58.  The nominative case is used as follows:—­

(1) As the subject of a verb:  “Water seeks its level.”

(2) As a predicate noun, completing a verb, and referring to or explaining the subject:  “A bent twig makes a crooked tree.”

(3) In apposition with some other nominative word, adding to the meaning of that word:  “The reaper Death with his sickle keen.”

(4) In direct address:  “Lord Angus, thou hast lied!”

(5) With a participle in an absolute or independent phrase (there is some discussion whether this is a true nominative):  “The work done, they returned to their homes.”

(6) With an infinitive in exclamations:  “David to die!”

Exercise.

Pick out the nouns in the nominative case, and tell which use of the nominative each one has.

1.  Moderate lamentation is the right of the dead; excessive grief, the enemy of the living.

2.  Excuses are clothes which, when asked unawares,
     Good Breeding to naked Necessity spares.

3.  Human experience is the great test of truth.

4.  Cheerfulness and content are great beautifiers.

5.  Three properties belong to wisdom,—­nature, learning, and experience; three things characterize man,—­person, fate, and merit.

6.  But of all plagues, good Heaven, thy wrath can send,
     Save, save, oh save me from the candid friend!

7.  Conscience, her first law broken, wounded lies.

8.  They charged, sword in hand and visor down.

9.  O sleep!  O gentle sleep! 
     Nature’s soft nurse, how have I frighted thee?

II.  Uses of the Objective.

59.  The objective case is used as follows:—­

(1) As the direct object of a verb, naming the person or thing directly receiving the action of the verb:  “Woodman, spare that tree!”

(2) As the indirect object of a verb, naming the person or thing indirectly affected by the action of the verb:  “Give the devil his due.”

(3) Adverbially, defining the action of a verb by denoting time, measure, distance, etc. (in the older stages of the language, this took the regular accusative inflection):  “Full fathom five thy father lies;” “Cowards die many times before their deaths.”

(4) As the second object, completing the verb, and thus becoming part of the predicate in acting upon an object:  “Time makes the worst enemies friends;” “Thou makest the storm a calm.”  In these sentences the real predicates are makes friends, taking the object enemies, and being equivalent to one verb, reconciles; and makest a calm, taking the object storm, and meaning calmest.  This is also called the predicate objective or the factitive object.