Synonym: box, circumstance, condition, covering, lawsuit, receptacle, state. Similar words: in case, in case of, in any case, in this case, in the case of, a case in point, casual, casino. Meaning: [keɪs] 
n. 1. a comprehensive term for any proceeding in a court of law whereby an individual seeks a legal remedy 2. an occurrence of something 3. a special set of circumstances 4. a problem requiring investigation 5. the actual state of things 6. a statement of facts and reasons used to support an argument 7. a portable container for carrying several objects 8. a person who is subjected to experimental or other observational procedures; someone who is an object of investigation 9. a person requiring professional services 10. the quantity contained in a case 11. a glass container used to store and display items in a shop or museum or home 12. a specific state of mind that is temporary 13. nouns or pronouns or adjectives (often marked by inflection) related in some way to other words in a sentence 14. the housing or outer covering of something 15. a person of a specified kind (usually with many eccentricities) 16. an enveloping structure or covering enclosing an animal or plant organ or part 17. the enclosing frame around a door or window opening 18. bed linen consisting of a cover for a pillow. v. 1. look over, usually with the intention to rob 2. enclose in, or as if in, a case.
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1. The new evidence weakens the case against her.
2. The case was sat on by the court.
3. Set my case over the shelves.
4. Keep these papers together in case they are lost.
5. She gave an accurate account of the case.
6. Fire-brigades are standing by in case of an explosion.
7. The case never came to trial.
8. In any case, we could halve the benefit.
9. The insurance company is responsible for this case.
10. He argued his case with considerable subtlety.
11. In no case should you panic.
12. I think it’s a case of sour grapes.
13. The boy’s case was adjudged in the juvenile court.
14. His initials were engraved on the cigarette case.
15. The case is subject to judicial review.
16. The work involves preparing case files and attending court.
17. It was printed in lower case.
18. This is a case of stupidity, not dishonesty.
19. An experienced detective was assigned to the case.
20. He won the court case and was awarded damages.
21. Be careful not to misstate your case.
22. This evidence is the kernel of the defendants’ case.
23. It was a simple case of mistaken identity.
24. This case has been settled out of court.
25. He took a case full of files with him.
26. She argued her case with considerable passion.
26. Sentencedict.com try its best to gather and create good sentences.
27. Who’s appearing for the Crown in this case?
28. The case comes before Judge Cooper next week.
29. Melanie plunked her cosmetic case down on a chair.
30. The administration of the law can never go lax where every individual sees to it that it grows not lax in his own case,(sentencedict.com) or in cases which fall under his eyes. 
More similar words: in case, in case of, in any case, in this case, in the case of, a case in point, casual, casino, cash in, phase, ease, base, cash in on, laser, casualty, at ease, phrase, broadcast, cast aside, release, purchase, based on, occasional, on occasion, database, decrease, basement, in a sense, increased, occasionally.
By Robby
If you are new here please read this first.
You may not have thought about it, but the fact of the matter is that the English word CASE is used in an awful lot of different English phrases that are applicable to a wide range of situations in life!
Don’t believe it?
Well, if that’s the CASE, I’m going to have to try and convince you, in which CASE there’s no better way of making a CASE than giving you a sentence just like this one!
Now, did it work?
Or maybe you’re not convinced?
Well, in either CASE you have to admit that whatever the CASE may be, the word CASE is indeed quite useful in making your point.
And by the way – the phrases I used in the above examples just barely scratch the surface ❗
There’s a whole lot more useful English idiomatic expressions containing the word CASE worth knowing, and in CASE you’re wondering what they are, just keep reading this article and you’ll find it all out!
CASE in Conversational Phrases
Conversational phrases are the ones that can be used whatever the context, so they’re the ones you can use in pretty much any life situation provided that the phrase fits the statement type which could be a statement, a question, a response and so on.
In CASE – this is by far the simplest English idiomatic expression containing the word CASE! Typically it’s used in situations when you’re giving advice to someone as a precaution to something that might happen: “I think you should definitely memorize my phone number in CASE you lose your phone!”
