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objective case

objective case

1 7.4
The form words like him or them take when they are objects in a sentence
  • noun
  • /əbˈdʒɛktɪv keɪs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : caso objetivo
  • In the sentence "She helped me," the pronoun "me" is in the objective case.

Examples

  • "Me" is the objective case for first person singular pronouns in English.

    Blog text (24)
  • Simply put, you are a monolithic a-hole, and that sucks much, much more than confusing nominative case with objective case pronouns.

    Blog text (17)
  • Using the objective case "me" is not correct.

    Blog text (27)
  • Theoretical applications were supported by a combination of correct terminology use, concrete suggestions, objective case facts, and accurate problem identification.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Besides such varieties of psychologizing that emphasize one's subjectivity, there is also the more literally objective case: wherein everything can be seen as if it were a version of oneself.

    Academic text (1990)
  • "Me" is the objective case used when it is the object of a verb or preposition.

  • Understanding the objective case is essential for proper sentence structure.

Synonyms

accusative
vsobjective case
  • Specialized
9.2

A form of a noun or pronoun used as the direct object of a verb

is broader, applying also to nouns that act as objects after prepositions
accusative case
vsobjective case
  • Specialized
8.6

The form of a noun or pronoun used as the direct object of a verb

is broader, including nouns that function as objects after prepositions

Surface Forms

Morphology

objective + case

The meaning is directly compositional: 'objective' in its grammatical sense (relating to accusative or objects) combined with 'case' (a grammatical category) yields the case used for objects/direct objects. Although somewhat technical terminology, the sense follows standard morphological composition and is cross-linguistically common, so a learner who knows the constituent meanings will understand it.

Etymology

Objective case comes from the idea that objective points to the 'object', the thing that receives an action, and case shows that role. So when a verb or a preposition acts on a noun or pronoun, for example 'She saw him', that word is in the objective case.