TET ENGLISH 'THE CASES' 1

English Cases Tests 👉 ✨ 1 Notes, 2, 3, 4, 5, ✨ 👈

Let’s learn all the major grammatical cases in English clearly — step by step, with definitions, examples, and easy tricks to remember them.

🌈 1. What is a “Case”?

A case shows the function of a noun or pronoun in a sentence —
that is, whether it acts as a subject, object, possessor, etc.

🧩 The 3 Main Cases in Modern English

(English once had more cases, but now only three are commonly used.)

Case	Function	Example	Key Question
1️⃣ Nominative (Subjective)	Shows the doer of the action	She runs fast.	Who does the action?
2️⃣ Objective (Accusative)	Shows the receiver of the action	The teacher praised her.	Whom does the action affect?
3️⃣ Possessive (Genitive)	Shows ownership or relation	Her book is on the table.	Whose book?

🧠 Let’s Learn Each Case in Detail

🔹 1. Nominative Case (Subjective Case)

Used when a noun or pronoun is the subject of a verb.

✅ Examples:

He plays football.
The cat chased the mouse.
They are singing.

🪄 Tip: Ask “Who?” before the verb.

Who plays? — He → Nominative Case.

🔹 2. Objective Case (Accusative Case)

Used when a noun or pronoun is the object of a verb or a preposition.

✅ Examples:

The teacher called me. (object of the verb “called”)
The gift is for her. (object of the preposition “for”)

🪄 Tip: Ask “Whom?” after the verb.

Whom did the teacher call? — Me → Objective Case.

🔹 3. Possessive Case (Genitive Case)

Shows ownership or possession.

✅ Examples:

Raju’s car is new.
Their house is big.
The dog’s tail is long.

🪄 Tip: Ask “Whose?”

Whose car? — Raju’s → Possessive Case.

🏛️ 4. Other Traditional (Historical) Cases

These exist mainly in old English and other languages,
but you can understand them for advanced grammar awareness.

Case Name	Function	Example	Notes
Dative Case	Shows the indirect object (to whom/for whom something is done)	She gave him a gift.	“Him” = Dative (Receiver)
Vocative Case	Used to call or address someone directly	Ravi, please come here!	“Ravi” = person addressed
Ablative Case	Shows separation or source	He came from London.	Not used in modern English, but seen in Latin.
Instrumental Case	Shows means or instrument	He wrote with a pen.	Expressed using “with” or “by” phrases in English.

📜 5. Pronoun Forms Table (All Cases)

Person	Nominative	Objective	Possessive (Adj.)	Possessive (Pronoun)
I	I	me	my	mine
II	you	you	your	yours
III (Male)	he	him	his	his
III (Female)	she	her	her	hers
III (Neuter)	it	it	its	—
Plural	we	us	our	ours
Plural	they	them	their	theirs

🌟 Summary Trick to Remember

🗣️ Nominative – Who acts? (Subject)
🎯 Objective – Whom does it affect? (Object)
💎 Possessive – Whose thing? (Ownership)
🎁 Dative – To/for whom? (Receiver)
📢 Vocative – O! Who is called? (Address)

SPECIAL REVISION SHEET — ENGLISH CASES

Case	Definition:	Question to Ask:	Examples:
1. Nominative Case (Subjective Case)	Used for the subject of a verb — the doer of an action.	Who/What performs the action?	He runs fast. The sun rises in the east. She sings beautifully. Who is knocking at the door? “He that hath clean hands shall ascend the hill of the Lord.” — Bible
2. Objective Case (Accusative Case)	Used for the object of a verb or a preposition — the receiver of an action.	Whom/What does the action affect?	I saw him. The teacher praised the boy. Give it to me. “Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad.” — Classical Proverb
3. Dative Case	Used for the indirect object, indicating to whom or for whom something is done.	To whom/for whom is something given or done?	He gave me a gift. The father told his son a story. The teacher explained the lesson to us. “Give us this day our daily bread.” — Bible
4. Possessive Case (Genitive Case)	Shows ownership, relation, or possession.	Whose?	Ravi’s book is new. The dog’s tail is long. Their car broke down. “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars.” — Shakespeare
5. Reflexive Case	Used when the subject and the object refer to the same person or thing.	Does the action turn back on the doer?	He hurt himself. She blamed herself. They enjoyed themselves. “This above all: to thine own self be true.” — Shakespeare
6. Reciprocal Case	Used when two or more people act mutually — action done to each other.	Do they act or feel towards one another?	They love each other. The soldiers helped one another in battle. The twins quarrel with each other often. “They comforted one another with kind words.” — Biblical tone
7. Vocative Case	Used for addressing or calling a person directly.	Whom are you speaking to?	John, come here. My friend, listen carefully. O Lord, forgive us. “O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?” — Shakespeare “O Death, where is thy sting?” — Bible