In CASE of – this particular expression is most commonly used in emergency-related statements such as “In CASE of emergency please evacuate the building” or “In CASE of fire please leave the building immediately!”
Just in CASE – probably the first English idiomatic expression that most people would think of! For those unaware – typically it’s used to warn someone of some unforeseen circumstances, for example: “Yes, I know the weather is quite warm, but still you should pack the warm socks with you, just in CASE!”
In any CASE – this English phrase with the word CASE simply means “no matter what happens” and it can be used the very same way you’d use the adverb ANYWAY. Here’s an example to illustrate its usage: “Alright, I get it, you mightn’t be able to see me tomorrow. In any CASE, I’ll give you a call to see how you’re doing.”
Whatever the CASE may be – this expression may sound similar to the previous one – in any CASE – but in reality it’s got a slightly different connotation. While the previous one is more like redundant speech (things we say just for the sake of saying them), this one serves a bigger purpose and is used when you’re telling someone what’s going to happen whatever the circumstances: “It might rain next week, or it could be snowing, we can’t know for sure. Whatever the CASE may be though, we have to make sure deliveries go out on time every day!”
In the unlikely CASE – this idiomatic expression is also used when talking about unforeseen circumstances, only in this CASE (see how useful the word CASE is?) the usage is slightly different. While the previous phrase is used at the end of a sentence, this one is most likely to be used in the beginning: “In the unlikely CASE of freezing temperatures it would be wise to pack the warm socks with you.”
If that were the CASE – this one might sound confusing at fist – why the hell should we say “if that were the CASE” instead of saying “if that was the CASE”, right? Well, guess what? This is the so-called subjunctive mood in action which dictates that when we talk about something hypothetical that might have happened in the past (but it didn’t happen!), then we have to use WERE instead of WAS. And here’s an example: “There’s no way my sister did it! If that were the CASE, she wouldn’t have called me right after it happened!”
If that’s the CASE – unlike the previous expression, this is a typical way of starting a sentence in English when you’re told some actuals facts (not some hypothetical assumptions!) and you’re responding to that by explaining the consequences: “Listen, I can’t go to work tomorrow, I’m still not feeling well!” – “Well, if that’s the CASE, you have to go see a doctor!”
… in which CASE – for those who are struggling to connect their thoughts when speaking in English, this phrase will come in really handy! It can be used in pretty much the same circumstances as “If that’s the CASE” – except for the fact that now you’re not responding to someone else but instead you’re making the statement all by yourself: “I understand Mark is unable to go to work tomorrow, in which CASE he definitely has to go see a doctor!”
It’s not the CASE – this is a great way of saying that something isn’t true: “You think I got the raise that my boss promised me last year? Well, it’s not the CASE!”
It’s not always the CASE – let me give you an example first and then you’ll see what this phrase is all about: “It’s not always the CASE that you’ll get a well-paid job after your graduation.” As you can clearly see, this phrase is used to state that something isn’t always true.
It’s often the CASE – this idiomatic expression is quite the opposite to the previous one in that it’s used to make a frequency-related (as indicated by the word “often”) affirmative statement as opposed to a negative one: “It’s often the CASE that people make false health insurance claims after traffic accidents.”
It might very well be the CASE – this is just a smart way of saying “there’s a possibility that”, or “it could be”. So, why not just stick to “it could be”? Well, it might very well be the CASE that by using such and similar smart English phrases you would sound a bit more native-like thus making a better impression of yourself as an English speaker!
In CASE you’re wondering – a great way of providing an explanation when you can easily predict people are going to have questions about something you just said or something you’re doing: “In CASE you’re wondering why we’re not going directly to the castle, there’s a good reason for it – we’re going for a short walk in a nearby park first!”
In this particular CASE – if you’re talking about a specific case of any kind, this is a great phrase to use when starting the description: “In this particular CASE, the last employee leaving the building forgot to set the alarm, and that’s why the break-in went unnoticed till the next morning.”
CASE in English Collocations
English collocations (it’s just a fancy word for “word combinations”, read more about them here) are more specific than general phrases we looked at in the previous section. These are used in situations when talking about something more specific – the worst CASE scenario, for example, or calling someone a nut CASE.
