First Grammar Lessons: Part II, Lesson VIII

Lesson VIII

Of course if two nouns that mean the same thing come together, they must be in the same case.

Laura the doll has a blue dress.

Here ‘Laura’ and ‘doll’ are two names for the same thing, and therefore both words are in the same case.

There is one verb about which rather an odd thing happens. The noun that goes before it and the noun that comes after it are always two different names for the same thing.

We say: Henry is a tall boy.

Hammers are useful tools.
Mary was a foolish child.

Henry and boy
Hammers and tools                         } are two names for the same thing.
Mary and child

You know that these words, is and are and was all belong to the verb Be and it is nearly the only verb in which this happens.

The name-word before and the name-word after the verb Be are always in the same case, because they are two words for the same thing.

For this reason a name-word after the verb

Be cannot be an object, but is just part of the predicate.

To be learnt.

Different names for the same thing in a sentence are in the same case.

Exercise VIII

1.    William the king has been crowned.

George the gardener has broken his leg.
Robin the pony has a long mane.

What is the case of the above nouns?

2. Make six sentences with two nouns meaning the same thing, as:

The boy Tom lost his book.

3.    Dog, John, butcher, goat, grandmother.

Make sentences with the above nouns, adding other nouns to them which mean the same thing, as:

Dog Toby has a big collar.

4.    Lost, gave, saw, went, threw, had.

Make sentences with the above verbs, putting two nouns meaning the same thing before each, as:

Our friend Tom lost his watch.

5.    John is _____.

This book was _____.
I am going to be _____.

Put words after these words which will mean the same as ‘John,’ ‘book,’ ‘I,’ as:

John is a doctor.

6. Make sentences with the verb Be and the following pairs of nouns:

iron . . metal, Toby . . dog, Janet . . girl.