OF PRONOUNS.

Q. What is a pronoun ?

A. A pronoun is a word used instead of a noun, to avoid the too frequent repetition of the same word; as, "The man is happy," "He is benevolent," "He is useful."

Q. How many kinds of pronouns are there? A. Three: the personal,* the relative, and the adjective.

PERSONAL PRONOUNS.

Q. How many personal pronouns are there? A. Five: viz. I, thou, he, she, it, with their plurals, we, ye or you, they.

Q. Of what do personal pronouns admit? A. They admit of person, number, gender, and case.

Q: How many persons have pronouns ?
A. Three in each number, viz.

!, is the first person

Thou, is the second person

He, she, or it, is the third person

We, is the first person

Ye or you, is the second person

They, is the third person

Singular.

Plural.

Q. How many numbers have they?

A. The number of pronouns, like those of substantives, are two, the singular and the plural; as, I, thou, he; we, ye, they.

* From the Latin persona, a person, or individual..

Q. To which person does gender relate? A. Gender has respect only to the third person singular of the pronouns, he, she, it. He is masculine; she is feminine; it is neuter.

Q. How many cases have pronouns? A. They have three cases; the nominative, the possessive, and the objective.

Q. Does the objective differ from the other cases?

A. The objective case of a pronoun has, in general, a form different from that of the nominative or the possessive.

Q. Decline the personal pronouns.

*His and its are adjective pronouns when prefixed to substantives; as "This is his book; " but when they stand alone, they are personal pronouns ; as, "This book is his.”

RELATIVE PRONOUNS.

Q. What are relative pronouns ?

A. Relative pronouns are such as relate, in general, to some word or phrase going before, which is thence called the antecedent t: they are who, which, and that; as, "The man is happy who lives virtuously.'

Q. How is the pronoun what applied?

A. What is a kind of compound relative, including both the antecedent and the relative, and is mostly equivalent to that which; as, "This is what I wanted;" that is to say, "the thing which I wanted."

Q. How are the pronouns who and which applied?

A. Who is applied to persons, which to ani. mals irrational and things inanimate; as, "He is a friend, who is faithful in adversity; "The bird, which sung so sweetly, is flown; 'This is the tree, which produces no fruit.

Q. How is the pronoun that applied?

A. That, as a relative, is often used to prevent the too frequent repetition of who and

*From the Latin relativus, having relation, connection, or regard.

From the Latin antecedo (ante before, cedo to go).

which. It is applied to both persons and things; as, "He that acts wisely deserves praise;' 'Modesty is a quality that highly adorns a

woman.'

Q. Decline the relative who and its compound whosoever.

Whosoever. Whosesoever. Whomsoever.

Q. What are who, which, and what called, when used in asking questions?

A. They are called interrogatives* when used in asking questions; as, "Who is he?" "Which is the book?" "What are you doing?"

ADJECTIVE PRONOUNS.

Q. What are adjective pronouns ?

A. They are of a mixed nature, participating in the properties both of pronouns and adjectives. Q. Into how many sorts are they divided? A. The adjective pronouns may be subdivided into four sorts, namely, the possessive, the

Which, that, and what, are of both numbers, but do not vary their termination. Which, having no possessive case of its own, the objective with of before it will supply its place; as," Philosophy, the end of which is to instruct us," &c. Many good writers do however use whose as its possessive. "The lights and shades, whose well accorded strife Gives all the strength and colour of our life."

POPE.

* From the Latin interrogo (inter and rogo to ask, to demand).

distributive, the demonstrative, and the indefinite. 1. Q. What are the possessive?

A. The possessive are those which relate to possession or property: there are seven of them; viz. my*, thy, his, her, our, your, their.

Q. How were mine and thine formerly used? A. 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."

2. Q. What are the distributive?

A. The distributive† 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."

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Q. What are the demonstrative?

A. The demonstrative ‡ are those which precisely point out the subjects to which they relate this and that, these and those, are of this

The compound personal pronouns myself, thyself, &c. which are commonly joined either to a pronoun or to some noun for the sake of emphasis, are generally in the same case with such noun or pronoun to which they are joined; as "I myself was present." "The master himself wrote it.' Himself, themselves, &c., are now used in the nominative case, as well as in the objective; as, “He himself shall do this."

Self, when used alone, is a noun; as, “Our love for self will predominate."

From the Latin distribuo, to deal, to appoint.

From the Latin demonstro, to show, to declare.