Remarks.

We and our, though in the plural number, are often used by editors, speakers, and writers to denote but one person.

Ex.

"We do not believe our statement will be questioned."

Thou (plural ye) is used in the solemn style, but in the com mon style you is used in both the singular and the plural, though the verb always agrees with you in the plural number.

As there is no personal pronoun in the third person, singular number, and common gender, he is commonly used when reference is made to both sexes; as, "He that hath ears to hear, let

him hear."

My, our, thy, your, her, and their are used when the noun is expressed; as, my book, your sleigh.

Mine, ours, thine, yours, hers, and theirs are used when they represent the noun; as, “The book is mine," "The sleigh is theirs."

Mine and thine are sometimes used in the solemn style, and in poetry when the noun is expressed.

Ex.-Blot out all mine iniquity.-Bible. Thine azure brow.— Byron.

In parsing the words mine, ours, thine, etc., where they represent nouns, it is best to parse them as personal pronouns having the possessive form, and let the case be determined by their relation to other words. Thus, in the sentence, "Hers is a wretched life," hers is a personal pronoun having the possessive form; it is in the singular number, third person, feminine gender, and nominative case, being the subject of the sentence.

In a similar manner in the sentence, "I have my rose, but the boys have lost theirs," theirs is a personal pronoun having the possessive form; it is in the plural number, third person, masculine gender, and objective case, being the object of the transitive verb have lost.

Also, in the sentence, "This house is ours," ours is a personal pronoun having the possessive form; it is in the plural

number, first person, common gender, and nominative case, after the intransitive verb is.

The possessive case of pronouns should not be written with the apostrophe; thus, write yours, ours, its, hers, theirs, not your's, our's, it's, her's, their's.

The word own is often placed after the possessive form to make it more emphatic; as, "It is my own task I learn."

The pronoun it is often used indefinitely; as, "It rains," "It is late," "It is time to go." In such cases it may be parsed as an indefinite personal pronoun.

Compound Personal Pronouns.

The Compound Personal Pronouns are myself, thyself, himself, herself, and itself, in the singular, and ourselves, yourselves, and themselves, in the plural.

The nominative and the objective form are the same. The compound personal pronouns have no possessive form.

The form yourself, instead of thyself, is commonly used when but one person is addressed.

1.

Parsing of Personal Pronouns.

Models.

The bird that soars on highest wing

Builds on the ground her lonely nest.

FULL FORM.

Her is a pronoun, it is used instead of a noun; it is a personal pronoun, because it shows its person by its form; its antecedent is bird; it is therefore in the singular number, third person, feminine gender, to agree with its antecedent, and in the possessive case, limiting the noun nest.

2. He who has no respect for religion can have no true respect for himself.

CONDENSED FORM.

He is a personal pronoun; it is in the singular number, third person, masculine gender, and nominative case, being the subject of the

sentence.

Himself is a compound personal pronoun; it is in the singular number, third person, masculine gender, and objective case, being the object of the preposition for.

3. Let him beware lest he deceive his own soul.

1. Parse the personal pronouns in the following sentences.

1. But I defy him. Let him come.-Greene.

2.

Stand up erect! Thou hast the form

And likeness of thy God.

3.

How dark it is! I cannot seem to see
The faces of my flock.

4. People seem to improve when they have no model but themselves to copy after.-Goldsmith.

5. What it is our duty to do we must do because it is right, not because any one can demand it of us.— - Whewell.

6. He that has his own troubles and the happiness of his neighbors to disturb him has work enough.-Jeremy Collier.

7. When my eyes shall be turned to behold for the last time the sun in heaven, may I not see him shining on the broken and dishonored fragments of a once glorious Union!-Webster.

8. The sea is His, and He made it.-Bible.

9.

To him who, in the love of Nature, holds
Communion with her visible forms, she speaks
A various language.—Bryant.

10. Thou art gone to the grave, but 'twere wrong to deplore thee, When God was thy ransom, thy guardian, thy guide.—Heber. Mine be a cot beside the hill.-Rogers.

11.

12.

His is that language of the heart

In which the answering heart would speak.-Halleck.

2. Parse also the nouns and the adjectives in the foregoing sentences.

Relative Pronouns.

A Relative Pronoun is one which relates to a preceding word, phrase, or clause, called its antecedent, and unites with it a subordinate clause.

Ex. The house which I sold has been torn down.

Relative Pronouns are of two kinds-Simple and Compound.

Simple Relatives.

The Simple Relatives are who, which, what, and that.

The relative agrees with its antecedent in number, person, and gender.

What and that have the same form in both the nominative and the objective.

Who is used to represent persons, which to represent inferior animals and things without life, what to represent things, and that to represent both persons and things.

As, when it follows such, many, or same, is by some grammarians parsed as a relative, as in the sentence, "They were such as

he had." Properly, there is an ellipsis in such expressions, the relative being omitted; as, "They were such as (were those which) he had."

As is a conjunction used as the correlative of such.

What, in many sentences, is equivalent to both the antecedent and the relative.

Ex.-1. I have what I want.

2. What was lost has been found.

3. This is what I bought.

In parsing such expressions it is best to say of the word what that it has a double construction, and then give the case. Thus, in Ex. 1 the transitive verb have requires an object, which is found in the word what; the transitive verb want re quires an object, which also is found in the word what; therefore, what is a relative pronoun having a double construction. It is in the objective case after the transitive verb have, and in the objective case after the transitive verb want.

In Ex. 2, what is a relative pronoun having a double construction. It is in the nominative case as subject of was lost, and with " was lost" it is also in the nominative case as subject of has been found.

In Ex. 3, what is a relative pronoun having a double construction. It is in the nominative case after the intransitive verb is, and in the objective case after the transitive verb bought.

When what has a double construction, both cases may be the nominative; both the objective; or one the nominative, and the other the objective.

Compound Relatives.

The Compound Relatives are formed by annexing ever and soever to who, which, and what.

They are whoever, whosoever, whichever, whichsoever, whatever, whatsoever.