Objective case

The objective case refers to the form of a noun or pronoun that functions as the object of a verb, preposition, or an infinitive.

The objective case is used to indicate the noun or pronoun that is the recipient of the action or the object of a preposition. Unlike the nominative case, which is used for the subject of a sentence, the objective case is used for the object in the sentence structure. It plays a crucial role in sentence construction and ensures clarity in identifying who or what is receiving the action.

• Pronouns in the objective case include: me, you, him, her, it, us, and them.
• Nouns generally do not change form for the objective case, but they can still function as objects in a sentence.

The objective case refers to the form of a noun or pronoun that functions as the object of a verb, preposition, or indirect object. There are several types of objects in the objective case, including:

1. Direct Object: The noun or pronoun that receives the action of the verb directly.

Example:

• She reads a book.
  a book is the direct object (What does she read? A book).
• They built a house.
  a house is the direct object (What did they build? A house).
• They invited us.
  us is the direct object.

2. Indirect Object: The noun or pronoun that indicates to whom or for whom the action is performed.

Example:

• She gave her friend a gift.
  (Her friend = indirect object, a gift = direct object)
• I sent my boss an email.
  (My boss = indirect object, an email = direct object)
• They offered us a ride.
  (Us = indirect object, a ride = direct object)
• He made his daughter a sandwich.
  (His daughter = indirect object, a sandwich = direct object)
• We told the teacher the truth.
  (The teacher = indirect object, the truth = direct object)

3. Object of a Preposition: The noun or pronoun that follows a preposition and completes the prepositional phrase.

Example:

• She sat on the bench.
  'Bench' is the object of the preposition 'on'.
• The gift is for him.
  'Him' is the object of the preposition 'for'.
• They walked through the forest.
  'Forest' is the object of the preposition 'through'.
• The cat jumped off the table.
  'Table' is the object of the preposition 'off'.
• We stayed at a hotel.
  'Hotel' is the object of the preposition 'at'.

4. Object Complement: A noun, pronoun, or adjective that follows and modifies or renames the direct object.

Example:

• They elected him president.
  'President' renames the object 'him'.
• We painted the house red.
  'Red' describes the object 'house'.
• She considers the plan a success.
  'A success' renames 'the plan'.
• The movie made her sad.
  'Sad' describes 'her'.
• I found the book interesting.
  'Interesting' describes 'the book'.

Pronouns in the **objective case** are used when the pronoun is the direct object, indirect object, or object of a preposition in a sentence. The objective case pronouns are:

• me
• you
• him
• her
• it
• us
• them

### Examples:

1. **Direct Object**:

• - She saw **me** at the store.
• - I heard **him** sing.

2. Indirect Object:

• - He gave **me** a gift.
• - Can you pass **her** the book?

3. Object of a Preposition:

• - The gift is for **us**.
• - She went to the park with **them**.

These pronouns are used when the pronoun functions as an object in the sentence, as opposed to the subject case (I, you, he, she, etc.).

The object of a verb in the objective case refers to the noun or pronoun that receives the action of the verb in a sentence. It answers the question "whom?" or "what?" after the verb.

For example:

• She reads a book.
  "a book" is the object of the verb "reads."
• He saw her at the park.
  "her" is the object of the verb "saw."

In the case of pronouns, the objective form is used. The objective case for pronouns includes:

• I → me
• he → him
• she → her
• it → it
• we → us
• they → them

Examples with pronouns:

• She helped him. (Object: "him")
• I called them. (Object: "them")

The **object of the preposition** is a noun or pronoun that follows a preposition and shows the relationship between the preposition and other words in the sentence. When the object of the preposition is a **pronoun**, it usually appears in the **objective case** (i.e., the form of the pronoun used when it is the object of a verb or preposition).

Here are some examples:

• I went to the store.
  *"store"* is the object of the preposition "to."
• She sat next to me.
  *"me"* is the object of the preposition "to" and is in the objective case.
• The book is for him.
  *"him"* is the object of the preposition "for" and is in the objective case.

Common Prepositions and Their Objects

• to → I gave it to him.
• with → She walked with us.
• by → The letter was sent by her.
• about → We talked about it.
• for → This gift is for you.

**Direct** and **Indirect objects** are components of a sentence that help to clarify who or what is receiving the action of the verb.

