The cases of substantives are these: the Nominative, the Possessive or Genitive, and the Objective or Accusative.
The Nominative Case merely expresses the name of a thing, or the subject of the verb: as, “The doctors differ;”--“The patient dies!”
Possession, which is nine points of the law, is what is signified by the Possessive Case. This case is distinguished by an apostrophe, with the letter s subjoined to it: as, “My soul’s idol!”--“A pudding’s end.”
But when the plural ends in _s_, the apostrophe only is retained, and the other _s_ is omitted: as, “The Ministers’ Step;”--“The Rogues’ March;”--“Crocodiles’ tears;”--“Butchers’ mourning.”
When the singular terminates in _ss_, the letter _s_ is sometimes, in like manner, dispensed with: as, “For goodness’ sake!”--“For righteousness’ sake!” Nevertheless, we have no objection to “Guinness’s” Stout.
The Objective Case follows a verb active, and expresses the object of an action, or of a relation: as, “Spring beat Bill;” that is, Bill or “William _Neate_.” Hence, perhaps, the American phrase, “I’ll lick you _elegant_.”
By the by, it seems to us, that when the Americans revolted from the authority of England, they determined also to revolutionise their language.
The Objective Case is also used with a preposition: as, “You are in a mess.”
English substantives may be declined in the following manner:--
What is the nominative case Of her who used to wash your face, Your hair to comb, your boots to lace? A _mother_!
What the possessive? Whose the slap That taught you not to spill your pap, Or to avoid a like mishap? A _mother’s_!
And shall I the objective show? What do I hear where’er I go? How is your?--whom they mean I know, My _mother_!
Who are the anxious watchers o’er The slumbers of a little bore, That screams whene’er it doesn’t snore? Why, _mothers_!
Whose pity wipes its piping eyes, And stills maturer childhood’s cries, Stopping its mouth with cakes and pies? Oh! _mothers’_!
And whom, when master, fierce and fell, Dusts truant varlets’ jackets well, Whom do they, roaring, run and tell? Their _mothers_!
OF THE NATURE OF ADJECTIVES AND THE DEGREES OF COMPARISON.
An English Adjective, whatever may be its gender, number, or case, like a rusty weathercock, never varies. Thus we say, “A certain cabinet; certain rogues.”