Grammar: Interrogative pronouns

Pronouns are divided into four classes: personal, possessive, relative, and interrogative.

Interrogative pronouns

From  A New English Grammar for Schools, by Thomas Harvey; Elementary Lessons in English by Nelly Lloyd Knox-Heath; and The Standard English Grammar, by William Fewsmith:

Interrogative pronouns are: who (whose, whom), which, and what when used in asking questions.

I. An interrogative pronoun is a pronoun used to ask a question. 

Who comes here?
Whose is this?
Whom do you seek?
Which may she have?
What do you want?

1. “Who,” “Whose,” and “Whom,” ask about people only.

Who Banished Napoleon?

Who invented gunpowder?

2. “Which” asks about  people, animals, or things.

Which is your son?

Which is faded?

3. “What” asks about animals and things.

What is he doing? (“doing” is a thing)

What time do we go? (“time” is a thing)

II. In asking about people,

1. “Who” asks for the name of the individual.

Who was that gentleman? —  Franklin.

2. Which” asks for the particular individual meant.

Which Franklin? — Benjamin Franklin.

3. “What” asks for a description.

What was he? — A statesman, philosopher, and inventor.

III. An interrogative pronoun does not have an antecedent, because the noun or pronoun it refers to does not appear in the question itself.

1. Instead, it refers to some word in the answer to the question, called the subsequent.

Who was that gentleman? —  Franklin.

2. The interrogative pronoun and its subsequent often, but not always, agree in person, number, and gender.

Who lost the book? —  Mary.

Who — (Mary) who lost. — “Who” is an interrogative pronoun; it is singular, third person, feminine, because its subsequent “Mary” is.

Which escaped from the zoo? —  

Which. — Which escaped. — “Which” is an interrogative pronoun; it agrees with some subsequent word (not mentioned) in some number, person, and gender which cannot be determined.

IV. An interrogative pronoun indicates case, and therefore should be of the same case as the noun or pronoun for which it stands. Its subsequent is the noun or pronoun that answers the question.

Who invented the telegraph? — Morse invented the telegraph.

Whose is this? — This is Jane’s.

Whom did Martha see? — Martha saw Albert.

Whom is this book for? — This book is for her.

Whom did you give it to? — I gave it to them.

Order of parsing interrogative pronouns

1. Is it a pronoun, and why?
2. Is it interrogative, and why?
3. Name its subsequent.
4. What is its case?

Models for parsing

Who goes there? — John.

“Who” is a pronoun, because it takes the place of a noun or pronoun; it is interrogative, because it is used in asking a question; its subsequent is “John,” because “John” answers the question, “Who?”; it is in the nominative case, because “who” is used as the subject of the sentence.

Which is yours? — The large one.

“Which” is a pronoun, because it takes the place of a noun or a pronoun; it is interrogative, because it is used in asking a question; its subsequent is “one,” because “one” answers the question, “Which?”; its in the nominative case, because “which” is used as the subject of the sentence “Which is yours?

What is that animal? — A muskrat.

“What” is a pronoun, because it takes the place of a noun or a pronoun; it is interrogative, because it is used in asking a question; its subsequent is “muskrat,” because “muskrat” answers the question, “What?”; it is in the nominative case, because it is used as a predicate nominative in the sentence “What is that animal?”

Previous                                   Harvey's A New English Grammar                                     Next

#grammar  #writing  #English   #ESL   #englishasasecondlanguage   #languagearts  #education  #homeschool   #pronoun  #antecedent    #grammarrules   #teachingenglish   #interogativepronouns   #classesofpronouns

Grammar: Relative pronouns

Pronouns are divided into four classes: personal, possessive, relative, and interrogative.

Relative pronouns relate

From A New English Grammar for Schools, by Thomas Harvey and Elementary Lessons in English by Nelly Lloyd Knox-Heath

They are: who (whose, whom), which, that, as.

I. A relative pronoun joins to its antecedent a subordinate clause that relates something about the person or thing represented by the antecedent. 

The man whom you saw is my father.

1. The word “relative” comes from the Latin verb “fero”, from which we get our verb “refer.”

2. One of the meanings of “relative” is “to bring back;” another meaning is “to tell over.” 

II. A relative pronoun is always found in an adjective clause.

 

Laws which are unjust should be repealed. 

1. A relative pronoun connects an adjective clause to the noun or pronoun that the clause modifies.

2. In the sentence above, the subordinate adjective clause “which are unjust” is connected by the relative pronoun “which” to the antecedent of the clause, which is “laws.”

III. Place the relative pronoun adjective clause as near as possible to the noun or pronoun which it modifies; thus,

On either side are pavements for pedestrians that are from six to eight feet wide,

should be instead,

On either side are pavements that are from six to eight feet wide for pedestrians.

 

IV. Relative pronouns are either simple or compound.

1. The simple relatives are:

Who, used to refer to persons;
Which, used to refer to animals and things;
That, used to refer to persons, animals, and things; and
As, used to take the place of who, which, or that, after the words such, much, many, and same.

2. The compound relatives are formed by adding ever, so, and soever to the simple relatives.

Whoever, whoso, and whosoever, are equivalent to he who, or any one who; as,

Whoever studies will learn. 

(i.e. Any one who studies will learn.)

Whichever and whichsoever are equivalent to any which; as, 

Whichever way you may take will lead to the city.

(i.e. Any way which you may take will lead to the city.)

Whatever and whatsoever are equivalent to any thing which; as, 

I am pleased with whatever you may do.

(i.e. I am pleased with any thing which you may do.)

