CHAPTER XVI.
ACTIVE VERBS GOVERN THE OBJECTIVE CASE.
ACTIVE·VERBS
·GOVERN·
THE·OBJECTIVE·CASE
“AND now, gentlemen,” said Judge Grammar, when next they were assembled. “But what is the matter, Dr. Verb? What is this about?” he asked, interrupting himself, for Dr. Verb had gone down on one knee before the Judge, and was holding out a paper to him.
“A petition, your lordship,” said Dr. Verb, solemnly; “I beg for justice. No, Preposition, it is of no use to try to hold me back, and to whisper that his lordship will be very angry. You have had your rights given you, and I am going to claim mine. My lord, I beg for the right of an extra mark whenever any word of mine governs a noun or pronoun in the Objective Case.”
At the words “Objective Case,” every one in the court held his breath, expecting the Judge to burst into a rage; and certainly a sudden flush did overspread his face, and rise to the very roots of his wig. For a moment he sat silent with compressed lips, then lifting his head haughtily, he said:—
“Do not apologise, Dr. Verb; I forgive you; but on one condition—that you show clearly and at once how to discover an Objective Case that is governed by a verb.”
“Certainly, my lord,” said Dr. Verb, joyfully; “it is the easiest thing in the world. Just as you have to ask the question, ‘who?’ or ‘what?’ before the verb, to find out the Nominative Case, so you must ask the question, ‘whom?’ or ‘what?’ after the verb, to find the Objective Case. For the nominative tells you who did the thing, and the objective tells you to whom the thing was done. Here is an example:—‘Harry kicked the cat.’ You ask, ‘who kicked?’ to find the nominative, and the answer is Harry. You ask, ‘Harry kicked what?’ to find the objective, and the answer is, the cat. Is that clear?”