Higher Lessons in English by Alonzo Reed and Brainerd Kellogg (small books to read TXT) 📖

>s) in the singular. Each, either, and neither are always singular; both is always plural; and all, any, farmery latter, none, same, some, and such are either singular or plural. [Footnote: On the pages immediately preceding Lesson 1, we said that +usage+, as determined by the majority of the best writers and speakers of the generation, is the only authority in language; and we there explained how we are able to appeal to usage as we all along have done. In treating of the adjective pronouns we now appeal to it again. In the first twelve paragraphs below we give alternative expressions. Only the second of these alternative locutions in each paragraph is allowed by many grammarians; they utterly condemn the first. On the warrant of usage we say that both expressions are correct.

1. We may use +each other+ with more than two; we may use one another in such a case. We may say, “Several able men were in correspondence with each other,” or “with one another.”

2. We may use +one another+ with only two; we may use each other in such a case. We may say, “The two countries agreed to stand by one another,” or “by each other.”

3. We may use +all, both+, and +whole+ with a preposition and a noun following; we may use these words as adjectives qualifying the noun. We may say, “All of the people,” “Both of the trees,” “The whole of the farm,” or “All the people,” “Both trees,” “The whole farm.”

4. We may use the pronouns +either+ and +neither+, as we do the conjunctions either and neither, with more than two; we may use any one and none in such cases. We may say, “Here are three candidates; you may vote for either or for neither of them,” or “for any one or for none of them.”

5. We may use +he+ or some other personal pronoun after the indefinite one; we may repeat the one in such a case. We may say, “The home one must quit, yet taking much of its life along with him,” or “along with one.”

6. We may use +such+ before an adjective and its noun; we may use so with the adjective in such a case. We may say, “Such a strong argument,” “Such admirable talent,” or “So strong an argument,” “Talent so admirable.”

7. We may use the plural +ones+; we may use the noun for which ones stands. We may say, “You have red roses, I have white ones,” or “white roses.”

8. We may apply +the other two+ to those that remain when one of three things has been taken from the rest; we may use the two others in such a case. We may say, “One of them kept his ground; the other two ran away,” or “the two others ran away.”

9. We may use +a+ before a noun in the singular and +or two+ after it; we may use one or two before the noun in the plural. We may say, “I will go in a day or two,” or “in one or two days.”

10. We may use +either+ in the sense of each; we may use each instead. We may say, “He wrested the land on either side of the Seine,” or “on each side of the Seine.”

11. We may insert a noun, or a noun and other words, between +other+ and +than+; we may place the than immediately after other. We may say, “We must look for somee other reasons for it than those suggested,” or “for some reasons for it other than those suggested.”

12. We may use +none+ in the plural; we may use none in the singular. We may say, “None hear thy voice,” or “None hears thy voice.”

The paragraphs below contain noteworthy uses of adjective pronouns but no really alternative expressions.

13. Usage is overwhelmingly in favor of +any one else’s, no one else’s, somebody else’s, nobody else’s+, instead of any one’s else, etc. There is scarcely any authority for placing the (_’s_) upon one or body. “Written by Dickens for his own or any one else’s children.” This form is common and convenient. We are advised to shun it, but we need not.

14. Usage is also decidedly in favor of +first two, last three+, etc., instead of two first, three last, etc.]

Descriptive adjectives used as nouns are plural, and are not declined. Such expressions as “the wretched’s only plea” and “the wicked’s den” are exceptional.

 

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LESSON 125.

CASE FORMS—PRONOUNS.

The pronouns I, thou, he, she, and who are the only words in the language that have each three different case forms.

+Direction+.—_Study the Declensions, and correct these errors_:—

Our’s, your’s, hi’s, her’s, it’s, their’s, yourn, hisn, hern, theirn.

Construction of Case Forms—Pronouns.

+Caution.—I, we, thou, ye, he, she, they,+ and +who+ are +nominative+ forms, and must not be used in the objective case. +Me, us, thee, him, her, [Footnote: Her is also a possessive.] them,+ and +whom+ are objective forms, and must not be used in the nominative case.

Remark.—The eight nominative forms and the seven objective forms here given are the only distinctive nominative and objective forms in the language. All the rules of syntax given in the grammars to guide in the use of the nominative and the objective case apply, practically, only to these fifteen words.

