4

fometimes feem to fland by themselves, yet have

4

always fome Subftantive belonging to them, either referred to, or understood: as, This, that, other, any, fame, one, none. Thefe are called Definitive, because they define and limit the extent of the Common Name, or General Term, to which they either refer, or are joined. The three first of these are varied, to exprefs Number; as, Thefe, thofe, others (1); the last of which admits of the Plural form only when its Subftantive is not joined to it, but referred to, or underftood none of them are varied to exprefs the

:

Gender; only two of them to express the Case; as, other, one, which have the Poffeffive Cafe. One is fometimes ufed in an Indefinite fense, (answering to the French on,) as in the following phrafes; one is apt to think; one fees; "

one fuppofes." Who, which, that, are called Relatives, because they more directly refer to fome fubftantive going before; which therefore is

(1) «Diodorus, whofe defign was to refer all occurrences to years, is of more credit in a point of Chronology, than Plutarch or any other, that write Lives by the lump. » Bentley, Differt. on Themiftocles's Epistles, Sec. vi.

others, or writes.

It ought to be

called

called the Antecedent. They also connect the following part of the Sentence with the foregoing. Thefe belong to all the three Perfons; whereas the reft belong only to the Third. One of them only is varied to exprefs the three Cafes; Who, whofe, (1), (that is, who's (2),) whom : none of them have different endings for the Numbers. Who, which, what, are called Interrogatives, when they are used in asking questions. The two

(1) Whofe is by some authors made the Poffeffive Cafe of which, and applied to things as well as perfons: I think improperly.

"The question, whofe folution I require,

Is, what the fex of women moft defire." Dryden. "Is there any other do&trine, whofe followers are punish

ed? Addison.

The higher Poetry, which loves to confider every thing as bearing a Perfonal Character, frequently applies the personal Poffeffive whofe to inanimate beings :

" Of man's first disobedience, and the fruit Of that forbidden Tree, whofe mortal tafte Brought death into the world, and all our

woe.">

Milton.

(2) So the Saxonhwa hath the Poffeffive Cafe, hwas. Note, that the Saxons rightly placed the Afpirate before the w as we now pronounce it.. This will be evident to any one that shall confider in what manner he pronounces the words what, when; that is, hoo-at, hoo-en

D

1

latter of them have no variation of Number or Cafe. Each, every (1), either, are called Diftributives; because they denote the perfons, or things, that make up a number, as taken Sepa rately and fingly.

Own, and felf, in the Plural felves, are joined to the Poffeffives, my, our, thy, your, his, (2), her, their; as, my own hand; myself, yourselves: both of them expreffing emphasis, or oppofition; as, I did it my own felf, that is, and no one elfe: the latter alfo forming the Reciprocal Pronoun; as, he hurt himself. Himself, themfelves, feem to be used in the Nominative Case

as 9

Con

(1) Every was formerly much used as a Pronominal Adje&tive, ftanding by itself : “He proposeth unto God their neceffities, and they their own requefts, for relief in every of them." Hooker, v. 39. "The corruptions and depravations to which every of these was subje&.» Swift, tefts and Diffenfions. We now commonly fay, every one. (2) The Poffeffives his, mine, thine, may be accounted either Pronominal Adjectives, or Genitive Cafes of the ref pective Pronouns. The form is ambiguous; juft in the fame in the Latin phrase « cujus liber," the word cujus may be either the Genitive Cafe of qui, or the Nominative Masculine of the Adjective, cujus, cuja, cujum. So likewise, mei, tui, fui, noftri, veftri, have the fame form, whether Pronouns, or Pronominal Adjectives.

manner as

by corruption inftead of his felf, their felves (1): as, he came himself; 99 66 they did it themselves; " where himself, themselves, cannot be in the Objective Cafe. If this be so, self must be, in these inftances, not a Pronoun, bút a Noun. Thus Dryden ufes it:

What I fhow, Thy Self may freely on thyfelf beftow. "

Ourfelf, the Plural Pronominal Adjective with the Singular Subftantive, is peculiar to the Regal Style.

Own is an Adjective; or perhaps the Participle owen, (2) of the verb to owe; to be the right owner of a thing (3).

All Nouns whatever in Grammatical Conftruction are of the Third Perfon; except when an

Every of

each

(1) His felf and their felves were formerly in use, even in the objective Cafe after a Prepofition : for his felf, laboured how to recover him. » Sidney. "That they would willingly and of their felves endeavour to keep a perpetual chastity." Stat. 2 and 3 Ed. VI. ch. 21.

(2) Chaucer has thus expreffed it :

"As friendly

as he were his owen brother. "

Cant. Tales, 1654, edit. 1775. And fo in many other places; and, I believe, always in the fame manner.

(3) The Man that pweth this girdle." A&s, xxi, 11.

addrefs is made to a Perfon: then the Noun, (anfwering to what is called the Vocative Cafe in Latin,) is of the Second Person.

ADJECTIVE.

AN ADJECTIVE is a word added to a Substan

tive to exprefs its quality (1).

In English the Adjective is not varied on account of Gender, Number, or Cafe (2). The

(1) Adje&ives are very improperly called Nouns ; for they are not the Names of things. The Adjedives good, white, are applied to the Nouns man, fnow, to express the Qualities belonging to thofe Subjects; but the Names of those Qualities in the Abstract, (that is, confidered in themfelves, and without being attributed to any Subject,) are goodness, whiteness; and these are Nouns, or Substantives.

(2) Some few Pronominal Adjectives must here be excepted, as having the Poffeffive Cafe; as one, other, By one's own choice. " Sidney.

Teach me to feel another's woe.")

another:

to which

Pope, Univ. Prayer. And the Adjectives, former, and latter, may be confidered as Pronominal, and reprefenting the Nouns, they refer; if the phrafe in the following fentence be allowed to be juft: "It was happy for the flate, that

Fabius continued in the command with Minucius : former's phlegm was a check upon the latter's vivacity. "

the