alytical practical grammar - Toronto Public Library

TH
SYNTAX-RELATIYE. 161
TIELATI \'E AND ITS ANTECEDEi\T.
742. RrLE Y.-The relative agrees with its antecedent
in number ({mi person; as, "Thou who speakest."­
"The book wI! ich was lost."
[See Etymology, ~55, ,~c.]
743. TI,e numbcr of the relative can be determined only from the
number of the antecedent.
744. Who is applied to persons or thing! per30nijieJ (l~()) j as, "The
man "'''0''-'' The fox who had never ,cen a lion."
745. Which is applied to things and inferior animals-sometimes to
children-to collective nouns in the singular, implying unity-and also to
persons in asking questions.
746. In the tl':lnslation of the Bibl,', whicl! is applied to persons j as,
" Our Father "'hieh art in heaven."
747, WlIiclt applies to a noun Jenoting a person, when the character,
or the name merely as a word, is referred to; as, "He i8 a good writer,
1f,hie" is all he l'rofeEses to be."-" That was the work of Herod, ,c!tiel! is
but another name for cruelty."
748. That, as a relative, is used instead of wl!o or ",!tic!t-
1. After adjectives in the superlative degree-after the words I1ery.
same, and all-often after no, some. aUlI any-and generally in
restrictive clauses (268).
2. When thc antecedent includes both persons lind things; liS, "The
man an,l the !torse that we saw."
:i. After the intrrrogntive who, and often after the personal prononns;
n,. " Who that knew him could think so 1"-" I Ilwl speak in
righteousllc,;s."
Generally when the propriety of It'ho or wh,en is doubtful; as, "The
little child that was placed in the midst."
749. The relatives who or wlticlt and tit at should not be mixed in a
series of relnti ve clau8es baving the snme antecedent. Thus it is improper
to 8ay, "The man tltat met us and whom we saw," It should be, .. who
met us;' or "t!tat wo saw."
750. The relative refers sometimes to} the idea expressed by an adjective,
sometimes to the infillitive. But Ihis construction is rare. See exnmples
(256).
751. Tbe relative in the objective case is often omitted; as, "Here is
the book I promised you." The relative iu the nominative case is hardly
ever omitted except in poetry; as-
I< In this, 't is God-directs, in that, 't is mnn."
752. Tbe antecedent is omitted before what (266). and generally before
tbe compound relatives (273), It is sometimes understood. especially in
poetry j as-
" rHe] wbo Ii vee to nature, rarely can be POOl',"
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