Objective (grammar)
Encyclopedia
An objective pronoun in grammar
functions as the target of a verb
, as distinguished from a subjective pronoun, which is the initiator of a verb. Objective pronoun
s are instances of the oblique case
.
In layman's terms, the target is the object on which the verb acts, and the initiator is the subject performing the action. For example, in the sentence "The dog chased the cat", the dog is the initiator (or subject), and the cat is the target (or object). English
primarily relies on word order to determine which is which; English nouns do not change form depending on their usage. In contrast, most (but not all) pronouns in English do have distinctive subject and object forms:
system that specified distinct pronouns for accusative
and dative case
s. This collapsed into a single pronoun for both accusative and dative cases, now called the objective pronoun. Thus, many requirements for declension in English concerning the objective and subjective pronouns have since mostly regressed. Objective pronouns in English are a vestige of this older case system.
Several relatively common usages of objective pronouns in the subject position are regarded as errors by prescriptivists, though descriptive grammarians and linguists class such usages as dialect
and a natural part of language evolution. Various dialects of English often disregard subjective/objective pronoun distinctions in certain cases. In some instances, language that complies with these rules sounds odd or archaic to a native speaker, whereas language that violates them sounds fluent and normal.
In this article, "standard" refers to usage that complies with rules adhered to by prescriptive grammarians, whereas "nonstandard" refers to usage that may violate these rules but may nevertheless be commonly used by a native speaker. (There is no official 'standard' for English, but this definition should be adequate for the purposes of this article.)
In an SVO language (like English), the noun before the verb is usually considered the subject, and the noun after the verb is considered the object. One exception to this involves the copula. The copula can be thought of as a "linking verb" or an equal sign. Logically, the copula says that the two nouns it joins are the same. As such, it has traditionally been considered proper that they share the same case. Since this rule establishes an exception to the normal sentence pattern, the "standard" usage sounds odd to many speakers:
Notice that in the third example, the sentence can be rephrased to sound more natural without violating the rule. Here, "winner" is serving as an object. However, as nouns do not change form according to usage in English (they are not declined
), "winner" looks equally natural in either position.
Finally, the pronoun whom, technically the objective form of who
, is falling into disuse
. Who is commonly used for both objective and nominative cases, similar to the word you
. The fact that the "standard" sentences below sound archaic to many speakers is a reminder that languages do change.
Grammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
functions as the target of a verb
Verb
A verb, from the Latin verbum meaning word, is a word that in syntax conveys an action , or a state of being . In the usual description of English, the basic form, with or without the particle to, is the infinitive...
, as distinguished from a subjective pronoun, which is the initiator of a verb. Objective pronoun
Pronoun
In linguistics and grammar, a pronoun is a pro-form that substitutes for a noun , such as, in English, the words it and he...
s are instances of the oblique case
Oblique case
An oblique case in linguistics is a noun case of synthetic languages that is used generally when a noun is the object of a verb or a preposition...
.
In layman's terms, the target is the object on which the verb acts, and the initiator is the subject performing the action. For example, in the sentence "The dog chased the cat", the dog is the initiator (or subject), and the cat is the target (or object). English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
primarily relies on word order to determine which is which; English nouns do not change form depending on their usage. In contrast, most (but not all) pronouns in English do have distinctive subject and object forms:
| Subject/initiator pronoun | Object/target pronoun |
|---|---|
| I | Me |
| He | Him |
| She | Her |
| It | It |
| We | Us |
| You | You |
| They | Them |
| Who | Whom |
History
English once had an extensive declensionDeclension
In linguistics, declension is the inflection of nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and articles to indicate number , case , and gender...
system that specified distinct pronouns for accusative
Accusative case
The accusative case of a noun is the grammatical case used to mark the direct object of a transitive verb. The same case is used in many languages for the objects of prepositions...
and dative case
Dative case
The dative case is a grammatical case generally used to indicate the noun to whom something is given, as in "George gave Jamie a drink"....
s. This collapsed into a single pronoun for both accusative and dative cases, now called the objective pronoun. Thus, many requirements for declension in English concerning the objective and subjective pronouns have since mostly regressed. Objective pronouns in English are a vestige of this older case system.
Several relatively common usages of objective pronouns in the subject position are regarded as errors by prescriptivists, though descriptive grammarians and linguists class such usages as dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
and a natural part of language evolution. Various dialects of English often disregard subjective/objective pronoun distinctions in certain cases. In some instances, language that complies with these rules sounds odd or archaic to a native speaker, whereas language that violates them sounds fluent and normal.
In this article, "standard" refers to usage that complies with rules adhered to by prescriptive grammarians, whereas "nonstandard" refers to usage that may violate these rules but may nevertheless be commonly used by a native speaker. (There is no official 'standard' for English, but this definition should be adequate for the purposes of this article.)
- Nonstandard: You and me are going to school together. (Compare: Us are going to school together.)
- Standard: You and I are going to school together. (Compare: We are going to school together.)
- Nonstandard: The teacher teaches you and I. (Compare: The teacher teaches we.)
- Standard: The teacher teaches you and me. (Compare: The teacher teaches us.)
- Nonstandard: You are a better swimmer than her. (Than is used here as a preposition; as such, it assigns objective case to its argument, 'her'.)
- Standard: You are a better swimmer than she. (You are a better swimmer than she [is].)
- Standard: They like you more than she. (They like you more than she [likes you].)
- Standard: They like you more than her. (They like you more than [they like] her.)
In an SVO language (like English), the noun before the verb is usually considered the subject, and the noun after the verb is considered the object. One exception to this involves the copula. The copula can be thought of as a "linking verb" or an equal sign. Logically, the copula says that the two nouns it joins are the same. As such, it has traditionally been considered proper that they share the same case. Since this rule establishes an exception to the normal sentence pattern, the "standard" usage sounds odd to many speakers:
- Standard: The winner was I.
- Nonstandard: The winner was me.
- Standard: I was the winner.
Notice that in the third example, the sentence can be rephrased to sound more natural without violating the rule. Here, "winner" is serving as an object. However, as nouns do not change form according to usage in English (they are not declined
Declension
In linguistics, declension is the inflection of nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and articles to indicate number , case , and gender...
), "winner" looks equally natural in either position.
Finally, the pronoun whom, technically the objective form of who
Who (pronoun)
The pronoun who, in English, is the interrogative and relative pronoun that is used to refer to humans.The corresponding interrogative pronouns for non-sentient beings are what and which, and the relative pronouns are that and which...
, is falling into disuse
Syncretism (linguistics)
In linguistics, syncretism is the identity of form of distinct morphological forms of a word. This phenomenon is typical of fusional languages....
. Who is commonly used for both objective and nominative cases, similar to the word you
You
You is the second-personpersonal pronoun, both singular and plural, and both nominative and objective case, in Modern English. The oblique/objective form you functioned originally as both accusative and dative)...
. The fact that the "standard" sentences below sound archaic to many speakers is a reminder that languages do change.
- Nonstandard: Who should I tell?
- Standard: Whom should I tell?
- Nonstandard: Whom should hear that?
- Standard: Who should hear that?