The worst CASE scenario – it’s quite self-explanatory, isn’t it? Basically it’s another way of saying “if the worst were to happen”, and here’s an example: “When making future plans, it’s always best to plan for the worst CASE scenario!”
The best CASE scenario – personally I would use this phrase when talking about what might happen in the future if everything goes according to the plan: “OK, I think the best CASE scenario is – we make 50 thousand dollars each, but who’s to say everything is going to go smoothly?”
Basket CASE – this English slang describes a person who’s totally useless and serves no purpose to himself or others. As you can imagine, it’s not really a nice thing to say to someone to their face! “Listen, I heard since John got a divorce, he’s become a complete basket CASE – he doesn’t go outside, spends most of his time in bed drinking beer and doesn’t talk to anyone!”
Nut CASE – do you know someone who’s completely mad and doesn’t behave like all normal people? Well, there’s a good chance that person is a complete nut CASE! Typically it’s someone who’s always getting into trouble and doesn’t care about the consequences of his actions.
CASE study – you would come across this particular collocation when reading medical literature or some other kind of research where they’ve done a more thorough inspection of a specific animal, individual or a group of individuals matching certain characteristics over a certain period of time. “This particular CASE study is looking at a 40 year old Caucasian male having been suffering from asthma since his teenage years…” – you get the drift, right?
A CASE of mistaken identity – sometimes we come across this expression when reading or listening to crime news. It’s used to describe when the wrong person has been assaulted or even murdered, basically it’s when the criminal has mistakenly targeted the wrong person. “And when can I use this expression” – you may ask? Well, when you’re retelling that story to someone, of course! “Did you hear about the murder in our town? They say it’s a CASE of mistaken identity!”
Now, I tried to be thorough, but there’s always the chance that I might have forgotten a couple of important expressions containing the word CASE.
If that’s the CASE, will you help me by posting them in the comments section below?
Thanks in advance!
Robby 😉
P.S. Are you serious about your spoken English improvement? Check out my English Harmony System HERE!
P.S. Are you serious about your spoken English improvement? Check out the English Harmony System HERE!
Case: Definition, Types & Examples
Cases indicate the grammatical functions of nouns and pronouns according to their relation with rest of the words in a sentence.
In modern English, there are only three kinds of cases.
- Subjective Case
- Objective Case
- Possessive Case
Subjective Case (Nominative Case)
When a noun or a pronoun works as a subject in the sentence, a subjective case appears.
Example:
- Louis works in the management.
- He works very hard for the company.
- I love to watch movies in my free time.
- Reading is a very good habit.
Objective Case
When a noun or a pronoun works as an object in the sentence, an objective case appears.
Example:
- Robert does not eat burgers.
- He loves pizza.
- Robert told me that.
- Alex follows Robert.
Possessive Case
Possessive cases indicate a relationship of possession or belongingness between two nouns or a noun and a pronoun.
Example:
- Robin’s house is near the river. (Two nouns related in the basis of possession.)
- His brother lives in the city. (A pronoun and a noun)
- My family does not approve this.
- Shaun’s wife has passed away.
Note: The pronoun changes its form in different cases.
| Subjective | Objective | Possessive |
| I We You He She They It Who |
Me Us You Him Her Them It Whom |
My, mine Our, ours Your, yours His Her, hers Their, theirs Its Whose |
There is another kind of case. It is called the vocative case. This case is similar to the subjective case in term of spelling. The vocative case indicates a person being addressed directly by his/her name. This name is separated by a comma.
Example:
- Robert, could you please open the door?
- You, watch out the bus.
- Listen to me, Russel.
- How are you, Susan?
We are all acquainted with nouns and pronouns. Nouns are one of the eight parts of speech. They are words that describe a place, person, or thing. And pronouns are simply the words that act as a replacement of nouns to avoid repetition of the same name.
But that is not how a noun stands in a sentence. They have different grammatical functions that indicate their relationship with other words in a sentence. Such functions are expressed by what we call case, our topic for today.
