The subject of a finite verb is that which answers to who or what before it; as, “The boy runs.”—­Who runs?  “The boy.”  Boy is therefore here in the nominative case.

The possessive case is that form or state of a noun or pronoun, which usually denotes the relation of property:  as, The boy’s hat; my hat.

The possessive case of nouns is formed, in the singular number, by adding to the nominative s preceded by an apostrophe; and, in the plural, when the nominative ends in s, by adding an apostrophe only:  as, singular, boy’s; plural, boys’;—­sounded alike, but written differently.

The objective case is that form or state of a noun or pronoun which usually denotes the object of a verb, participle, or preposition:  as, I know the boy, having seen him at school; and he knows me.

The object of a verb, participle, or preposition, is that which answers to whom or what after it; as, “I know the boy.”—­I know whom?  “The boy.” Boy is therefore here in the objective case.

The nominative and the objective of nouns, are always alike in form, being distinguishable from each other only by their place in a sentence, or by their simple dependence according to the sense.

OBSERVATIONS.

OBS. 1.—­The cases, in grammar, are founded on the different relations under which things are represented in discourse; and from which the words acquire correspondent relations; or connexions and dependences according to the sense.  In Latin, there are six cases; and in Greek, five.  Consequently, the nouns and pronouns of those languages, and also their adjectives and participles, (which last are still farther inflected by the three genders,) are varied by many different terminations unknown to our tongue.  In English, those modifications or relations which we call cases, belong only to nouns and pronouns; nor are there ever more than three.  Pronouns are not necessarily like their antecedents in case.

OBS. 2.—­Because the infinitive mood, a phrase, or a sentence, may in some instances be made the subject of a verb, so as to stand in that relation in which the nominative case is most commonly found; very many of our grammarians have deliberately represented all terms used in this manner, as being “in the nominative case:”  as if, to sustain any one of the relations which are usually distinguished by a particular case, must necessarily constitute that modification itself.  Many also will have participles, infinitives, phrases, and sentences, to be occasionally “in the objective case:”  whereas it must be plain to every reader, that they are, all of them, indeclinable terms; and that, if used in any relation common to nouns or pronouns, they assume that office, as participles, as infinitives,