Now, Let's Check Our Understanding 👇

1. In the sentence “Whom do you trust the most?” which case does “whom” represent?

Nominative Case
Objective Case
Possessive Case
Dative Case

2. Identify the case of the word “himself” in “He blamed himself for the mistake.”

Nominative Case
Reflexive Case
Possessive Case
Objective Case

3. What case is shown by “John’s” in “John’s brother lives abroad”?

Dative Case
Nominative Case
Possessive Case
Objective Case

4. In the sentence “The teacher gave her a prize,” which case is “her”?

Objective Case
Possessive Case
Dative Case
Nominative Case

5. What case does the pronoun “we” have in “We finished our work early”?

Nominative Case
Possessive Case
Objective Case
Reflexive Case

6. In “The dog bit me,” which case is “me”?

Possessive Case
Dative Case
Objective Case
Nominative Case

7. In “That house is theirs,” what case does “theirs” show?

Nominative Case
Dative Case
Objective Case
Possessive Case

8. Which case is used in “O Lord, forgive us”?

Nominative Case
Vocative Case
Objective Case
Possessive Case

9. In “He sent them letters,” identify the case of “them.”

Possessive Case
Dative Case
Objective Case
Nominative Case

10. The pronoun “it” in “It is raining” is in which case?

Objective Case
Possessive Case
Nominative Case
Vocative Case

11. In “This book belongs to me,” what case is “me”?

Objective Case
Nominative Case
Possessive Case
Reflexive Case

12. In “Whose umbrella is this?” which case is “whose”?

Possessive Case
Objective Case
Nominative Case
Dative Case

13. In “The principal punished him severely,” what case is “him”?

Nominative Case
Possessive Case
Objective Case
Dative Case

14. In “They built a house for themselves,” what case is “themselves”?

Possessive Case
Reflexive Case
Dative Case
Nominative Case

15. The noun “teacher” in “Ravi is a teacher” is in which case?

Nominative Case
Possessive Case
Dative Case
Objective Case

16. In “The boy’s bag was stolen,” what case is “boy’s”?

Objective Case
Dative Case
Possessive Case
Nominative Case

17. Identify the case of “her” in “I saw her painting beautifully.”

Dative Case
Objective Case
Possessive Case
Nominative Case

18. What case is shown by “its” in “The tree shed its leaves”?

Nominative Case
Possessive Case
Dative Case
Objective Case

19. In “We gave the dog a bone,” what case is “dog”?

Dative Case
Nominative Case
Objective Case
Possessive Case

20. In “The sun gives us light,” what case is “us”?

Nominative Case
Objective Case
Dative Case
Possessive Case

21. Identify the case of “you” in “You are my best friend.”

Possessive Case
Nominative Case
Objective Case
Reflexive Case

22. What case is shown by “mine” in “The red pen is mine”?

Objective Case
Possessive Case
Dative Case
Nominative Case

23. In “The ball hit him on the head,” what case is “him”?

Nominative Case
Objective Case
Possessive Case
Dative Case

24. What case is shown by “her” in “Her handwriting is neat”?

Dative Case
Nominative Case
Objective Case
Possessive Case

25. In “He told me the truth,” what case is “me”?

Nominative Case
Possessive Case
Dative Case
Objective Case

26. The noun “children” in “The teacher praised the children” is in which case?

Objective Case
Possessive Case
Dative Case
Nominative Case

27. Identify the case of “myself” in “I introduced myself to the class.”

Nominative Case
Reflexive Case
Objective Case
Possessive Case

28. In “This pen is yours,” which case is “yours”?

Possessive Case
Nominative Case
Objective Case
Dative Case

29. In “The king gave his servant a gift,” what case is “servant”?

Nominative Case
Dative Case
Possessive Case
Objective Case

30. What case does “he” show in “He loves honesty”?

Dative Case
Objective Case
Nominative Case
Possessive Case

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