There are mainly four cases of nouns and pronouns in English grammar, and each has different functions and purposes. So, let us have a look at them below and enlighten ourselves with more knowledge.
By definition, cases can be understood as the grammatical function or a way of a noun and a pronoun that shows or indicates their relation with the other words present in a sentence. Basically, cases refer to a noun or pronoun’s function concerning its relation with other words existing within a sentence.
In other words, cases can be defined as the function of a noun within that sentence. It shows how a noun stands in a sentence and relates to the other parts of a sentence.
There are mainly four types of cases in English grammar. They are subjective (normative) case, objective case, possessive case, and vocative case. However, in modern English, it is said that there are only three cases that are subjective (normative), objective, and possessive. But in any case, let us discuss the four of them in detail one by one to have a thorough idea of what exactly cases are.
Different types of cases
1. Normative case
Normative case in English grammar is that case that appears when a noun or a pronoun acts directly as the subject of the sentence.
Here, the noun or the pronoun is applied as the subject of a verb. Due to this very reason, a normative case is also commonly called the subjective case, upright case, or straight case.
For example;
- David wrote all the notes.
- Sia works in our school as a substitute teacher.
- I want to eat something heavy and fancy.
- I want to play basketball right now.
Here, the nouns are behaving as subjects. Thus, this is a normative case.
Similarly, in the case of pronouns, they will act as the subject of a verb. Pronouns that act as a subject are he, she, we, they, you, and I.
- He ate all the food.
- She is the best dancer in our town.
- We went for a long drive last night.
2. Objective case
This is a case that appears when the noun or pronoun of a sentence acts as the object of that sentence. It can be a direct object, indirect object, or even an object of a preposition.
For example;
- Sia loves eating burgers.
- Our teacher loves coffee.
- She asked me to move forward.
- Jacob met me last week.
- Sarah wanted to dance with him.
One important point in the objective case is that it significantly changes the personal pronouns. That means the personal pronouns such as he and she acting as an object will change into him and her.
For instance, it is wrong to say “I met he”. In an objective case, it will turn into “I met him”.
This simply means that whenever pronouns are used as objects, they should be in their objective case. They will be as follows:
- I – me
- He – him
- She – her
- We – us
- They – them
- It – it
- You – you
3. Possessive case
This is a case where the noun or pronoun of a particular sentence shows ownership or possession of something or indicates a relationship between two or more things. In such cases, the nouns will generally have an -’s at the end that shows it owns something. And usually, we apply the word of when there is a relation between things.
For example;
- Sia’s house is around the corner.
- Our teacher’s daughter is only one year old.
- Mike’s bike seems to be broken.
- Omg! That is Sarah’s kitten.
- Yes! That is Krista’s house.
In case of things;
- The texture of the table is really smooth.
- The last line of this paragraph is the most important one.
- The color of the book is so bright.
However, when pronouns show possession, they will take their possessive form such as;
- My – mine
- Our – ours
- Your – yours
- Her – hers
- His – his
- Their – theirs
- Its – its
For example:
- This book is mine.
- That stall is hers.
- Those pretty shoes are mine.
4. Vocative case
This is a type of case where the noun indicates a direct address in a sentence. That means the noun is used to refer to someone we are talking to directly. So, the vocative case basically shows a direct address.
In such a case, the noun is always preceded by a comma. Whenever we take someone’s name and address them directly, that name will always follow a comma.
For example;
- Good morning, Jack.
- I don’t know what you are talking about, Ronny.
- Jacob, please shut the door when you come in.
- What is going on with you, Jess?
- How are you doing, Tom?
As we can see, the noun is being directly addressed and follows a comma. Thus, this is a vocative case.
If you are still confused, refer to the differences below;
- I understand Sia.
- I understand, Sia.
The first sentence is referring that “I” understands “Sia”. This is not a vocative case.
But in the second sentence, “I” is directly addressing “Sia” and is indicating that he/she understands something.
So, these are the four main types of cases in English grammar. For a quick recap:
- Subjective case: Noun acts as a subject.
- Objective case: Noun acts as an object.
