back on his life with unmixed satisfaction.

74. After two or more Singular Nouns separated by "or" or “nor,” the corresponding pronoun must be singular.

Examples: The president or the vice-president will affix his signature. Neither the thrush nor the blackbird roofs its nest.

If the nouns separated are of different genders the pronoun corresponding is often put in the plural; but this construction is inelegant. Some other construction should, if possible, be employed.

Examples: The lady or the gentleman will find that, under such circumstances, no one pities them.

Each man, woman, and child received their share.

We may avoid this irregularity by altering the construction. We may say, for instance, "The lady or the gentleman will find that such a person receives no pity; ""Every man, woman, and child received the share appropriate to each."

75. A pronoun used as a substitute for a Collective Noun must be Singular when the persons or things are spoken of as a whole, Plural when we desire to denote the separate individuals constituting the whole.

Examples: The class has greatly improved its tone.

The committee are not unanimous; they hold different opinions as to the expediency of the action proposed.

76. "Ye" is properly Nominative, and should never be used as an object. "You is both Nominative and Objective. Ye and

thou are used for solemnity and familiarity only.

Examples: "Ye worship ye know not what."

Thou art a merry fellow.

You are invited and they will expect you.

77. The Possessive Pronouns my, thy, his, etc., are the possessive forms to be used when a noun is to follow the possessive: the forms mine, thine, ours, yours, etc., are employed when the possessive is not followed by a noun. Mine and thine may be used when the possessive is followed by a word beginning with a vowel or a silent h.

Examples: My hat.

Our friends. Their books. This is mine. That is yours. This is theirs. "Mine own familiar friend." Mine eyes. Mine honour.