Now, five grains of common sense will enable any one to comprehend what is meant by case.  Its real character is extremely simple; but in the different grammars it assumes as many meanings as Proteus had shapes.  The most that has been written on it, however, is mere verbiage.  What, then, is meant by case?  In speaking of a horse, for instance, we say he is in a good case, when he is fat, and in a bad case, when he is lean, and needs more oats; and in this sense we apply the term case to denote the state or condition of the horse.  So, when we place a noun before a verb as actor or subject, we say it is in the nominative case; but when it follows a transitive verb or preposition, we say it has another case; that is, it assumes a new position or situation in the sentence:  and this we call the objective case.  Thus, the boy gathers fruit.  Here the boy is represented as acting.  He is, therefore, in the nominative case.  But when I say, Jane struck the boy, I do not represent the boy as the actor, but as the object of the action.  He is, therefore, in a new case or condition.  And when I say, This is the boy’s hat, I do not speak of the boy either as acting or as acted upon; but as possessing something:  for which reason he is in the possessive case.  Hence, it is clear, that nouns have three cases or positions.

As the nominative and objective cases of the noun are inseparably connected with the verb, it is impossible for you to understand them until you shall have acquired some knowledge of this part of speech.  I will, therefore, now give you a partial description of the verb in connexion with the noun; which will enable me to illustrate the cases of the noun so clearly, that you may easily comprehend their nature.

In the formation of language, mankind, in order to hold converse with each other, found it necessary, in the first place, to give names to the various objects by which they were surrounded.  Hence the origin of the first part of speech, which we denominate the noun.  But merely to name the objects which they beheld or thought of, was not sufficient for their purpose.  They perceived that these objects existed, moved, acted, or caused some action to be done.  In looking at a man, for instance, they perceived that he lived, walked, ate, smiled, talked, ran, and so on.  They perceived that plants grow, flowers bloom, and rivers flow.  Hence the necessity of another part of speech, whose office it should be to express these existences and actions.  This second class of words we call

VERBS.

A verb is a word which signifies to BE, to DO, or to SUFFER; as, I am;
I rule; I am ruled.

Verbs are of three kinds, active, passive, and neuter.  They are also divided into regular, irregular, and defective.