There are several types of nouns including common and proper nouns, abstract and concrete nouns, and nouns that differ in gender, person, number, and case. Nouns can function as subjects, objects, or predicate nominatives in a sentence and take different cases depending on their function. The three cases of nouns are nominative, possessive, and objective.

1. The how, the why, the wherefore Nouns

9. Nouns as subjects Joe built the house Joe built the house, after he had finished his swim. “ What a great idea!” yelled Joe.

10. Nouns as Objects Joe built the house. We were hiding under the road. Joe built what? Try asking “what?” “ house” is the object of the verb “built”. Under what? “ road” is the object of the preposition “under”. Any verb that has an object is called Transitive .

11. Nouns as Predicate Nominatives We are good people. “ are ” is a linking verb. Linking verbs do not take objects. They are ALWAYS intransitive. “ We are” what? Hence, “people” is the predicate nominative of the verb “are”.

13. Nominative Case RULE: A noun is in the nominative case when its function is either subject or predicate nominative (sometimes called “subject complements”). Joe built the house. “ Joe” is the subject of the verb “built”. It is nominative case. “ house” is the object of the verb built. It is not nominative case.

14. Nominative Case Cont. Joe is a good feller. Linking verb “ Feller” cannot be an object because linking verbs never take objects. Feller is a predicate nominative and is therefore in the nominative case. NEWSFLASH: Many people will identify “feller” as the object of the verb “is” forgetting that “is” is a linking verb and is never transitive. Some people call predicate nominatives “subject complements”

15. Objective Case RULE: A noun is in the objective case when its function is any kind of an object. Joe played the drums. “ drums” is the object of the verb “played”. Since it is the object of the main verb, it is usually called a “direct object”. It is in the objective case. This makes the verb “played” transitive .