Case

Question 1

What is meant by “case”?

Answer 1

In the grammatical sense, case means that a different form of a word is used depending on the word’s function in a sentence.

Question 2

What parts of speech are affected by case in English?

Answer 2

Only pronouns are affected by case.

Question 3

What parts of speech are affected by case in German?

Answer 3

1. Nouns
2. Pronouns.
3. Adjectives.
4. Articles.

Question 4

How is the function of a word indicated in English?

Answer 4

The function of a word in an English sentence is usually indicated by where it is placed in the sentence.

Question 5

How is the function of a word indicated in German?

Answer 5

The function of a word in an German sentence is usually indicated by its case form. This is especially helpful because word order changes more often in German than in English. Knowing how to analyze the function of words in an English sentence is helpful in establishing which case is required in a German sentence.

Question 6

What are the 3 cases used for English pronouns?

Answer 6

In English, the function of a personal pronoun is indicated by both its place in a sentence and by its case. There are 3 cases used for English pronouns:

1. Nominative Case – used when a pronoun is a subject or replaces a predicate nominative in a sentence.
2. Objective Case – used when a pronoun is an object in a sentence.
3. Possessive Case – used when a pronoun shows ownership.

Question 7

What are the 4 cases used in the German language?

Answer 7

The case of a German word is sometimes reflected not only by the form of the word itself, but also by the form of the words that accompany it in a sentence. The 4 cases used in the German language are:

1. Nominative Case – used for the subject of a sentence and predicate nouns.
2. Accusative Case – used for most direct objects and after certain prepositions.
3. Dative Case – used primarily for indirect objects, after certain prepositions, and after certain verbs.
4. Genitive Case – used to show possession or close relation, and after certain prepositions.

Question 8

What are 4 major facts about the case of a noun?

Answer 8

1. The case of a noun is most often indicated by the ending of the accompanying article.
2. Each case has both a singular and plural form.
3. The complete set of case forms for any noun and its article is called its declension.
4. Case affects the form of the noun itself (in terms of added endings) in the masculine and neuter nouns in the genitive singular (-e, -es) and all of the nouns in the dative plural (-n if they don’t already end in n).

Question 9

What are “weak nouns” (aka “N-nouns”)?

Answer 9

Weak nouns are a small but common group of nouns that add -en to every case except the nominative.

Question 10

To determine the appropriate case for nouns in a sentence, what 4 things must you do?

Answer 10

1. Determine the gender and number of each noun.
2. Determine the function of each noun.
3. Determine what case corresponds to the function.
4. Choose the proper declension of the noun and any endings to be added.