[*] 386. The Accusative originally served to connect the noun more or less loosely with the verb-idea, whether expressed by a verb proper or by a verbal noun or adjective. Its earliest use was perhaps to repeat the verb-idea as in the Cognate Accusative (run a race, fight a battle, see § 390). From this it would be a short step to the Factitive Accusative (denoting the result of an act, as in make a table, drill a hole, cf. § 273. N.1). From this last could easily come the common accusative (of Affecting, break a table, plug a hole, see § 387. a). Traces of all these uses appear in the language, and the loose connection of noun with verb-idea is seen in the use of stems in composition (cf. § 265.3).1). It is impossible, however, to derive the various constructions of the accusative with certainty from any single function of that case. The uses of the accusative may be classified as follows:
| I. Primary Object: | 1. Directly affected by the Action (§ 387. a). |
| 2. Effect of the Action Thing produced (§ 387. a). Cognate Accusative (§ 390). | |
| II. Two Accusatives: | 1. Predicate Accusative (Of Naming etc.) (§ 393). |
| 2. Of Asking or Teaching (§ 396). | |
| 3. Of Concealing (§ 396. c). | |
| III. Idiomatic Uses: | 1. Adverbial (§ 397. a). |
| 2. Of Specification (Greek Accusative) (§ 397. b). | |
| 3. Of Extent and Duration (§§ 423, 425). | |
| 4. Of Exclamation (§ 397. d). | |
| 5. Subject of Infinitive (§ 397. e). |