The Indefinite Personal Pronoun one (from the French on, homme; Latin, homo) is declined like a Noun ; as, One ought to know one's own brother. We say too, "A man ought to know his own brother." Several of the Personal Pronouns have a double Posses sive. The full form-mine, ours, thine, yours, hers, theirs, (all in & being written without the apostrophe) is used without a Noun following; as, This book is mine. The shorter form—my, our, &c.—precedes a noun; as, Our friend the Colonel; I returned her bow. EMPHATIC PERSONAL PRONOUNS.-By adding self and selves to certain cases of the Personal Pronoun, we make them Emphatic. In the First and Second Persons these words are added to the Possessive Case; as, 1. Myself, 2. Thyself, or yourself, ourselves. Note. In these instances self is a Noun preceded by a Possessive Case. In the Third Person the Objective Case precedes self; as, themselves. 3. Himself, herself, itself, Note.—The vulgarisms hisself, theirselves, which follow the regular formation, are probably, like many vulgarisms, the older forms. The Emphatic Pronouns are also called Reflective, because they help to express the turning back (re-flecto) of an action upon the doer of it; as, He struck himself. Each other and one another are called Reciprocal Pronouns, because they express an interchange of actions; as, They struck each other, (if two are meant)-one another, (if more than two.) Note.-If we take this example to pieces, we find it to stand thus: They struck each (person) (struck) the other (person;) the latter part of the sentence being a distributive repetition of the former. Each and other are thus Adjectives depending on words understood. Relative Pronouns. A Relative Pronoun carries back (from re, back, and latus, carried) our thoughts to some other word, which goes before it in the sentence and is hence called the Antecedent, (from ante, before, and cedo, I go ;) as, The king of France, who was exiled, came to live in England. The Relative does the work not only of a Pronoun-by standing for a Noun,-but also of a Conjunction, by coupling clauses. Note. Its connective force lies in the fact that it makes us think of a previous word, thus forming a link of meaning between the Clauses. Indeed, the Relative Clause, being descriptive of the Antecedent, is of the nature of an Adjective. That the Relative Pronoun is equivalent to a Personal Pronoun and a Conjunction may be shown thus: The man, who struck the blow, was arrested. The man-and he struck the blow-was arrested. Note.-Under the general name of Connectives we class Relative Pronouns, Relative Adverbs, Prepositions, and Conjunctions. The real Relative Pronouns are three; who, which, what. The Demonstrative Adjective that is also used as a Relative. Who stands for Nouns that express persons; as, John the Baptist, who rebuked Herod; the soldier, who blew the trumpet. Which stands for the names of the lower animals and of lifeless things; as, The camel, which crossed the desert; the crown, which glittered on his head. Note. Which (in the Scottish dialect whilk) is really a Compound Adjective, equivalent to who-like. In older English this distinction between who and which was not observed. What is wrongly called a Compound Relative, and does not include both Antecedent and Relative. Originally the neuter of who, it is used like an Adjective to qualify the names of both persons and things; as, I know what (thing) you want. Note. Instead of dividing what into that which, and parsing these words separately, it is better to treat what as an Adjective depending on. thing understood, and make what you want a noun-clause in the Objective after know. That is used as a Relative— (1.) To prevent who or which from occurring too often. (2.) After the superlative degree of an Adjective; as, The prettiest flower that blooms. (3.) When two Antecedents, one requiring who, the other which, are followed by a single relative clause ; as, The sailor and the parrot, that we saw at the window. (4.) In poetical language that is preferred to which, owing to its softer sound. Note.-That, the Demonstrative, is employed both as a Relative and a Conjunction. All these uses are exemplified in the following sentence :-I know that that word, that that man uses, is wrong. As is only a seeming Relative, and its force as a Conjunction can always be shown by putting in the words which have been left out; as, Only such examples as (those which) really illustrate the explanation, are necessary; the names are as (the list) follows. Note.-In London, among the uneducated, we hear vulgarisms such as, The man, wot said so; the dog, as was stolen. In these what and as are used as real Relatives. Who is declined; the rest are not. Note.-The Possessive whose is applied to both animals and lifeless things; as, The cat, whose foot was hurt. Note.-Four facts may be learned by comparing these Declensions:— (1.) The Anglo-Saxon hw is reversed in the English wh. (2.) The Genitive ending es becomes se in the English Possessive. (3.) Whom, our Objective, was a Dative in Anglo-Saxon. (4.) What was the Neuter of wha, or who. By adding ever-in older English soever—we make a Com pound Relative of indefinite meaning; as, Adverbs and Conjunctions, and Note.-Whoever is equivalent to any person who. There is a group of words, which do the work of both panded into Relative phrases. are capable of being exThey are known by the Note. The word whether in the English of the Bible is used for which with a Dual meaning; as, Whether of the twain did the will of his father? It is now used as a Conjunction of Contrast and is followed by or; as, Whether you go or stay, matters little. THE RELATIVE USED INTERROGATIVELY.-Who, which, and what, and all the Relative Adverbs, are used to ask questions. An Antecedent clause in the Imperative Mood is always left out in this form; as, Who told you? expands into, Tell me the person who told you. When did he come into, Tell me | when did he come. Note.-The order of the Verb and Nominative is reversed in a ques tion. Since the insertion of an Imperative Clause shows the socalled Interrogative Pronoun to be a simple Relative, there is no need to distinguish the Relative Pronouns, used interrogatively, as a third and separate class. Note. The Pronoun differs from the Noun in having Person and a Double Syntax. Examples.-The man, whose foot was hurt, bought a stick, which he used in walking. Whose. 1. A Relative Pronoun. 2. Singular. 3. Masculine. 4. Third. 5. Possessive. 6. Depending on foot. 9. Rule XII. Do whatever he bids you. Which. 1. A Relative Pronoun. 2. Singular. 3. Neuter. 4. Third. 5. Objective. 6. Governed by used. 9. Rule XII. |