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ourselves or to those whom we address; therefore, two of the personal pronouns, I and Thou, are masculine or feminine, according as a masculine or a feminine noun is represented.

One spoken of in the third person is referred to by He for the representation of a masculine noun, She for a feminine noun, and It for a neuter.

Who, as a relative or an interrogative, may represent either a masculine or a feminine noun. Which generally refers to the neuter gender. That may refer to any gender.

2. The variations which the pronouns present, for the expression of number and case, are not conformable to any general rule. The following is a scheme of the declension of the personals and relatives :

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3. It has been already remarked that the possessive case of a noun is by some grammarians regarded as having the office of an adjective.

The pronominal possessives are more generally recognised in this light, and are called possessive adjective pronouns. These may be parsed either as possessive cases of personal pronouns, or as possessive adjectives.

The words mine, thine, hers, ours, yours, theirs, are possessive pronouns of the nominative or the objective case, as

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they represent, not possessors, but things possessed.* Each of them may represent a plural as well as a singular noun. Thus, in the sentence "Your specimens are more numerous, but mine are finer," the word your is a personal pronoun, plural form†, possessive case, or a possessive adjective, defining the noun specimens; but mine is a possessive pronoun, plural number, nominative case, as being the subject of the verb are.

Mine and thine were formerly used as possessive cases when the word following began with a vowel sound; as, mine honour. In grave discourse this usage is still ad

mitted.

4. Some compound personal pronouns are formed by the addition of the intensive nouns self, selves; they are, myself, thyself, himself, herself, itself, ourself, ourselves, yourself, yourselves, themselves. They are resolvable into a noun and possessive adjective, with the exception of himself and themselves, which were originally hisself and theirselves; when the intensive adjective own intervenes, we must employ his and their; as, his own self.

*His, when it stands alone, may be regarded as a possessive pronoun; as, "I do not covet any thing that is his; " where his is the nominative singular, neuter. Its never stands alone, and is a pronoun of very modern origin; his used to be the possessive neuter as well as masculine :See, in Scripture, Gen. i. 11; Ps. liv. 7; Acts, xii. 10.] † We say plural form rather than plural number, in this instance, because your is intended to refer to an individual. You, though a plural form, is very generally used in addressing an individual; this seems to have originated in a desire to avoid individualising force, leaving the singular form thou appropriate only in solemn or emphatic discourse. We is used instead of I by sovereigns, editors, &c. It is, however, as faulty to say you was instead of you were, as it would be to say we is for we are. Webster and some other grammarians attempt to defend you was; and Wells, another American author, argues that you would have been more generally recognised as a singular pronoun, but for the influence of Lindley Murray, who belonged to the Society of Friends.

5. The words what and which are sometimes definitive adjectives; as, "What language can be more explicit ?" "What (words) shall I say?" "Which side do you prefer?" "For which purpose I came to town."

What is frequently a compound relative equivalent to that which or the things which; as, "Consider what I say;" "What time remained was well employed;" that is, that time which, &c.

The compound relative whoever signifies every or any one who. We have also the similar compounds, whichever, whatever, whosoever.

6. The word whether is a pronoun, or pronominal adjective, denoting which of the two; but our present employment of the word requires the two things to be specified separately, by means of the alternative conjunction or; thus, we do not now say "Whether of the offers is better?" but we may say "Whether is William's offer or Joseph's better?" that is, "Whether is better-W.'s offer or J.'s?" The pronominal adjectives, either, neither, and both, occur in similar construction.

7. In parsing the following exercises, give a full etymological description of the nouns, adjectives, and pronouns.

Example. In the second chapter of Ruth we have an interesting account of the way in which the harvest was managed in Judæa.

In, a preposition; The, an article, defining chapter; Second, a numeral adjective, defining chapter, not admitting comparison; Chapter, a common noun, neut., sing., objective to in, forms its plural by adding s; Of, a preposition; Ruth, a proper noun, neut., sing., objective to of; We, a personal pronoun, first person, common gender, plur., nominative to have; Have, a verb transitive; An, an article, defining account; Interesting, a participial adjective, describing account, compared by more and most; Account, a common noun, neut., sing., objective to have, forms its plural by adding s; Of, a preposition; The, an article, defining way; Way, a common noun, neut., sing., objective to of, forms its plural by adding s; In, a preposition; Which, a relative pronoun, relating to way, neut., sing., objective to in; &c.

To what class of adjectives does the article the belong? What pecu

liarity distinguishes the article from other definitives? Ruth is originally of what gender? State the distinction between personal and relative pronouns. Decline the pronoun I. Decline the noun harvest, &c.

EXERCISES.

This substance has a bluish colour, and is rather soft and flexible. The Jews' obduracy is frequently reproved in their own Scriptures. Lydia Sigourney, the Felicia Hemans of America, has not the high chivalrous spirit of the English poetess; but, in its place, she evinces a more lively perception of the beauties of nature. To whose kindness are we indebted for all this? I never was guilty of the meanness which you impute to me. Some of Milton's most

pathetic passages are due to his loss of sight. My house is not very far from yours. Who knows not that Moses' meekness and Solomon's wisdom are proverbial? Which species of seed produces the earliest crop? A friend of mine devised a better means of illustration. Throngs of insects try their thin wings, and dance in the warm beams that waked them into life. A vassal is a dependent upon a superior lord, to whom he owes service; a tenant holds land or houses of another, and owes rent; a serf is a slave, and owes himself and all that he has. Ours is the largest house in the village, but our garden is much smaller than that of the Dixons. In what year was the battle fought, and whether were the French or the English victorious? What I admire most in that flower is its graceful stalk. Whoever travels toward the margin of the horizon finds that he is always at the same distance from it. Both the captain and yourself are well aware that what I now state is true. Rely on your own judgment, and do whatever you think proper.

CHAP. XIII.

THE ACCIDENCE OF SIMPLE VERBS.

1. It has been already observed, that the purest verb is that which is termed the Substantive verb, viz. the verb to be, and that others may be termed Adjective verbs, as they

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involve the combined meanings of the Substantive verb and an adjective. We shall, therefore, in the first instance, quote principally the Substantive verb, to exemplify Number, Person, Tense, and Mode, which are the accidents of verbs generally.

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2. The Number and Person of a Verb are its conformity to the particular Number and Person of its subject. Thus, in the expressions, "I am," "You are," "The gardens are small," the verb am is of the first person singular, because its subject I is of that person and number; and the verb are is either of the second person plural, conforming to you as its subject, or of the third person plural, conforming to gardens.

3. Those parts of a verb which admit the accidence of number and person are assertive, and have also the distinction of Tense, that is, Time. Thus, am is a verb of the Present Tense, because it refers to present time; was is a verb of the Past Tense, because it refers to past time. Future time is not marked in English by a simple verb, but by a compound expression which we shall afterwards explain.

4. Almost all verbs have modifications belonging to them which are not assertive. The distinction of a verb as assertive or unassertive, is called its Mood or Mode; the principal Modes being the Infinitive Mode, the Participles or Participial Mode, the Indicative, the Subjunctive, and the Imperative Modes.

5. The Infinitive Mode does not assert, but expresses the notion of a verb substantively or generally, or as something which may afterwards occur, and it is usually preceded by the preposition to, which is called the sign of the Infinitive. Thus ; "To be, or not to be, that is the question." "Thomson was to be president." "We are to be the judges."

6. The Participles of a verb are not assertive; they are adjective forms participating the general meaning of the

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