- Possessive case: Noun expresses ownership.
- Vocative case: Noun is directly addressed.
Although in modern English only subjective, objective, and possessive cases are considered, it is always important to have maximum knowledge in order to produce correct sentences. So, make sure you are clear of these basic concepts.
In English grammar, you don’t talk about case particularly often. Unlike some languages such as German, which inflects nouns, articles, adjectives, and pronouns into four distinct cases, English grammar has only three cases, all three of which are inflected in personal pronouns and one of which is inflected in all nouns.
Grammatical Case
In modern English grammar, there are just three main cases, so here’s a short explanation of them and how they’re inflected in nouns and pronouns.
|
Pronouns |
Nouns |
|
|
Nominative (subjective) case |
I (first-person singular) You (second-person singular) He/ she/ they (third-person singular) |
No inflection |
|
Accusative (objective) case |
Me (first-person singular) You (second-person singular) Him/ he/ them (third-person singular) |
No inflection |
|
Genitive case |
Mine (first-person singular) Yours (second-person singular) His/ hers/ theirs (third-person singular) |
-’s, -s’ |
As you can see, there are only four broad areas for case in English (three areas in pronouns and one in nouns). Now, you probably want to know more about inflection and case conceptually.
Case Grammar
In grammar, case is a kind of inflection.
Inflection is how a word changes to suit a particular grammatical function.
Case is one such grammatical function. Other inflections include gender (not present in English nouns as a class), number (present in English), and more.
The case of a word changes based on its role in the sentence (e.g., whether it acts, is acted upon, or possesses something).
For example, if a noun is the subject of the sentence, it might change case. In English, this would happen if you use the personal pronoun for yourself (I/me/mine).
❌ You wouldn’t say:
Mine is having a nice day.
✅ You would say:
I am having a nice day.
This is because you use the personal pronoun “I” when you are the subject of the sentence. In English grammar, there are three cases for personal pronouns, which correspond to personal pronouns as the subject, personal pronouns as the object, and personal pronouns as possessing.
Additionally, there is one case for any noun if it possesses something.
Fig. 1 — Although there are limited uses of grammatical case in English, it remains an important concept to understand.
Case Types
There aren’t that many types of cases in English grammar, so it shouldn’t be too taxing to review them all more in-depth.
Case in Modern English Personal Pronouns
Here is a more complete chart of cases in modern English personal pronouns.
|
Singular |
Plural |
||
|
Nominative |
First-person |
I |
We |
|
Second-person |
You |
You |
|
|
Third-person |
He, She, It, They |
They |
|
|
Accusative |
First-person |
Me |
Us |
|
Second-person |
You |
You |
|
|
Third-person |
Him, Her, It, Them |
Them |
|
|
Genitive |
First-person |
My/Mine |
Our/Ours |
|
Second-person |
Your/Yours |
Your/Yours |
|
|
Third-person |
His, Her/Hers, Its, Their/Theirs |
Their/Theirs |
In the chart, you’ll notice that the genetive pronouns often split. This distinction is between the independent genetive and the dependent genetive.
The independent genitive can stand on its. “That is mine.”
The dependent genitive requires an object. “That is my friend.”
An independent genitive is independent because it can be independent of other words. A dependent genitive is dependent because it depends on other words.
You might have noticed that English lacks a robust system of cases for second-person pronouns. While first-person and third-person pronouns have appropriately different plural cases, second-person pronouns use “you” repeatedly. In English, you might remedy this by saying “you all,” the contracted «y’all,» or “you folks” in the plural nominative or plural accusative. However, to further clarify the genitive for a plural second-person pronoun turns up odd constructions like, “You all’s» or «Y’all’s.» Hmm!
The Case of “Who”
There is one notable instance where case changes with generic pronouns.
Generic pronouns refer to non-specific things.
“Who” is a personal generic pronoun while “what” and “which” are non-personal generic pronouns.
While “what” and “which” do not change in the nominative or accusative (and do not have genitives), “who” changes.
| Case | «Who» | In a sentence… |
|
Nominative |
Who |
Who goes there? |
|
Accusative |
Whom |
I’m speaking to whom? |
|
Genetive |
Whose |
Whose mittens are these? |
This just about covers case in pronouns.
