gender; therefore they have no agreement, in this respect, with the nouns which they represent. PERSON. Pronouns have three persons in each number. I, is the first person Thou, is the second person He, she, or it, is the third person J Ye or you, is the second person Singular. Plural. This account of persons will be very intelligible, when you reflect, that there are three persons who may be the subject of any discourse: first, the person who speaks, may speak of himself; secondly, he may speak of the person to whom he addresses himself; thirdly, he may speak of some other person; and as the speakers, the persons spoken to, and the persons spoken of, may be many, so each of these persons must have a plural number. Pronouns of the second and third person, always agree in person with the nouns they represent; but pronouns of the first person, do not. Whenever a pronoun of the first person is used, it represents a noun; but nouns are never of the first person, therefore these pronouns cannot agree in person with their nouns. NUMBER. Pronouns, like nouns, have two numbers, the singular and the plural; as, I, thou, he; we, ye or you, they. CASE. Pronouns have three cases, the nominative, the possessive, and the objective. In the next place I will present to you the declension of the personal pronouns, which declension you must commit to memory before you proceed any further. The advantages resulting from the committing of the following declension, are so great and diversified, that you cannot be too particular in your attention to it. You recollect, that it is sometimes very difficult to distinguish the nominative case of a noun from the objective, because these cases of nouns are not marked by a difference in termination; but this difficulty is removed in regard to the personal pronouns, for their cases are declen sion you will learn, not only the cases of the pronouns, but, also, their genders, persons, and numbers. DECLENSION OF THE PERSONAL PRONOUNS. 1. When self is added to the personal pronouns, as himself, myself, itself, themselves, &c. they are called compound personal pronouns, and are used in the nominative or objective case, but not in the possessive. 2. In order to avoid the disagreeable harshness of sound, occasioned by the frequent recurrence of the terminations est, edst, in the adaptation of eur verbs to the nominative thou, a modern innovation which substitutes you for thou, in familiar style, has generally been adopted. This innovation contributes greatly to the harmony of our colloquial style. You was formerly restricted to the plural number; but now it is employed to represent either a singular or a plural noun. It ought to be recollected, however, that when used as the representative of a singular noun, this word retains its original plural form; and, therefore, the verb connected with it, should always be plural. Inattention to this peculiarity, has betrayed some writers into the erroneous conclusion, that, because you implies unity when it represents a singular noun, it ought, when thus employed, to be followed by a singular verb; as, "When was you there?" "How far was you from the parties?" Such a construction, however, is not supported by good usage, nor by analogy. It is as manifest a solecism as to say, We am, or we is. Were it, in any case, admissible to connect a singular verb with you, the use of was would still be ungram matical, for this form of the verb is confined to the first and third persons, and you is second person. Wast being second person, it would approximate nearer to correctness to say, you wast. We never use the singular of the present tense with you:-you art, you is; you walkest, you walks. Why, then, should any attempt be made to force a usage so unnatural and gratuitous as the connecting of the singular verb in the past tense with this pronoun? In every point of view, the construction, "When were you there?" "How far were you from the parties?" is preferable to the other. 3. The words my, thy, his, her, our, your, their, arc, by many, denominated possessive adjective pronouns; but they always stand for nouns in the possessive case. They ought, therefore, to be classed with the personal pronouns. That principle of classification which ranks them with the adjective pronouns, would also throw all nouns in the possessive case among the adjectives. Example: "The lady gave the gentleman her watch for his horse." In this sentence her personates, or stands for, the noun "lady," and his represents gentleman." This fact is clearly shown by rendering the sentence thus, "The lady gave the gentleman the lady's watch for the gentleman's horse." If lady's and gentleman's are nouns, her and his must be personal pronouns. The same remarks apply to my, thy, our, your, their and its. This view of these words may be objected to by those who speculate and refine upon the principles of grammar until they prove their non-existence, but it is believed, nevertheless, to be based on sound reason and common sense. 4. Mine, thine, his, hers, ours, yours, theirs, have, by many respectable grammarians, been considered merely the possessive cases of personal pronouns, whilst, by others, they have been denominated pronouns or nouns in the nominative or objective case. It is believed, however, that a little attention to the meaning and office of these words, will clearly show the impropriety of both these classifications. Those who pursue the former arrangement, allege, that, in the examples, "You may imagine what kind of faith theirs was; My pleasures are past; hers and yours are to come; they ap plauded his conduct, but condemned hers and yours," the words theirs, hers, and yours, are personal pronouns in the possessive case, and governed by their respective nouns understood. To prove this, they construct the sentences thus, 66 you may imagine what kind of faith their faith was;—her pleasures and your pleasures are to come;-but condemned her conduct and your conduct;" or thus, "You may imagine what kind of faith the faith of them was;-the pleasures of her and the pleasures of you, are to come,— but condemned the conduct of her and the conduct of you." But these constructions, (both of which are correct,) prove too much for their purpose; for, as soon as we supply the nouns after these words, they are resolved into personal pronouns of kindred meaning, and the nouns which we supply: thus, theirs becomes, their faith: hers, her pleasures; and yours, your