361. Most personal pronouns have two possessive forms,—one used like an attributive adjective to modify the noun following, as in “my hand,” “your heart,”—and the other used to take the place of a noun, as in “mine is here,” “this is yours.”
( a ) His is used in either way; as “his land,” “his was a useful life.”
( a ) Mine and thine are traditionally used like my and thy when the word that follows begins with a vowel sound; as “mine own,” “thine honor.”
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362. The second of the possessive forms may be used in any construction, and with singular or plural meaning.
Thus:—
That tongue of hers will make trouble.
Thine is the glory. Bring theirs, but leave ours.
“Wealth is not his that has it, but his that enjoys it.”
( a ) These words are actually adjective pronouns, and may be called such.
That tongue, that is, her tongue, will make trouble. (possessive with demonstrative)
Thy glory is the glory. Bring their stuff, but leave our stuff.
Wealth is not the weath of him that has it, but of him that enjoys it.
( b ) Do not use the apostrophe in writing ones, yours, theirs.
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363. It is frequently used as the temporary or anticipative subject of a verb, the real subject of which is a word or an expression that must come after it [§ 598].
As in, —
| It is always best ( to try ). It is true ( that health makes wealth ). |
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364. It is sometimes used indefinitely without an antecedent.
As in, —
| It rains at night. It will freeze tonight. |
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365. A Complex sentence is one that contains a dependent clause.
Sentences containing conjunctive pronouns are therefore always complex.
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366. If a compound sentence contains a dependent clause, it becomes of course a compound complex sentence.
It has become customary to call the sentence a main clause or its compound parts independent clauses.
This may cause some confusion, since it may itself contain parts that are clauses, but these are fully dependent.
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367. In analyzing complex sentences the directions given in chapter IV may generally be followed.
In written analysis adjective clauses may be enclosed like other modifiers and their use as complements as also the use of noun clauses may be shown by underlining them entire.
The base of a clause may be marked by lines drawn over subject, verb, and complement.
Here we underline the dependent clause and color the brackets according to its function.
| EXAMPLES.—
1. ( The ) past is < a > < shadowy > page < which keeps [ forever ] < the > record < of our lives > >. |
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1. This is a complex declarative sentence.
2. Formed of a main clause and an adjective clause.
3. The base of the main clause is past is page.
4. The subject past is modified by the adjective the.
5. The subjective complement page is modified by the adjectives a, and shadowy, and by the adjective clause which keeps forever the record of our lives.
6. The base of the adjective clause is which keeps record, and so on.
| 2. Nothing is troublesome ( that we do [ willingly ] ). |
| 3. { Whoever does < a > < good > deed } is [ instantly ] ennobled. |
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1. This is a complex declarative sentence.
2. Formed of a main clause with an indefinite noun clause for its subject.
3. The base of the main clause is — and so on as before.
| 4. ( The ) lecturer told [ us ] { what he had seen [ during his journey ] }. |
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376. When we use the pronouns that have three case forms, to be logical we should use only the nominative forms as subjects and subjective complements, and only the objective forms as objects of verbs or prepositions.
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377. The nominative forms for subjects and subjective complements are,
| I, we, thou, he, she, ye, they, who, whoever, whosoever |
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The objective forms for objects of any kind are,
| me, us, thee, him, her, (you), them, whom, whomever, whomsoever |
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378. Rule for Subjects, etc. — Never use an objective case form as a subject or as a subjective complement in formal speech or writing.
[This rule is often disregarded with regard to the subjective complement.]
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383. Of the relative pronouns, who refers to persons only, which to other things, and that to either.
That often has an adjective or adverb as an antecedent or none at all.
As as a relative pronoun has an adjective or adverb as an antecedent.
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384. That, rather than who or which is to be preferred, —
( 1 ) When the antecedent is the superlative of an adjective.
Thus: —
| He was the wisest man that ever lived. |
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( 2 ) When the antecedent is the adjective same, all, or the interrogative who, whoever and which.
Thus: —
The same friend that I visited.
All that was left.
Who that heard the orator can forget him?
Which man that was there will not obey?
( 3 ) After antecedents denoting both persons and things.
Thus: —
| He spoke of the men and the cities that he had seen. |
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Why not “whom he had seen” or “which he had seen”?
An explanitory clause with such an antecedent would be problematic:
| ?He spoke of brave men and beautiful cities, which were not a few. |
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385. It is often better to use that, rather than “who” or “which,” in restrictive clauses;
that is, in clauses that limit the application of the antecedent by showing which ones or how many, etc., are meant.
Other adjective clauses state an additional fact about the antecedent, and may be called explanatory or appositive clauses.
For example: —
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RESTRICTIVE.
APPOSITIVE. |
Franklin was the commissioner that negotiated the treaty.
Congress appointed a commissioner, who negotiated the treaty. |
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386. Punctuation. RULE. — Explanatory adjective clauses should be set off by commas.
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387. Use Each other in speaking of two objects; one another, of more than two.
As in, —
| David and Jonathan loved ( each ) other. |
| How do the months compare [ with ( one ) another ]? |
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Each and one are generally in apposition with the subject of the verb; other and another are objects.
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