NOUNS: CASE
I. MAJOR USES:
(simple explanation):
(sophisticated explanation):
nominative:
subject of
verb
- subject of verb;
whatever refers to subject
genitive:
"of"
- noun used as adjective
describing another noun
dative:
person:
"to" or
"for"
- noun indirectly affected by the verb
[indirect object]
thing:
"by" or
"with"
- noun used as adverb
describing a verb, adjective or adverb
accusative:
object of
verb
- delimits applicability of a verb (or adj.)
[accusative of respect]
vocative: person addressed
note: the distinction in the dative of person = "to/for", thing = "by/with" is very useful but not hard and fast; sometimes things can be indirect objects ("to/for")
II. OTHER USES:
1. different prepositions govern the genitive, dative, and accusative
there is not much logic in what prepositions govern what case except that with prepositions of place usually:
genitive indicates place from which
dative indicates place where
accusative indicates place to which,
but there are exceptions (aren't there always!)
2. expressions of time (no
preposition):
genitive:
time within which (de/ka
h(merwVn, "in
ten days")
dative: time when (t$= deka/t$ h(me/r#,"on the
tenth day")
accusative:
duration (de/ka
h(me/raj, "for ten days")
3. nominative: predicate
compliment (KuVroj
h)=n kako/j, "Kyros was bad")
note: the ending of a verb
suffices to indicate person and number;
pronominal nominatives are used only for emphasis.
3. genitive:
i. term of a
comparison (a)ndreio/teroj
Ku/rou, "braver than Kyros")
ii. genitive absolute [noun and participle having a logical but no grammatical connection to the rest of the sentence] (Ku/rou a)poJa/nontoj, oi( Pe/rsai a)pe/fugon, "Kyros having died, the Persians fled").
4. accusative:
i. subject of infinitive
(esp. in, but not limited to, indirect
discouse)
ii. distance (de/ka sta/dia, "for
ten stades", no preposition)