pleasures. This evidently gives us two words instead of, and altogether dis tinct from, the first; so that, in parsing, their faith, we are not, in reality, analyzing theirs, but two other words of which theirs is the proper representative. These remarks also prove, with equal force, the impropricty of calling these words merely simple pronouns or nouns in the nominative or objective case. Without attempting to develop the original or intrinsick meaning of these pluralizing adjuncts, ne and s, which were, no doubt, formerly detached from the pronouns with which they now coalesce, for all practical purposes, it is sufficient for us to know, that, in the present application of these pronouns, they invariably stand for, not only the person possessing, but, also, the thing possessed, which gives them a compound character. They may, therefore, be properly denominated COMPOUND PERSONAL PRONOUNS; and, as they always perform a double office in a sentence by representing two other words, and, consequently, including two cases, they should, like the compound relative what, be parsed as two words. Thus, in the example, "You may imagine what kind of faith theirs was," theirs is a compound personal pronoun, equivalent to their faith. Their is a pronoun, a word used instead of a noun; personal, it personates the persons spoken of, understood; third pers. plur. numb. &c.-and in the possessive case, and governed by "faith," according to Rule 12. Faith is a noun, the name of a thing; &c. &c.-and in the nominative case to "was," and governs it; Rule 3. Or, if we render the sentence thus, "You may imagine what kind of faith the · faith of them was," faith would be in the nominative case to "was," and them would be in the objective case, and governed by "of :" Rule 31. Objections to this method of treating these pronouns, will doubtless be preferred by those who assert, that a noun is understood after these words, and not represented by them. But this is assertion without proof; for, if a noun were understood, it might be supplied. If the question be put, whose book? and the answer be, mine, ours, hers, or theirs, the word book is included in such answer. Were it not included, we might supply it, thus, mine book, ours book, hers book, and so on. This, however, we cannot do, for it would be giving a double answer: but when the question is answered by a noun in the possessive case, the word book is not included, but implied; as, Whose book? John's, Richard's; that is, John's book; Richard's book. This view of the subject, without a parallel, except in the compounds what, whoever, and others, is respectfully submitted to the publick; believing, that those who approve of a critical analysis of words, will coincide with me, Should any still be disposed to treat these words so superficially as to rank them among the simple pronouns, let them answer the following interrogatory: If what, when compound, should be parsed as two words, why not mine, thine, his, hers, ours, yours, and theirs? 5. Mine and thine, instead of my and thy, are used in solemn style, before a word beginning with a vowel or silent h; as, "Blot out all mine iniquities;" and when thus used, they are not compound. His always has the same form, whether simple or compound; as, "Give John his book; That desk is his." Her, when placed before a noun, is in the possessive case; as, Take her hat: when standing alone, it is in the objective case; as, Give the hat to her. When you shall have studied this lecture attentively, and committed the declension of the personal pronouns, you may commit the following SYSTEMATICK ORDER OF PARSING. The order of parsing a PERSONAL PRONOUN, * In the note next preceding, it is asserted, that my, thy, his, her, our, your, and their, are personal pronouns. What can more clearly demonstrate the correctness of that assertion, than this latter construction of the word theirs? All admit, that, in the construction, "The faith of them," the word them is a personal pronoun: and for this conclusive reason:-it represents a noun understood. What, then, is their, in the phrase, "their faith?" Is it not obvious, that, if them is a personal pronoun, their must be, also? for the atter represents the same noun as the former. is-a pronoun, and why?-personal, and why?— person, and why?-gender and number, and why?-RULE: case, and why ?-RULE.-Decline it. There are many peculiarities to be observed in parsing personal pronouns in their different persons; therefore, if you wish ever to parse them correctly, you must pay particular attention to the manner in which the following are analyzed. Now no tice, particularly, and you will perceive that we apply only one rule in parsing I and my, and two in parsing thou, him, and they. "I saw my friend." I is a pronoun, a word used instead of a noun-personal, it represents the person speaking, understood-first person, it de notes the speaker-singular number, it implies but one-and in the nominative case, it represents the actor and subject of the verb "saw," and governs it, agreeably to RULE 3. The nom case gov. the verb. Declined-first pers. sing. num. nom. I, poss. my or mine, obj. me. Plur. nom. we, poss. our or ours, obj. us. My is a pronoun, a word used instead of a noun-personal, it personates the person speaking, understood-first pers. it denotes the speaker-sing. num. it implies but one-and in the possessive case, it denotes possession; it is governed by the noun "friend," agreeably to RULE 12. A noun or pronoun in the possessive case, is governed by the noun it possesses. Declined-first pers. sing. nom. I, poss. my or mine, obj. me. Plur nom. we, poss. our or ours, obj. us. "Young man, thou hast deserted thy companion, and left him in distress." Thou is a pronoun, a word used instead of a noun-personal, it personates "man"-second person, it represents the person spoken to-mas. gend. sing. num. because the noun man" is for which it stands, according to RULE 13. Personal pronouns must agree with the nouns for which they stand in gender and number. Thou is in the nom. case, it represents the actor and subject of the verb "hast deserted," and governs it agreeably to RULE case gov. the verb. Declined-sec. pers. sing. 3. The •nom poss. thy or thine, obj. thee. Plur. nom. ye num. nom. or you, poss. your or yours, obj. you. Him is a pronoun, a word used instead of a noun-persona' it personates "companion"-third pers. it represents the pe son spoken of-mas. gend. sing. numb. because the noun |