1. **Direct Object (DO)**

A **direct object** is a noun or pronoun that receives the action of the verb directly. It answers the question *what?* or *whom?* after the verb.

- **Example 1**: *She kicked the ball.* - **Verb**: kicked - **Direct Object**: the ball (What did she kick? The ball) - **Example 2**: *They read the book.* - **Verb**: read - **Direct Object**: the book (What did they read? The book)

2. **Indirect Object (IO)**

An **indirect object** is a noun or pronoun that receives the direct object. It answers the question *to whom?* or *for whom?* the action is done.

• - **Example 1**: *She gave him the book.*
• - **Verb**: gave
• - **Indirect Object**: him (To whom did she give the book? To him)
• - **Direct Object**: the book (What did she give? The book)

• - **Example 2**: *I bought my sister a gift.*
• - **Verb**: bought
• - **Indirect Object**: my sister (For whom did I buy the gift? For my sister)
• - **Direct Object**: a gift (What did I buy? A gift)

Key Points:

• A **direct object** is a recipient of the action of the verb.
• An **indirect object** is the person or thing for whom/what the action is done.

In some cases, the indirect object can be introduced by a preposition (usually *to* or *for*), especially when there’s no clear indirect object in the sentence structure:

• She gave a gift to him.
  (Here, *to him* functions as the indirect object, introduced by *to*.)

**Objective pronouns** are used as the direct object, indirect object, or object of a preposition in a sentence. The common objective pronouns are: **me, you, him, her, it, us, them**.

Here’s how objective pronouns are typically positioned in sentences:

1. **As the Direct Object**: The objective pronoun comes after the verb.

Example:

• She saw **me** at the store.
• I invited **him** to the party.

2. **As the Indirect Object**: The objective pronoun comes after the verb, but before the direct object.

Example:

• She gave **me** a gift.
• I sent **them** an email.

3. **As the Object of a Preposition**: The objective pronoun comes after the preposition.

Example:

• She is sitting next to **me**.
• The book is for **us**.

Here are some common mistakes to avoid in the objective case:

1. Using Subject Pronouns in the Objective Case

• Mistake: "Her went to the store."
• Correct: "She went to the store."
• *Explanation: Subject pronouns like "he," "she," and "I" should be used in the subject case, not the objective case.*

2. Confusing "Me" with "I"

• Mistake: "John and me went to the party."
• Correct: "John and I went to the party."
• *Explanation: "I" is used when it's the subject of the sentence, while "me" is used when it's the object.*

3. Misusing "Him" or "Her" with Possessive Pronouns

• Mistake: "That is for she."
• Correct: "That is for her."
• *Explanation: "Her" is the correct objective form of the possessive pronoun "she" in this case.*

4. Using "Them" as the Subject

• Mistake: "Them went to the store."
• Correct: "They went to the store."
• *Explanation: "Them" is an object pronoun, and "they" should be used as the subject.*

5. Using the Objective Case After Prepositions Incorrectly

• Mistake: "This is between he and I."
• Correct: "This is between him and me."
• *Explanation: After a preposition, the object form (him, me, her, them) should be used.*

6. Using Double Object Pronouns Incorrectly

• Mistake: "She gave me and him a gift."
• Correct: "She gave him and me a gift."
• *Explanation: When using two object pronouns, the other person (him) should come before "me."*

Here are some practice exercises focusing on the objective case:

Exercise 1: Select the correct objective pronoun (me, you, him, her, it, us, them) for each sentence.

• 1. Sarah gave the book to ___. (me/I)
• 2. The teacher asked ___ a question.(we/us)
• 3. John saw ___ at the park yesterday.(him/he)
• 4. Can you help ___ with my homework?(me/I)
• 5. They invited ___ to the party.(us/we)
• 6. The manager spoke to ___ about the new project.(them/they)

Exercise 2: Fill in the blanks with the correct objective pronouns.

• 1. Please call ___ later; I’ll be home by then.
• 2. I saw Mary and asked ___ to join us.
• 3. Could you pass ___ the salt, please?
• 4. The teacher told ___ to write an essay.
• 5. We went to the movie with ___.

Exercise 3: Identify and correct the mistake in the use of the objective case.

• 1. She invited I to the concert.
• 2. Can you explain this to he?
• 3. The team congratulated we on our win.
• 4. I gave the book to themselves.
• 5. He told me that he would meet she at the station.