Order of parsing relative pronouns

1. Is it a pronoun, and why?
2. Is it relative, and why?
3. Name its antecedent.
4. Simple or compound?
5. Gender, person, and number?
6. Case?

Models for parsing

A man who is industrious will prosper

 “Who” is a pronoun; relative because it represents a preceding word or phrase, to which it joins a adjective clause; its antecedent is “man”: simple: masculine gender, third person, singular number, to agree with its antecedent: nominative case; it is used as the subject of the subordinate adjective clause, “who is industrious.”

The horse which you sold me is lame.

“Which” is a pronoun; relative; its antecedent is “horse”: simple: masculine gender, third person, singular number: objective case; it is the object of the verb “sold.”

The boy closed the shutters, which darkened the room.

“Which” is a pronoun; relative; its antecedent is the independent clause, “the boy closed the shutters.”

Whoever studies will learn.

“Whoever” is a pronoun; relative; compound; it is equivalent to he who, or any one who — “he” being the antecedent part, and “who” the relative. Parse “he” as a personal pronoun, subject of “will learn,” or “one” as a “pronominal adjective used as a noun,” subject of “will learn,” and “who” as a relative, by preceding models.

Previous                                   Harvey's A New English Grammar                                     Next

#grammar  #writing  #English   #ESL   #englishasasecondlanguage   #languagearts  #education  #homeschool   #pronoun  #antecedent    #grammarrules   #teachingenglish   #relativepronouns   #classesofpronouns

Grammar: Possessive pronouns

Pronouns are divided into four classes: personal, possessive, relative, and interrogative.

Possessive pronouns

From A New English Grammar for Schools, by Thomas Harvey: 

They are: mine, thine, his, hers, ours, yours, theirs.

I. Possessive pronouns are words used to represent both the possessor and the thing possessed.

1. A possessive pronoun is not the possessive case of a personal pronoun, but a distinct form found only in the nominative and objective cases.

That is my book. (personal pronoun; possessive case)
That book is mine. (possessive pronoun)
Mine is the one on the table. (possessive pronoun)

2. For emphasis,

My own is used for mine; your own is used for yours; his own for his; her own for hers; their own for theirs.

Examples:

This book is my own. 
 Stand fast; the ground’s your own, my braves!
Each player should have a mitt of his own.

II. Order of parsing possessive pronouns

1. A pronoun, and why?
2. Possessive, and why?
3. What is its antecedent?
4. Gender, person, and number?
5. Case?

III. Models for parsing

That house of mine is rented.

“Mine” is a pronoun; possessive, because it represents both the possessor and the thing possessed; its antecedent is the name of the speaker; common gender, first person, singular number to agree with its antecedent; objective case, because it is the object of the preposition “of.”

That book is hers, not yours.

“Hers” is a pronoun; possessive, because it is equivalent to “her book.” “Her” is a personal pronoun in the possessive case, and “book” is a predicate nominative. “Yours” is a pronoun; possessive, because it is equivalent to “your book.” “Your” is a personal pronoun in the possessive case, and “book” is a predicate nominative.

Previous                                   Harvey's A New English Grammar                                     Next

#grammar  #writing  #English   #ESL   #englishasasecondlanguage   #languagearts  #education  #homeschool   #pronoun  #antecedent    #grammarrules   #teachingenglish   #possessivepronouns   #classesofpronouns

Grammar: Personal pronouns

Pronouns are divided into four classes: personal, possessive, relative, and interrogative.

Personal pronouns

From A New English Grammar for Schools, by Thomas Harvey: 

1. A personal pronoun shows the  person of the noun it represents.

I write; you read; he listens

a. The words “I,” “you,” and “he ” are pronouns, because they take the place of nouns.

b. “I” denotes first person, because it indicates the person speaking.

c. “You” denotes second person, because it indicates the person addressed.

d. “He” denoted third person, because it indicates the person spoken of.

 Those words which show by their form the person of the nouns they represent are called personal pronouns.

2. Personal pronouns are either simple or compound.

That is my book; I read that book by myself.

a. Simple personal pronouns are declined as follows: 

b. Compound personal pronouns are formed by adding self or selves to some form of the personal pronouns.

myself; yourselves; himself;  herself;
themselves

They are declined as follows:

3. General remarks:

a. Thou, thy, thine, thee, thyself, and ye, are archaic pronouns. Though still used in some versions of the Bible and other sacred writings, they are now seldom used except in poetry. You, your, yours, and yourself are used in modern writing.

The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.

b. You, originally plural, is now used to represent singular as well as plural nouns.

c. We is often used in place of I, in royal proclamations, editorials, and when the speaker or writer wishes to avoid the appearance of egotism.

We, George III, King of Great Britain and Ireland, do proclaim...

We formerly thought differently, but have changed our mind.

d. It is sometimes used in the nominative without referring to any particular antecedent, 

It thunders.

It seems to me

It is a true saying.

and in the objective for euphony alone:

“Click it or ticket”

e. Since the English language doesn’t have a pronoun of the third person singular and common gender, it’s okay to use the masculine forms he, his, him, for that purpose.

A thorough scholar studies his lesson carefully.

f. When reference is made to an assemblage containing males only, or females only, the masculine or feminine forms should be used, as the case may require.

g. When pronouns of different persons are used, the second should precede the third, and the third the first.

You, and he, and I were boys together.

Previous                                   Harvey's A New English Grammar                                     Next

#grammar  #writing  #English   #ESL   #englishasasecondlanguage   #languagearts  #education  #homeschool   #pronoun  #antecedent    #grammarrules   #teachingenglish   #personalpronouns   #classesofpronouns