When you sit down to brainstorm your next book, you may not ponder the accusative case and how it could influence your story. However, the accusative case is a hidden gem for great writing. Who knew English class could help you up your chances at hitting that bestseller list?
In this article, we’ll review what accusative case is as well as when you should use it and when you shouldn’t. Examples are included especially for visual learners.
What is Accusative Case?
Accusative case is used to indicate direct receivers of an action. If you were to label the following sentence, ask yourself which word is receiving the action: I wrote a novel.
I is the subject. Wrote is the verb. A novel is the direct object, or the part of the sentence receiving the action.
A tip for finding direct objects is to ask “what?” after the verb.
- I made scones for a snack
- She ran five miles
- He studied history.
Can you find the direct objects? Alright, now that our brief review is over, let’s discuss when to use the accusative case in your writing.
When to Use Accusative Case
Whether you write fiction or nonfiction books, chances are high that you use the accusative case throughout your chapters. In fact, you are bound to include the following in your work-in-progress:
- Active voice
- Passive writing
- Fragments
- Run-on sentences
- Accusative case
- Various points of view
Each of the above points is an important part of the English language. As students, we learned how to define each part. Now that we are writers, it’s crucial to learn how to apply these foundational principles to our writing.
When used with purpose, the various elements of the English language (such as the accusative case, can greatly influence your writing). So when should you use it?
Let’s say that you want to specify what’s going on in a particular scene of your novel. Consider our tip—asking “what?”—when trying to find the accusative case.
Now write your scene. After you finish your first draft, read through it once more. Can you answer the question with clarity? Could your readers? If the answer is yes, you’ve likely used the accusative case just as it’s intended to be!
When Not to Use Accusative Case
What if you write thrillers or are sharing your memoir? Maybe you don’t want to directly answer the question. Perhaps you want to leave your readers hanging just enough so they turn the page to find out for themselves.
If you find yourself in this situation, you should pay close attention to the accusative case in your writing. For instance, consider the following sentence: After so long, I truly hoped that…
This sentence is a fragment and does not answer the “what” question. This style should be used sparingly, but it does have its place in modern writing.
Now that you have a grasp of the accusative case and a few ideas on when to use it versus when not to use it, let’s get into some concrete examples.
Examples of Accusative Case: Used and Cut Out
For these examples, we’ll look at some published works. The originals will be noted and the changes I make for sake of example will also be clear.
We Were Liars
E. Lockhart’s New York Times bestseller includes the following on page one: “It doesn’t matter if one of us is desperately, desperately in love. So much in love that equally desperate measures must be taken. We are Sinclairs. No one is needy. No one is wrong. We live, at least in the summertime, on a private island off the coast of Massachusetts.”
This first page includes great scene setting, backstory, and a fantastic set-up to the rest of the story. However, what if I changed it, cutting out:
- Some of the description
- Some of the answers to “why”
- Some of the scene-setting
With my edits in place, look at the following (my version):
“It doesn’t matter if one of us is desperately, well… We are Sinclairs. No one is needy. No one is wrong. We live, at least in the summertime, on a private island off the coast of—actually, nevermind where we live.”
Notice how the tone changes, and the narrator takes on completely different characteristics. Suddenly, whoever is speaking seems a bit secretive, even untrustworthy. Pay attention to how you can cut the accusative case from your writing when you need a certain level of ambiguity.
The One Thing
“After these experiences, I looked back at my success and failures and discovered an interesting pattern. Where I’d had huge success, I had narrowed my concentration to one thing, and where my success varied, my focus had too.”
Gary Keller (with Jay Papasan) wrote this Wall Street Journal bestseller. One reason I believe the book did so well, and continues to sell today, is due to Keller’s straightforward answers.
Rather than state that he had experiences, discovered a pattern, and then moving on, he shares his secret. He answers the question “what” with precise, researched, simple yet extraordinary results. Let’s break these few sentences down.
- “After (what?)
- these experiences,
- I looked back at (what?)
- my success and failures
- and discovered (what?)
- an interesting pattern.
- Where I’d had (what?)
- huge success,
- I had narrowed (what?)
- my concentration to (what?)
- one thing”
Notice just how clear he is in two simple sentences. Six times he answers his readers’ potential questions with a straightforward answer.
In today’s age of clickbait and need for views, followers, and likes, it’s easy to walk around the answer or to literally cut the accusative case from our answers. For nonfiction especially, it’s vital to provide your readers with the answers they opened your book looking for.
One Parting Tip
Have you ever clicked a video on YouTube and had to wait for an ad that goes for several minutes? You have the Skip Ahead button, but their opening got you hooked. Oftentimes, these ads target a need of their ideal customer (likely you, a creative writer or freelance writer) and draw you into a narrative.
By the end of the video, they’ve stated your need, or pain point, in a variety of ways but they never provided you with the answer. This is frequently because they want you to respond to their call to action at the end. For ads, this is the norm and acceptable.
In writing, this leaves readers hanging. As a writer, your call to action is to keep readers turning pages. As you tread the line between asking enough questions and providing the sufficient amount of answers, remember the accusative case.
If your readers can’t answer their questions at different points throughout your story, they will likely close your book. Yes, include setups and leave them hanging, but don’t forget to include payoffs too. And at the end of your book, fiction or nonfiction, include a resounding, satisfying, question-answering ending.
This will leave your readers satisfied and eager for more—two factors important for writing success!
