Learn Pali Language

The inflection (altering of form) of nouns is called  declension . The classes of declensions are called  cases , and together they form the  Noun case system . In Pali, nouns, pronouns, adjectives and participles are declined in eight cases: nominative, vocative, accusative, instrumental, ablative, genitive, dative and locative. This post summaries the various Pali noun cases that we have discussed so far (and some we haven't). English has largely lost its case system although personal pronouns still have three cases, which are simplified forms of the nominative, accusative and genitive cases. In Pali, a noun is placed in one or other case as is required by its grammatical function in the sentence. With the exception of the nominative, vocative and some instances of the accusative case, the oblique cases as they are termed can be rendered in English by  prepositional phrases .

Previously, we've seen how adjectives modify describe or add qualities to nouns . Adverbs are similar, in that, they are used to qualify everything else! In the tree on the hill , the phrase on the hill belongs to the tree ; it identifies which tree we are talking about. This is an adjectival phrase. Whereas, rapidly belongs to the verb; it describes the manner of the action. This is an Adverb . An adverb is a word used to qualify: a verb:      She swims quickly , an adjective:    She is very quick, another adverb:  She swims extremely quickly , or a clause:     Thankfully , she won. Let's take a quick look at each of these... Adverbs Modifying Adjectives When modifying an adjective, an adverb clarifies the extent of or intensifies the adjective. If we look at an example: a black bird sang Here, black is an adjective describing or adding the quality black to the noun: bird . a big black bird sa...