Basic Details
Word: Nominative
Part of Speech: Adjective, noun
Meaning: In grammar, the nominative case is the form of a noun or pronoun used as the subject of a verb, such as I, he, she, we and they.
Synonyms: subjective
Word origin: Comes from Latin nominativus, relating to naming, from nomen, a name.
How to Spell Nominative
Syllables: nom - i - na - tive
Tricky part: The vowels after nom are i then a: nom-i-na-tive. Writers mix them up or skip the i.
Watch out for: nominitive, nomenative, nomnative
Memory tip: It begins exactly like nominate. Take nominate, drop the final e and add ive.
Usage Examples
Example 1: In 'They won the match', they is in the nominative case.
Example 2: Latin nouns change their endings for the nominative and other cases.
Example 3: Our teacher drew a chart of nominative and objective pronouns.
Fun Fact
English shows the nominative case clearly only in pronouns: I but me, he but him, they but them. Nouns like girl look the same in every position.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. superlitive 2. posessive 3. nominative 4. infinative
a) the base form of a verb, often with to
b) the form of an adjective meaning most, such as tallest
c) the case of a noun or pronoun used as the subject
d) showing that something belongs to someone
Show answer
c) the case of a noun or pronoun used as the subject. Nominative is correct; the others should be possessive, superlative and infinitive.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
nom_n_tive
a) e, a
b) i, i
c) i, a
d) a, i
Show answer
c) i, a. Nominate gives the vowels: nom-i-na, so i first and a second.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
In the sentence 'She sang well', the pronoun she is in the vetaminion case.
a) nominate
b) nomination
c) nominative
d) abomination
Show answer
c) nominative. The ten letters include a v, which fits nominative and not nomination.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which pronoun is in the nominative case?
a) us
b) we
c) ours
d) our
Show answer
b) we
2. A word in the nominative case usually acts as the ____ of a sentence.
a) title
b) full stop
c) object
d) subject
Show answer
d) subject
