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Forums => English & Linguistics => Topic started by: Porter on January 25, 2008, 12:38:58 AM

Title: Knock Knock
Post by: Porter on January 25, 2008, 12:38:58 AM

Knock Knock

Title: Knock Knock
Post by: Tante Shvester on January 25, 2008, 01:45:32 AM

What?  You want me to say "Who's there?"  I can tell it's you, Porter.  Fine.  I'll play along, but just to humor you.


Who's there?

Title: Knock Knock
Post by: Porter on January 25, 2008, 07:48:18 AM

Objective Case

Title: Knock Knock
Post by: Brinestone on January 25, 2008, 08:01:05 AM

Objective case who?

Title: Knock Knock
Post by: Porter on January 25, 2008, 08:09:59 AM

No -- objective case whom.

Title: Knock Knock
Post by: Jonathon on January 25, 2008, 08:13:02 AM

That's probably the best grammatical knock-knock joke I've ever heard.

(Even though it's wrong.)

Title: Knock Knock
Post by: Tante Shvester on January 25, 2008, 08:18:18 AM

Quote

That's probably the best grammatical knock-knock joke I've ever heard.

Please don't impose upon us the runners up.

Title: Knock Knock
Post by: Jonathon on January 25, 2008, 08:19:48 AM

I didn't mention that it's the only one I've ever heard.

Title: Knock Knock
Post by: Porter on January 25, 2008, 08:22:47 AM

Go ahead -- tell me how it's wrong.

Title: Knock Knock
Post by: Jonathon on January 25, 2008, 08:29:38 AM

Because it's not the object of anything. I'm trying to figure out just how to parse a construction like "Objective case who," but I am fairly confident that "who" it can't be construed as an object.

Title: Knock Knock
Post by: Porter on January 25, 2008, 08:31:30 AM

Oh.  I thought you meant something else.

Title: Knock Knock
Post by: Jonathon on January 25, 2008, 08:43:11 AM

What did you think I meant?

Title: Knock Knock
Post by: Porter on January 25, 2008, 09:00:54 AM

I thought that maybe it should have been the objective mood or some such error with the jargon.

Title: Knock Knock
Post by: Jonathon on January 25, 2008, 09:03:27 AM

Ah. Gotcha.

Title: Knock Knock
Post by: Porter on January 25, 2008, 10:57:27 AM

BTW, I got that joke from A Way With Words the NPR show that you weren't interested in.  

Title: Knock Knock
Post by: Jonathon on January 25, 2008, 10:59:04 AM

*laugh*

I should've guessed.

Title: Knock Knock
Post by: Farmgirl on January 25, 2008, 11:13:39 AM

Ooooooooooo..

Object.  Objective case.

(My mind is turning here -- there is something that was said during conversation the other day that had to do with Objective Case that was inadvertently SO funny, that I thought "I must tell that one to Jonathon!".  However, now I can't remember it well enough to share it.  I hate getting old)

(It's just like all those times I think "I want to quote that on Facebook!" but then next time I log on, I have totally forgotten the quote) :(

Title: Knock Knock
Post by: pooka on January 25, 2008, 12:25:38 PM

Is it called objective case in English, or is it still accusative?

Title: Knock Knock
Post by: Jonathon on January 25, 2008, 12:36:36 PM

The objective case in English (where separate forms actually exist, anyway, as in the pronouns) is actually descended from the dative case, which had pushed out the accusative case by Middle English times. I suppose you could call it either dative or accusative depending on the context, but I think I've generally seen it called objective.

Title: Knock Knock
Post by: pooka on January 25, 2008, 12:51:46 PM

Okay, that makes sense.