You might be wondering: what about myself, yourself, herself, and those other “self” pronouns? These are called reflexive pronouns. Reflexive pronouns indicate that the subject has acted upon itself.
“She hit herself with a branch.”
However, whether “reflexive” is a case unto itself is debatable. One argument against “reflexive” as a case in English is that reflexive pronouns are more for emphasis or clarity rather than being strictly necessary. As a fact, “She hit her” is perfectly grammatical, even if “her” refers to “she.” It’s just unclear.
Case in Modern English Nouns
If you remember the initial chart, there is only one use of case in the Modern English noun, and that is the genitive -’s and -s’.
Genitive means possessive!
Let’s say the noun is “women.” To put “women” in the genitive case, you’d simply add a -’s.
Women’s rights.
-s’ is used if the word already ends in an s. This happens often for plural nouns. For example, say you want to put the plural of “friend” in the genitive case.
That is our friends’ backyard.
Whether you put an -’s or a -s’ at the end of a proper noun depends on the style you are using. For instance, the Chicago Manual of Style favors -‘s. However, both are correct:
Sometimes, a style has you look at what follows the -s! For instance, the Chicago Manual of Style wants you to avoid three successive s. It would have you write «Silas’s horse» but «Silas’ saddle.»
Fun fact: Other languages include prominent instrumental and vocative cases. These cases indicate what someone uses to complete an action and who is being addressed, respectively. Even more of a fun fact, English has something like the vocative case, although it uses a comma called the vocative comma («Hello, friend»).
Case Examples
If you want some practice, write a few example sentences based on the cases in these prompts.
-
Write a sentence using a third-person plural dependent genitive.
-
Write a sentence using the second-person plural accusative.
-
Write a sentence using the first-person singular nominative.
Here are three sample responses. The specified case is highlighted.
-
We grabbed their scarves.
-
They like you folks.
-
I know that.
Fig. 2 — In English, a plural dependent genitive (their) must pair with a plural noun (scarves).
Case Explanation
You might want an explanation of how English can only have three cases — and in such a limited capacity — while other languages require a complex inflective system. This is because English is an analytic language.
An analytic language uses word order, auxiliary verbs, and prepositions to indicate what is happening in a sentence.
In other words, English has its own complexities unrelated to case. Languages with many cases are called synthetic languages.
Synthetic languages use a large number of inflections to indicate what is happening in a sentence.
For instance, in Latin, word order doesn’t matter. Case tells you all you need to know. On the other hand, English requires word order for a sentence like:
Bill hit Paul.
Here, because Bill appears first, we know that Bill did the hitting and Paul was hit. Prepositions can also help explain things in English.
Bill smiled at Paul.
Here, the word “at” helps us know that Bill did the smiling and Paul was smiled at.
Interestingly, English was not always this way. While Modern English is an analytic language, Old English was a synthetic language.
Linguistic Analysis of Case
Without going too deep into linguistic analysis, it’s worth going back in time and taking a peek at how Old English differs from Modern English in terms of case.
Old English had four cases for its nouns: nominative, accusative, genitive, and dative. You’ll recognize three of them from Modern English pronouns. The last one is dative.
The dative case is used for an indirect object.
In the following sentence, the man would be written in the dative case, if Modern English had such a case.
John gave a cup of coffee to the man.
This is because John (the subject) gives the cup of coffee (the direct object) to the man (indirect object).
Additionally, Old English had gender as well as strong and weak adjective declensions. Old English bears much in common with German, actually! Hopefully, though, this insight into Old English also gives you some context for Modern English case.
Case — Key Takeaways
- In grammar, case is a kind of inflection.
- Modern English grammar only has three cases: nominative, accusative, and genitive.
- Nominative is for subjects, accusative for objects, and genitive for possession.
- Modern English pronouns use all three of these cases.
- Modern English nouns as a whole only have one special case — genitive — for possession (e.g., Chris’s or the boy’s).