The cases of nouns: the meaning and general characteristics of each form

In modern literary Russian, nouns are characterized by the presence of declination - changes in numbers and cases. And if the number indicates an indefinite number of the same types of objects, the case is a category that indicates the syntactic function of the noun in the sentence and its relation to other words.

The cases of nouns: direct and indirect

In the Russian language there are six cases, of which the nominative is direct, and all the others (genitive, dative, accusative, instrumental and prepositional) are indirect. Nouns in the nominative case are always used without a preposition, in the remaining cases - with or without a preposition. The exception is the prepositional case, which does not form a form without a prepossess. Prepositions with case forms of nouns help to clarify the meaning of the case. Each case has its own questions, which are specified in the phrase from the main word to the case form (see Table 1).

Case Nouns: Table 1

The cases of nouns: in detail about each

Nominative case

This case is the initial, original form of the word and serves for the name of objects and phenomena. So, the nominative case has such members as the subject, application, appeal, the nominal part of the complex nominal predicate, the main term in the invocative sentences, for example: It began to rain outside the window.

Genitive

This case can take on different values, depending on whether it is breezy or prinimal:

• The genitive genitive case can denote the relationship of belonging, the relationship of part to the whole, the qualitative assessment: the tail of the fox, the tree branch, the man of honor;
• The genitive case in the verb phrase indicates, as a rule, the object of the action: to drink water, to lose the opportunity, not to tell the truth.

Dative

This form of case designates the addressee of the action, that is, to whom the action is directed: to approach the house, transfer to a friend.

Accusative

If other cases of nouns can be used in both nouns and verbs, the accusative case is located mainly after transitive verbs and denotes the object of action: to cover the table, to see the mother, to do the work.

Instrumental case

This case form indicates the instrument of action (to write with a pencil), the place and time of the action (to go by the field), the mode of action (to fly a whirlwind), the person producing the action (made by the father, written by Pushkin)

Prepositional

This case in the sentence indicates the subject of speech or thought (talk about the brother), the place / space within which the action takes place (live in the house), the state of the subject of speech (to spread out in all its glory), etc.

Thus, the cases of nouns can express very different meanings, which are specified by the fact that the name or the verbal form is next to the case form, is present or absent with the noun in the form of a case preposition. The context also plays an important role. The basic means by which cases are determined, - endings and questions to a case form.