Test Questions.

1. What is a noun?

kinds of nouns.

Name one of each of the principal

2. In what particular respect does a common noun differ from a proper noun ?

3. In what particular respect does an abstract noun differ from a collective noun ?

4. Show that abstract nouns may be derived from common nouns, from adjectives, and from verbs.

5. What four properties belong to nouns ?

6. What is meant by person as the word is used in grammar? How many persons are there?

7. What is meant by number as used in grammar? How many numbers are there?

8. What is meant by gender as used in grammar? How many genders are there?

9. What is meant by the phrase, a gender noun?

10. What is meant by case as used in grammar? How many cases have nouns?

11. How many case-forms have nouns? Which caseforms are alike? Illustrate.

EXERCISE II.

Pronouns.

Personal, Relative, Adjective, Interrogative.

TO THE TEACHER: Only the most important facts in regard to the uses of pronouns are given in this exercise. The pupil should be required to use the facts in original illustrative sentences until he knows how to use them. He should be required to decline each pronoun, then use it orally in a sentence. A mere memory recitation of the text-book definitions and illustrations does not usually give an average pupil a clear idea of the form and use of this substitute part of speech.

Personal Pronouns.

A pronoun is a word that stands for a noun.

Pronouns are divided into three principal classes,-personal, relative, and adjective.

A personal pronoun is one that stands for a noun, and shows by its form whether it is of the first, the second, or the third person.

The simple personal pronouns are I, thou, you, he, she, it.

Compound Personal Pronouns.

Pronouns formed by adding self or selves to certain simple personal pronouns, as, myself, himself, herself, yourself, itself, themselves, yourselves, ourselves, are called compound personal pronouns.

It has a number of special uses. It is a very convenient little word on account of its representative character. The most important of its special uses are the following:

1. It is very often used as the grammatical subject, instead of the phrase or clause which is the real, or logical subject and which follows the verb; as, It is a duty to love humanity. It is doubtful whether I will go. It is easy to live after the world's opinion.

2. It is often used in a vague sense as the subject of verbs descriptive of the weather; as, It rains. It is dark. It is cloudy. It thunders. It snows.

3. It is used as a subject to represent a noun or a pronoun as an attribute of any number, gender, or person; as, It is I. It is they. It is she. It is James. It is you.

4. It is sometimes used as the impersonal object of a verb; as, I made up my mind to foot it. He lorded it over his servants.

Relative Pronouns.

A relative pronoun is one used to represent a preceding noun or pronoun, called the antecedent, and to connect with it a clause. 1. The pupil who gives attention will learn. 2. He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul. 3. I have many things which I wish to tell you.

Simple Relative Pronouns.

The simple relative pronouns are who, which, that, as. Who is used to represent persons; which to represent things; that and as to represent both persons and things.

The antecedent of a relative pronoun is the word, phrase, or clause for which the pronoun stands. It is the leading term of relation, the relative clause being the subsequent term. The antecedent of a pronoun may be a phrase or a clause; as, He did not come, which I greatly regret. His love extends from the richest to the poorest, which includes all.

NOTE.-A relative pronoun has both a connective and a substantive value at the same time. That is, it does the work of two parts of speech.

We will now briefly discuss the relative pronouns.

Who. Who with its possessive whose is both singular and plural. It refers usually to living beings, sometimes to things; as, The city whose towers he saw in the distance is St. Louis.

Which. Which refers only to things. It is not inflected.

=

What is equivalent to that which; as, What I saw I shall not tell you that which I saw I shall not tell you I shall not tell you that which I saw.

That. That refers to either persons or things. It is a general relative, and is not inflected. It is usually restrictive, limiting the meaning of its antecedent in much the same manner as an adjective would; as, He that I loved is dead. The clause introduced by that limits or restricts the antecedent He.

As. As when it follows such is a relative pronoun; as, Such as I have, give I unto thee. I love such as (those who) love me.

Compound Relative Pronouns.

The compound relative pronouns are what, whatever, whatsoever, whoever, whosoever, whichever, and whichsoever. These are formed from the simple relatives by adding the adverbs, ever, so, soever.

What does not usually have an antecedent actually expressed in the sentence. It contains within itself both antecedent and relative, being equivalent to that which; as, What (that which) you say is true. I saw what (that which) he was doing.

The relative and interrogative pronouns are declined as follows: