alytical practical grammar - Toronto Public Library

ETYMOLOGY-PRONOUNS. 45
PRONOUNS.
228. A PRONOUN is a word used instead of a noun;
as, "John is a good boy; he is diligent in his studies."
229. The nouu instead of which a pronoun is used, is called its antece·
dent, because the pronouu refers to it as previously mentioned, or in some
way understood (236).
230. Pronouns of the third person are used in writing and speaking, to
prevent the frequent and awkward repetition of the nOlin. Thus, withont
the pronoun, the above example would read, "Jolm is a good boy; John
is diligent in John's studies."
231. A pronoun is sometimes used instead of another pronoun ; a~, " You
aud lmust attend to OUR duty." See '7:;0.
232. Pronouns may be divided into Personal, Relative,
Interrogative, and Adjective.
233. Personal Pronouns
the person by their form.
Compound.
I. PERSONAL PRONOUNS.
are those which distinguish
They arc either Simple or
SDIPLE PERSOXAL PRONOUNS.
234. The simple personal pronouns are I, thou, he, she,
it; with their plurals, we, you, they.
235. Of these, I is of the first person, and denote3 the Bpeaker; thou is
of the second, and denotes the person addressed; he, she, it, are of the
third, and denote the person or thing spoken of (111).
236. The pronouns I and thou denote the 8peaker, and the person addressed,
without previous mention, or even knowledge of their names, the
persons intended being sufficiently indicated by their presence, or some
other circumstance. The pronouns of the third person refer to some person
or thing previously mentioned, or easily understood from the context,
or from the natnre of the sentence.
237. He, she, it, and they, are frequently us~d as general terms in the
beginning of a sentence, equivalent to II the person," &c., without reference
to a noun going before; as," He [the person] that loveth pleasure shall be
a poor man." "How far is it [the distance] to the city?"