78. Interrogative Pronouns.

1. An interrogative pronoun is used both to represent a noun, and to ask a question; as, "Who art thou, Lord?"

2. The interrogatives are who, used to inquire for persons; which, for persons and things; and what (usually) for things; as, "Who gave thee that authority?" "Which house does he live

3. When a definite object is inquired for, what and which are interroga'tive adjectives used to limit the name of the object inquired for; as, "What books do you want?" "Which road shall we take?" When an indefinite object is inquired for, the interrogative takes its place, or belongs to it, understood (59, 3); as, "What (thing) do you want?"

4. When an interrogative sentence is quoted, and incorporated into another sentence, it loses much of its interrogative character; the interrogative pronoun becomes a connective, and as the incorporated clause is an unanswered question, the pronoun refers to some person or thing both unknown and unmentioned. It may therefore be called an indefinite interrogative pronoun; as, "Who is concealed in the garden?" The name has not been mentioned, and although he may be a familiar friend, yet as the concealed one, he is unknown. The answer, therefore, must be, "I do not know who is concealed in the garden," Who is here (1.) an indefinite interrogative pronoun, third person, singular number (shown by the verb), masculine gender, nominative case, &c.; and (2.) a subordinate connective, joining the subordinate proposition, "who is concealed in the garden," to know. Rule XV. Compare this with "I do not know him who is concealed in the garden." Here who should be parsed as a relative pronoun, having him for its antecedent.

5. Besides pronouns, various interrogative adverbs are used in asking questions; as, Why? Where? When? How?

79. Exercise.

1. Point out the interrogative pronouns in the following examples:Who has learned his lesson? Which seat do you prefer? What have you found in the garden? For what are you punished? Whose school do you attend? Who went with you? Whom do you follow?

way has she gone?

Which

2. Tell which of the above examples are pronouns, and which interrogative adjectives. (See 78, 3).

Interrogative pronouns-"who," "which," and "what." Definite and indefinite interrogative pronouns. Interrogative adverbs.

3. Tell which of the following pronouns are relative, which interrogative :— He whose image thou art. From what fountain flowed their light? What title dost thou bear? Whose genius had angelic wings. What

readiest way would bring me to the place? Who found the flower? I am he whom ye seek. He found the book for which I sent him. Of whom do you speak? That which was lost is found.

4. Models for parsing interrogatives :

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ ?"

Who. is a pronoun (why?), interrogative (why?); its antecedent (subsequent) is not expressed; nominative who, possessive whose, objective whom; plural, the same, third person, singular number, masculine gender, because its antecedent (subsequent, no one implied) is (Rule III.: Repeat it), nominative case, and used as the subject of the proposition, "who shall separate.". Rule I. (Repeat it.)

"Whose books have you found?"

Whose is an interrogative pronoun; nominative who, &c. (person, number, and gender depending upon the object conceived of as the answer), possessive case, and is used to limit books by denoting possession. Rule VII. (Repeat it.)

"What seek ye?"

What is an interrogative pronoun; indeclinable; third person (number and gender depending upon the object conceived of as the answer), objective case, and used as the object of the verb "seek." Rule VIII. (Repeat it.)

"What lesson shall we learn?"

What is a pronominal adjective, used interrogatively, and belongs to lesson, for which it inquires. Rule V.

"I know not who is there."

Who. is an (1.) indefinite interrogative pronoun, having properly no antecedent, but referring to some unknown person previously inquired for, third person, singular number (shown by the verb), masculine gender, (47, 6), &c.; and (2.) a subordinate connective, joining the subordinate proposition, "who is there," to

know. Rule XV.

5. Parse the NOUNS, ADJECTIVES, and PRONOUNS, in the following examples:

A great mistake, which is too common, especially among those who

Models for parsing.

have experienced many trials and difficulties in life, is, that happiness is to be found in rest. But, as has been pointedly remarked, that man is most restless, who is most at rest.-Buckminster.

Mark but my fall, and that that ruined me.
Cromwell, I charge thee, fling away ambition!
By that sin fell the angels.-Shakspeare.

Motionless torrents! silent cataracts!

Who made you glorious as the gates of heaven
Beneath the keen full moon? Who bade the sun
Clothe you with rainbows?-Coleridge.

Ay! Heaven had set one living man
Beyond the pedant's tether-
His virtues, frailties, He will scan,
Who weighs them all together!

I fling my pebble on the cairn,
Of him though dead, undying—
Sweet Nature's nursling, bonniest bairn,
Beneath her daisies lying.-Holmes.

VERBS.