+Direction.+—_Study carefully the Definitions and principles given under the head of case, Lesson 119, and then correct these errors, giving your reasons in every instance:—_

1. It is not me you are in love with. [Footnote: Dr. Latham defends It is me, but condemns It is him, and It is her. Dean Alford regards as correct the forms condemned by Latham, and asserts that thee and me are correct in, “The nations not so blest as thee” “Such weak minister as me may the oppressor bruise.” Professor Bain justifies If I were him, It was her, He is better than me, and even defends the use of who as an objective form by quoting from Shakespeare, “Who servest thou under?” and from Steele, “Who should I meet?”

They justify such expressions as It is me from the analogy of the French c’est moi, and on the ground that they are “more frequently heard than the prescribed form.” But such analogy would justify It are them (ce sont eux); and, if the argument from the speech of the uneducated is to have weight, we have good authority for “Her ain’t a calling we: us don’t belong to she.” A course of reading will satisfy one that the best writers and speakers in England are not in the habit of using such expressions as It is me, and that these are almost, if not quite unknown in American literature. No one has freed himself from the influence of early associations that are in a careless moment some vicious colloquialism may not creep into his discourse. A Violation of every principle of grammar may be defended, if such inadvertencies are to be erected into authority. To whatever is the prevailing, the habitual, usage of a majority of the best writers and speakers the grammarian should bow without question; but not to the accidental slips of even the greatest writers, or to the common usage of the unreflecting and the uncultivated.]

2. She was neither better bred nor wiser than you or me. [See previous Footnote.] 3. Who servest thou under? [See previous footnote.] 4. It was not them, it was her. 5. Its being me should make no difference. 6. Him and me are of the same age. 7. Them that study grammar talk no better than me. 8. I am not so old as her; she is older than me by ten years. 9. He was angry, and me too. 10. Who will go? Me. 11. It isn’t for such as us to sit with the rulers of the land. 12. Not one in a thousand could have done it as well as him. 13. Him being a stranger, they easily misled him. 14. Oh, happy us! surrounded thus with blessings. 15. It was Joseph, him whom Pharaoh promoted. 16. I referred to my old friend, he of whom I so often speak. 17. You have seen Cassio and she together. 18. Between you and I, I believe that he is losing his mind. 19. Who should I meet the other day but my old friend? 20. Who did he refer to, he or I? 21. Who did he choose? Did he choose you and I? 22. He that is idle and mischievous reprove. 23. We will refer it to whoever you may choose. 24. Whosoever the court favors is safe. 25. They that are diligent I will reward. 20. Scotland and thee did in each other live. 27. My hour is come, but not to render up my soul to such as thee. 28. I knew that it was him. 29. I knew it to be he. 30. Who did you suppose it to be? 31. Whom did you suppose it was? 32. I took that tall man to be he. 33. I thought that tall man was him.

Although than is not a preposition, it is sometimes followed by whom, as in the familiar passage from Milton: “Beelzebub… than whom, Satan except, none higher sat.” Than whom is an irregularity justified only on the basis of good usage. Whom here may be parsed as an objective case form used idiomatically in place of who.

 

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LESSON 126.

CONSTRUCTION OF CASE FORMS.

MISCELLANEOUS—REVIEW.

Direction.—_Correct these errors, and give your reasons:—_

1. Who was Joseph’s and Benjamin’s mother? 2. It did not occur during Washington, Jefferson, or Adams’s administration. 3. I consulted Webster, Worcester, and Walker’s dictionary. 4. This state was south of Mason’s and Dixon’s line. 5. These are neither George nor Fanny’s books. 6. Howard’s, the philanthropist’s, life was a noble one. 7. It is Othello’s pleasure, our noble and valiant general’s. 8. He visited his sons-in-law’s homes.

+Explanation.+—If the possessive plural of such nouns were used, this would be correct; but it is better to avoid these awkward forms.

9. A valuable horse of my friend William’s father’s was killed. 10. For Herodias’s sake, his brother Philip’s wife. 11. For the queen’s sake, his sister’s. 12. Peter’s, John’s, and Andrew’s occupation was that of fishermen. 13. He spoke of you studying Latin. 14. It being difficult did not deter him. 15. What need is there of the man swearing? 16. I am opposed to the gentleman speaking again. 17. He thought it was us. 18. We shall shortly see which is the fittest object of scorn, you or me. 19. I shall not learn my duty from such as thee. 20. A lady entered, whom I afterwards found was Miss B. 21. A lady entered, who I afterwards found to be Miss B. 22. Ask somebody’s else opinion. 23. Let him be whom he may. 24. I am sure it could not have been them. 25. I understood it to be they. 26. It is not him whom you thought it was. 27. Let you and I try it. 28. All enjoyed themselves, us excepted. 29. Us boys enjoy the holidays. 30. It was Virgil, him who wrote