EXERCISES ON PERSONAL PRONOUNS.

Parse the following as directed above:-I, thou, we, me, us, thine, he, him, she, hers, they, thee, them, its, theirs, you, her, ours, yours, mine, his, I, me, them, us.

§ 16. RELATIVE PRONOUNS.

116. A RELATIVE Pronoun is a word that relates to, and connects its clause with, a noun or pronoun before it, called the antecedent; as, The master who taught us."

66

117. The relative pronouns are who, which, that, and what (App. XII). They are alike in both numbers. That and what are indeclinable, and used only in the nominative and objective. Who and which are thus declined.

118. Who is applied to persons; as, "The boy who reads."

OBS. Also to inferior animals, and things without life, when they are represented as speaking and acting like rational beings.

119. Which is applied to inferior animals and things without life; as, "The dog which barks;" "The book which was lost."

NOTE. Which is applied also to collective nouns composed of persons; as, "The court of Spain which;" "the company which." And likewise after the name of a person used merely as a word; The court of Queen Elizabeth, which was but another name for prudence and economy."

as,

66

Which was formerly applied to persons as well as things, and is so used in the common version of the Scriptures.

120. That is often used as a relative, to prevent the too frequent repetition of who or which. It is applied both to persons and things. § 58, Rem. 3.

121. What is applied to things only, and is never used but when the antecedent is omitted; as, “This is what I wanted," the thing which I wanted. XIII

122.

OBSERVATIONS ON THE RELATIVE.

1. Which has for its possessive whose; as, A religion whose origin is divine. Instead of whose, however, the objective with of before it, is more commonly used; as, A religion the origin of which is divine.

2. What and which are sometimes used as adjectives; that is, they agree with a substantive following them; as, "I know not by what fatality the adversaries of the measure are impelled;" Which things are an allegory." In this sense, which applies either to persons or things, and in meaning is equivalent to this or these. 3 Whoever, whosoever, whatever and whatsoever are also used as compound relatives, and are equivalent to the relative and a general or indefinite antecedent; as, "Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin;" that is " any one," or every one who committeth sin, etc." "Whatsoever things are of good report;" i. e. "All things (without exception) which are of good report" (§ 59, Rule ; § 63, 8).

4. Who, and also which, and what without a substantive following them, in responsive sentences, or in sentences similarly constructed, are properly neither relatives nor adjectives, but a kind of indefinite pronouns. Thus, when to the question “Who is the author of that poem?" it is replied, "I do not know who is its author," the word "who" is evidently not a relative; for if it were, then, with the antecedent supplied, the sentence would be "I do not know the person who is its author." These two sentences, however, are clearly not equivalent; the former means "I do not know by what person it was written;" the latter, “I have no knowledge of him, I am not acquainted with him." The

first is a direct answer to the question, the last is no answer at all, but would be considered as an evasion.

123. PARSING.-The relative is parsed by stating its gender, number, and case, thus; "The boy who reads, "-Who, a relative pronoun, masculine, in the nominative singular, and refers to boy, as its antecedent.

NOTE.-The gender and number of the relative, are always the same as those of the antecedent.

§ 17. INTERROGATIVE PRONOUNS.

124. In asking questions, who, which, and what are called INTERROGATIVE pronouns.

125. As interrogatives, who is applied to persons only; which and what, either to persons or things. What admits of no variation.

126. Obs. 1. In the use of the interrogatives as applied to persons, the following distinction is to be observed; namely, Who is used when we inquire after a person or persons unknown; as, Who did it? Which is used when we inquire after one or more of a number present, or already spoken of; as, Which of the did it? Which of these men is the president? What is used when the character, or a description of a person is inquired after, and not the name or the individual merely; as, What is he?

127. Obs. 2. When a defining term is added, either what or which may be used; as, What man, or which man among you? 128. Obs. 3. Whether (now used as a conjunction only) was formerly used as an interrogative pronoun, equivalent to which of the two? as, "Whether is greater, the gold, or the temple ?” Its place is now supplied by which.

129. Obs. 4. In answers to questions made by these interrogalives, the same words are used as responsives; as, Who did it ? I know not who did it. Which of them did it? I know not which of them did it (See § 16, Obs. 4).

130. ADJECTIVE PRONOUNS are words used sometimes like adjectives to qualify a noun, and sometimes like pronouns to stand instead of nouns.

131. Adjective pronouns are divided into four classes, namely, Possessive, Distributive, Demonstrative, and Indefinite.

132. The Possessive pronouns are such as denote possession. They are, My, thy, his, her, our, your, their, its own.

133. OBS. 1. The possessive pronoun is in fact only another form of the possessive case of the personal pronoun, having the same meaning but a different construction. The possessive pronoun, like the adjective, is always followed by a substantive; as, this is my book. The possessive case of the personal pronoun is never followed by a substantive, but refers to one previously expressed; as, this book is mine. The possessive case of the substantive is used both ways; as this book is John's; or, this is John's book. (App. xiv.)

134. OBS. 2. His and her when followed by a substantive are possessive pronouns ; not followed by a substantive, his is the possessive case of he; and her is the objective case of she.

135. OBS. 3. Mine and thine were formerly used, before a vowel or the letter h, as possessives for my and thy; as, "Blot out all mine iniquities;" ""Commune with thine heart."

136. OBS. 4. Own is not used as a possessive pronoun by itself, but is added to the other possessive pronouns, and to the possessive case of nouns, to render them emphatic; as, My own book; The boy's own book. The possessive pronoun with own following it, may stand alone, having its substantive understood; as, It is my

own.

137. The distributive pronouns represent objects as taken separately. They are, Each, every, either, neither.

138. OBS. 1. Each denotes two things taken separately; or every one of any number taken singly. Every denotes more than two things taken individually, and comprehends them all. Either means one of two, but not both. Neither means not either.

139. The demonstrative pronouns point out objects definitely. They are, This and that, with their plurals these and those.

140. OBS. 1. Yon, and former and latter, may be called demonstrative pronouns, as well as this and that.

141. OBS. 2. That is sometimes a relative, sometimes a demonstrative, and sometimes a conjunction.

1. It is a relative, when it can be turned into who or which; as, The days that (or which) are past, are gone forever.

2. It is a demonstrative, when it is placed before a noun, or refers to one at some distance from it; as, That book is new; that is what I want.

3. It is a conjunction when it can not be changed into who or which, but marks a consequence, an indication, or final end; as, He was so proud, that he was universally despised: He answered, that he never was so happy as now: Live well, that you may be happy.

142. The indefinite pronouns denote persons or things indefinitely. They are, None, any, all, such, whole, some, both, one, other. The two last are declined like nouns.

143. Among the indefinites may also be reckoned such words as, no, few, many, several, and the like; as well as the compounds, whoever, whatever, whichsoever, etc., and who, which, and what, in responsive sentences (§ 16, Obs. 4).

144. None is used in both numbers, but it can not be joined to a noun. (App. XIV.)

145.

PARSING ADJECTIVE PRONOUNS.

Adjective Pronouns are parsed by stating the class to which they belong and the word which they qualify; thus, "My book." My, a possessive adjective pronoun, qualifying book.