The absolute accusative is a construction in some languages, often appearing as a noun or pronoun lacking a finite verb. It is not grammatically linked to the subject and predicate of the sentence, but clarifies who or what receives the action of the verb. In German, it is typically used with a noun phrase to describe something that belongs to the subject.
Grammarians use the absolute accusative term to describe a special construction in some languages. It is in a sense a clause which cannot stand on its own and has little or no meaning except when taken with the rest of the sentence. Constructed in the accusative case, it most often appears as a noun or pronoun joined to a predicate and lacking a finite verb. The accusative absolute appears in Greek, Latin, and colloquial English grammar, but is of particular importance in modern German grammar. Understanding what is meant by absolute construction and accusative case can help explain this particular grammatical construction.
An absolute construction is not grammatically linked to the subject and predicate of the sentence and is a logical part of the sentence for context only. This can make it look like a dangling participle, but while a dangling participle is meant to describe or modify a noun, an absolute construction does not. The accusative case is also called the objective case in English; applies to nouns and pronouns that are the subject of a sentence, direct or indirect. Some grammarians describe the accusative as the case the rest of the sentence points to, as it clarifies who or what receives the action of the verb.
The absolute accusative is formed from a noun or pronoun in the accusative case and placed in an absolute construction with no finite verb. Finite verbs are traditional action verbs, like running or dancing; non-finite verbs are those that require a direct object to make sense, such as to be, to have, or to buy. An English example of the accusative absolute is present in the sentence “He being my brother, I lent him money,” where “he being my brother” includes an unfinished verb and a pronoun in the accusative case.
In German grammar, the accusative absolute is typically used with a noun phrase. When used in this way, the construction describes something that belongs to the subject. For example, the sentence “umbrella in hand, entered the shop” includes the absolute accusative “umbrella in hand” to indicate that the subject “he” is holding an umbrella. German still uses the accusative case with sentence objects upon which the subjects act, but does not use absolute constructions as English does. In both English and German, however, an accusative absolute still lacks a direct grammatical connection to the rest of the sentence and therefore makes no sense on its own.
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