The word that is sometimes a relative,sometimes a demonstrative pronoun, sometimes a pronominal adjective, and sometimes a conjunction. It is a relative when it may be turned into who or which, without destroying the sense; as, They that [who] reprove us, may be our best friends: From every thing that [which] you see, derive instruction. It is a demonstrative pronoun, when it supplies the place of a noun; as, That is the article I wished for: That is the person for whom you inquired. It is a pronominal adjective, when joined to a noun to qualify it; as, That boy is industrious: That book belongs to me: That person is one of high rank. It is a conjunction when it joins sentences together, and cannot be turned into who or which, without destroying the sense; as, Take care that every day be well employed: I hope he will believe that I have not acted improperly.

As is sometimes a relative; sometimes an adverb; sometimes a conjunction; and sometimes a preposition. It is a relative, when it supplies the place of a noun to which it refers; as, Let such as advise others look well to themselves; that is, Let those persons who advise, &c. It is an adverb, when it means when, or in the manner; as, They saluted him as he passed by; i. e. when he passed by: He performed the service as he was commanded, i. e. in the manner he was commanded. It is a preposition, when it may be changed into for, or in the character of; as Cæsar was distinguished as an orator and statesman, but still more so as a general.

Who, which, and what, are called interrogatives when they are used in asking questions; as, Who is he? Which is the book? What art thou doing?

Whether was formerly made use of to signify interrogation; as, Whether of these shall I choose? but it is now seldom used, the interrogative which being substituted in its stead.

Some writers have classed the interrogatives as a separate kind of pronouns; but they are too nearly related to the relative pronouns, both in nature and form, to render such a division necessary. They do not in fact lose the character of relatives, when they become interrogatives. The only difference is, that without an interrogation the relatives have reference to a subject which is antecedent, definite, and known; with an interrogation, to a subject which is subsequent, indefinite, and unknown, and which it is expected the answer will express

and ascertain.

ADJECTIVE PRONOUNS.

Adjective pronouns are of a mixed nature, participating the properties both of pronouns and adjectives; and may be divided into four sorts, viz. the possessive, the distributive, the demonstrative, and the indefinite.

The possessive are those which relate to possession or property. They are my, thy, his, her, our, your, their. Whose and its, when joined to substantives, may, perhaps, be considered as possessive pronouns, as well as the possessive case of the pronouns, from which they are derived.

Mine and thine, instead of my and thy, were formerly used before a substantive, or adjective beginning with a vowel or a silent h; as, Blot out all mine iniquities.

The pronouns his, mine and thine, have the same form, whether they are possessive pronouns, or the possessive cases of their respective personal pro

nouns, but they may be distinguished in the following manner:-When connected with the noun in the form of an adjective, as, Mine iniquities, His virtues; they are possessive pronouns; but when separated from the noun, as, This desk is mine, That book is his; they are the possessive cases of

pronouns.

Mine and thine, seem to be a contraction of my own and thy own. These pronouns as well as the corresponding ones, yours, ours, &c. have two cases; as, Lend me your knife; mine is not in order. Here the word mine sustains two different states or relations to the other words in the sentence, and therefore has two distinct cases.* It implies property or possession, and is therefore in the possessive case; it supplies the place of a substantive, and constitutes the subject of the verb, and is therefore in the nominative case. It sustains two relations as evidently as it does one. Let the expression be varied: My knife is not in order, lend me yours. Here yours implies property or possession, and is in the possessive case. It is also the object of an action; it is the word on which the transitive verb lend terminates, and it is therefore in the objective case. To see the impropriety of governing yours by knife understood, (as grammarians have been accustomed to do,) we need only write the sentence as it would stand with knife expressed; as, Lend me yours knife; or lend me knife of you. This would be awkward in the extreme. Yet it can be parsed in no other way, unless we either give to the pronoun in this situation two cases, or alter its termination.

* The definition of case, it will be recollected, is the state or relation which the noun or pronoun sustains to the other words in the sentence.

Oron, added to the possessive, renders it emphatical, and implies a silent contrariety or opposition; as, I live in my own house; that is, not in a hired house.

Self is added to possessives; as, myself, yourselves and sometimes to personal pronouns, as, himself, itself, themselves. It then, like own, expresses emphasis and opposition; as, I did this myself; that is, not another: or it forms a reciprocal pronoun; as, We hurt ourselves by vain rage.

Himself and themselves, are now used in the nominative case, instead of hisself; and theirselves; as, He came himself: He himself shall do this: They performed it themselves.

The distributive pronouns are those which denote the persons or things that make up a number, as taken separately and singly. They are each, every, either; as, Each of his brothers is in a favourable situation; Every man must account for himself: I have not seen either of them.

Each relates to two or more persons or things, and signifies either of the two, or every one of any number, taken separately.

Every relates to several persons or things, and signifies each one of them all, taken separately. This pronoun was formerly used apart from its noun, but it is now constantly annexed to it, except in legal proceedings; as in the phrase, “all and every of them,"

Either relates to two persons or things, taken separately, and signifies the one or the other. To say, Either of the three, is therefore improper.

Neither is a compound pronoun; it imports not either; that is, not one nor the other: as, Neither of my friends was there. Either and neither

are corresponding conjunctions when they do not supply the place of nouns, and have no reference to them; as, I will either go myself or send a messenger: He will neither borrow nor lend.

The demonstrative pronouns are those which precisely point out the subjects to which they relate; this and that, these and those, are of this class; as, This is true charity; that is only its image.

This indicates the latter or last mentioned thing; that the former or first mentioned; as, Both wealth and poverty are temptations; that tends to excite pride, this, discontent.

Perhaps the words former and latter may be properly ranked among the demonstrative pronouns; especially in many of their applications.

The following sentence may serve as an example: It was happy for the state that Fabius continued in the command with Minucius; the former's phlegm, was a check upon the latter's vivacity.

The indefinite pronouns are those which ex-press their subjects in an indefinite or general manner. The following are of this kind: some, other, any, one, all, such, &c.

Of these pronouns, only the words one and other are varied. One has a possessive case, whichit forms in the same manner as substantives; as, one, onc's. This word has a general signification, meaning people at large; and sometimes also a peculiar reference to the person who is speaking; as, One ought to pity the distresses of mankind: One is apt to love one's self. This word is often used by good writers in the plural number; as, The great ones of the world: The boy wounded