Rule XII.—An active transitive verb governs the accusative or objective case, as,
“He teaches me.”
“We honour him.”
Note 1.—As examples of transgression against this rule, we may adduce the following: “Who do I love so much?”—Shakspeare. “Who should I meet the other day, but my old friend?”—Spectator. “Those, who he thought true to his party.”—Clarendon.
Note 2. As substantives have no objective case, the subject or object of the energy or affection is distinguished by its place, which is after the verb, as “Achilles slew Hector,” where Achilles, the agent, precedes, and Hector, the subject of the action, follows the verb. Reverse this order, and the meaning is reversed, as “Hector slew Achilles.” Where the proper arrangement is not observed, ambiguity or misconstruction is frequently produced. Thus, when Pope says, Odyss. xix.
“And thus the son the fervent sire address’d,”
it may be asked, did the son address the sire, or the sire address the son? A little attention would have prevented the ambiguity. If the sire addressed the son, the line should run thus,
“And thus his son the fervent sire address’d.”
If the son addressed the sire,
“And thus the son his fervent sire address’d.”
Note 3.—An active intransitive verb sometimes governs the objective case of a noun, of the same or a kindred signification, as, “Let us run the race, which is set before us.” “If any man see his brother sin a sin, which is not unto death.”—Bible. The latter verb, however, though thus used, must not be employed in a transitive sense. It is an error, therefore, to say, “What have I sinned?”—Bible. It should be, “How?” or “In what?” Some intransitive verbs also, when used in a reflex sense, are joined to an objective case, as, “Then having shown his wounds, he’d sit him down.”—Home’s Douglas. This is a poetic licence, which, in a prose writer, would not be tolerated, unless in colloquial and very familiar language.