What case is "afraid of the dog"? - briefly
The phrase "afraid of the dog" uses the preposition "of" to indicate the object of fear. In English grammar, this structure is known as the "fear + of + noun/pronoun" construction.
What case is "afraid of the dog"? - in detail
In English grammar, the phrase "afraid of the dog" requires an understanding of prepositions and their associated cases. Specifically, the word "afraid" is followed by the preposition "of," which in turn necessitates the use of the object case for the noun that follows it.
To break this down:
- Preposition "Of": The preposition "of" introduces a prepositional phrase where the following noun acts as the object of the preposition. In this context, "of" is used to indicate the cause or source of the fear.
- Object Case: When a noun follows the preposition "of," it is in the objective case. This means that if the noun were a pronoun, it would take the object form (e.g., "him," "her," "them"). For common nouns like "dog," there is no change in form, but it's important to recognize that grammatically, it is functioning as an object.
- Structure Analysis: The complete phrase "afraid of the dog" can be analyzed as follows:
- "Afraid" is an adjective describing a state of fear.
- "Of" is the preposition linking the adjective to its cause or source.
- "The dog" is the object of the preposition, indicating what causes the fear.
Thus, in the phrase "afraid of the dog," the noun "dog" is in the objective case because it follows the preposition "of." This grammatical structure accurately conveys that someone or something is experiencing fear due to the presence or threat posed by a specific dog.