Swallow, duck, gold, nephew, sister, teacher, master, guide, niece, nurse, brother, bachelor, cow, creator, sorcerer, emperor, adventurer, heiress, stag, ewe, belle, schoolmaster, males, count, baron.

EXERCISE 11

Give the possessive singular and plural for each of the following nouns :

Army, fox, dress, knife, index, face, cargo, science, mouse, truth, Moses, mass, city, money, ox, food.

CHAPTER VI

THE NOUN: SYNTAX

62. The noun enters into six different relations with other words in the formation of sentences: subject, object, possessive, complement, appositive, independent, absolute.

63. The subject of the sentence is in the nominative case; as,

1. The great winds utter prophecies.

2. Slumber fell like a cloud on him.

The subject noun usually precedes the predicate. But it follows the predicate,

(1) in questions; as, Is the flag still there?

(2) in commands; as, Blow, bugle.

(3) in poetry, and in prose for emphasis; as, Theirs is the vanity, the learning, thine.

64. The Object

1. A noun used to complete the meaning of a transitive or incomplete verb is in the objective

case; as,

(1) We elected a chairman.

(2) We sang old songs.

In this use the noun is the direct object. (See

§ 97.)

2. A noun used to show for whose benefit an action is performed, or toward whom an action is directed, is in the objective case; as,

(1) The prisoner told the judge his story.
(2) They gave the urchin a dime.

This use is called the indirect object.

3. A noun may be used as the object of a preposition; as,

(1) We rode into the valley.

(2) He sat upon the roof.

4. Verbs of choosing, calling, naming, etc., take a second object; as,

(1) They named him John.

(2) We elected our teacher chairman.

This is called the predicate object.

5. A noun used as an adverbial modifier is called an adverbial object; as,

(1) We walked a mile.

(2) The weather vane turns north.

65. A noun used to express ownership or possession is in the possessive case; as,

(1) We are reading Lowell's "The Vision of Sir Launfal."

(2) An explorer's life is full of hardships.

1. Only nouns denoting living beings are regularly used in the possessive. Other nouns denoting possession express this relation by the prepositional phrase; as,

(1) All enjoyed the cool air of the morning (morning's cool air).

(2) He sat at the head of the table (table's head).

2. When nouns in the possessive case are connected by a conjunction or are in apposition, the possessive sign is added to the last only; as,

(1) His friend the author's letter came.

(2) John and Mary's teacher dined with us to-day.

When the conjunction used indicates that the nouns are taken separately, each noun has a possessive sign; as, Neither John's nor Mary's teacher accepted our invitation.

66. 1. A noun used to complete the meaning of such verbs as appear, be, become, feel, taste, is in the same case as the subject; as,

(1) He appears a gentleman.

(2) Lincoln became President.

This is called the predicate nominative or predicate noun complement.

2. The predicate object described in § 64: 4 is retained with passive verbs; as,

(1) Predicate object: The people elected Mr. Taft President.

(2) Predicate nominative: Mr. Taft was elected President by the people.

This object is a predicate nominative and is called a retained object with passive verbs.

67. A noun used to explain another noun and

referring to the same person or thing is in the same case by apposition; as,

Patrick Henry, the orator, was a Virginian.

68. A noun is sometimes used alone without any grammatical relation to any other word in the sentence. Such a noun is called the nominative independent. It is used either in direct address or in exclamations; as,

1. James, you may read your essay.

2. Aliens! Call not them aliens who have risked all for country.

69. A noun may be used with a participle, either expressed or understood, to express the cause, time, or circumstance of an action. Such a noun is in the nominative case, and is called the nominative absolute, because it has no grammatical relation to any other word in the sentence; as,

(1) The rain having ceased, we started for the game. (2) The game over, we came home.

(3) Washington once general, an army speedily formed.

NOTE. Participial phrases are sometimes used without proper connection with the rest of the sentence; as,

[Meeting them on the street, they took me home in their automobile.]

This is ungrammatical and should be carefully avoided (see § 137). It is better to use a clause in place of the participial phrase; as,