80. Definitions and Distinctions.

1. A verb is a word which expresses being, action, or state; as, be, read, sleep, is loved.

66

66

2. The being, action, or state may be affirmed, assumed, or used abstractly; as, George runs." George running.' "To run." When an affirmation is made, the verb is either the predicate or copula of the proposition, and is said to be finite; when the action of the verb is assumed, it takes the construction of the adjective, is joined to the subject, and is called a participle; when it is used abstractly, it is separated from the subject, and being unlimited by its person or number, it is said to be infinitive (unlimited).

3. Affirm, as here used, includes an absolute declaration; as, "Mary learns ;"- —a conditional statement; as, "If Mary learns ;"- —an interrogation; as, "Does Mary learn?". '—a petition; as, "May Mary learn ;"- a command; as, Mary, learn."

Verbs. Different uses of the being, action, or state. Meaning of "affirm."

4. Strictly speaking, a word expressing being, action, &c., is a verb only when it has also the power to affirm. This would exclude the participle and the infinitive, and make them both participles, as they really are. They are then forms derived from the verb; but as these are commonly included with the verb, the foregoing definition is adopted.

as,

5. The abstract or substantive verb is the pure verb BE, called the copula, having no other power or value than to assert some attribute of a noun. When the attribute is a quality, this verb must always be used; "Lead is heavy;" but when the attribute is an action, it may blend with the verb be, and then both become one word; as, "The sun is rising." "The sun rises." The combined form then takes the name of verb, and undergoes inflections to represent voice, mode, tense, number, and person; in all other cases, the verb to be undergoes these variations. These verbs are called attributive, because to the pure verb they join an attribute.

6. The verb to be is attributive, whenever it is used to assert existence; as, "There was a man sent from God." When thus used, the verb is commonly followed by its subject, and preceded by the expletive "there," which serves no other purpose than to introduce the sentence, and indicate this peculiarity of the verb.

7. Every finite verb represents some person or thing, as acting or existing in a certain state, and that which represents this person or thing is called the subject; as. "Frank plays." "She sleeps."

81. Exercise.

1. Point out the verbs and their subjects in the following examples :— The clouds vanish. The vapor rises. The plant lives. Flowers die. Children sing. They stand. Can you see?

melts.

Here they are! The ice

2. Write appropriate verbs for the following nouns as subjects :Samuel, the pen, the book, flowers, we, oceans, moon, the earth, forests, the king, Victoria.

3. Write appropriate nouns, as subjects for the following verbs :

Rules, is, thinks, hopes, learns, shine, grow, dig, revolve, sits, fears, blossom, arise, sink.

4. Point out the verbs on page

in your Reader, and tell the subjects.

NOTE. Let the Teacher assign this lesson.

The substantive verb "to be." The verb "to be" attributive. The subject

of the verb.

82. Verbs classified by their use.

1. Verbs are divided, according to their use, into transitive and intransitive.

2. A transitive verb requires the addition of an object to complete its meaning; as, "The servant opened the door."

3. An intransitive verb does not require the addition of an object to complete its meaning; as, "The sun rises." "The horse runs."

4. Verbs may be divided, on account of their relation to the subject, into,

(a.) The abstract or substantive verb BE, which represents no attribute of the subject whatever, but serves as a copula, or link, to bind the attribute to the subject.

(b.) Attributive or mixed verbs, in which an attribute denoting an action or state of the subject is blended with the copula; as, runs = is running; is being the copula, and running the attribute.

5. Attributive verbs, including also the copula to be, have been divided, with reference to the subject, into those which represent the subject in an active state (active verbs); those which represent it in a passive state, that is, in such a state as to receive or suffer an action (passive verbs); and those which represent the subject in neither of these states (neuter verbs); that is, a state in which it neither acts nor receives the effect of an action. But this distinction has little to do with the construction of language. It is the relation of the verb to a succeeding term, the object, that renders a classification important.

REMARK.-The old division is retained in the dictionaries, and the learner should understand, in consulting a dictionary, that v. a. after a verb is equivalent to transitive, v. n. to intransitive. Thus, run, fly, walk, though they represent the subject in a very active state, are marked v. n. = verb neuter.

6. The terms transitive and intransitive have been generally adopted by recent grammarians, as best suited to the purposes of construction. Although the idea of an act originating in an agent, and "passing over" to an object, seems inapplicable to such verbs as have, possess, receive, acquire, and many others, still the terms, as defined above, are liable to little or no objection.

7. The subdivision of verbs into active-transitive and active-intransitive, is not only needless, but partial in its application. The distinction is made to apply exclusively to active verbs; whereas it may apply as well to neuter as to active verbs. In the sentence, "The son resembles his father," no one will maintain that resembles is any more an active verb than sleeps. Yet it is transitive, and, to be consistent, we ought to have

Transitive and intransitive verbs. Relation of the verb to the subject. Active-transitive and active-intransitive verbs.