EXERCISES.

Of what degree of comparison is-Sweet, kinder, warmest, prompt, firmest, bright, high, cold, nobler, broader, bravest, more pleasant, most desirable, softer?

Compare-Great, small, rough, smooth, happy, noble, gay, good, little, much, worthless, ambitious, old, young. 110. PARSING.-An adjective is parsed by stating its degree comparing it (if compared), and the noun which it qualifies; thus, A good man. Good is an adjective, positive degree, compared irregularly, good, better, best, and qualifies man.

EXERCISES ON THE ARTICLE, NOUN, AND ADJECTIVE.

Distinguish and parse as directed all the words in this exercise:

A good man; a kind heart; a clear sky; the benevolent lady; the highest hill; a skilful artist; an older companion; man's chief concern; a lady's lapdog; most splendid talents; the liveliest disposition; a pleasant temper; the raging billows; temples magnificent; silent shades; excellent weather; a loftier tower.

§ 15. PRONOUNS.

111. A PRONOUN is a word used instead of a noun; as, John is a good boy; he is diligent in his studies. App. X.

112. Pronouns may be divided into four classes; Personal, Relative, Interrogative, and Adjective. 113. The personal pronouns are, I, thou, he, she, it. They are thus declined:

114.

OBSERVATIONS ON PERSONAL PRONOUNS.

1. Iis of the first person, and denotes the speaker. Thou is of the second, and denotes the person spoken to. He, she, and it, are of the third person, and denote the person or thing spoken or. So also of their plurals, we, you (ye), they.

2. Myself, thyself, himself, herself, itself, with their plurals ourselves, yourselves, themselves, may be called Compound personal pronouns. They are used in the nominative and the objective case. In the nominative they are emphatic, and are added to their respective personal pronouns, or are used instead of them; as, "I myself did it ;" 'himself shall come." In the objective, they are reflexive, showing that the agent is also the object of his own act; as, "Judas went and hanged himself."

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3. In proclamations, charters, editorial articles, and the like, we is frequently applied to one person.

4. In addressing persons, you is commonly put both for the singular and the plural, and has always a plural verb. Thou is used only in addresses to the Deity, or any important object in nature; or to mark special emphasis, or, in the language of contempt. The plural form ye is now but seldom used. (App. XI.)

5. The pronoun it, besides its use as the neuter pronoun of the third person, is also used indefinitely with the verb to be in the third person singular, for all genders, numbers, and persons; as, It is I, it is we, it is you, it is they; It was she, etc.

6. Hers, its, ours, yours, theirs, should never be written her's, it's, our's, your's, their's.

PARSING PERSONAL PRONOUNS.

15. The personal pronouns may be parsed briefly thus: I, the first personal pronoun, masculine (or feminine), in the nominative singular. His, the third personal pronoun, masculine, in the possessive singular.

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."

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 expressing many persons as one whole; as, "The court of Spain which;"" the company which." And likewise after the name of a person used merely as a word; as, "The court of Queen Elizabeth, which was but another name for prudence and economy."

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.

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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 com mitteth sin, etc." "Whatsoever things are of good report;" i. e. "All things (without exception) which are of good report" (§ 59, Rule II; § 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 a: 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.

OBSERVATIONS.

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 thei 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) wat 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 interrogatives, 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. 4j.