Practical Grammar and Composition

Chapter I, is a word used in the predicate explaining or stating something about the subject. Examples: _It is I, The man was HE, The people were THEY of whom we spoke._

13. He purchased ---- he wished.

14. There is no cloud ---- has not its silver lining.

15. It is the same dog ---- I bought.

16. The man and horse ---- you see pa.s.s here every afternoon.

17. ---- did they seek?

18. They inquired ---- he was going to do.

19. Who was it ---- lost the book?

20. The man ---- was a Frenchman was very much excited.

21. It is neither the party nor its candidate ---- gains support.

22. That is a characteristic ---- makes him seem almost rude.

23. It is the same tool ---- I used all day.

24. He is a man ---- inspires little confidence.

25. ---- does he expect of us?

26. It is just such a thing ---- I need.

27. There are few ---- will vote for him.

28. The wagon and children ---- you just saw came from our town.

29. He ---- writes out his lesson does all ---- can be expected.

30. Was it you or the cat ---- made that noise?

31. It is the same song ---- he always sings.

32. Such ---- I have is yours.

33. All the men and horses ---- we had were lost.

34. That is ---- pleased me most and ---- everyone talked about.

35. The horse was one ---- I had never ridden before.

36. That is ---- everyone said.

28. CASE FORMS OF p.r.o.nOUNS. Some personal, relative, and interrogative p.r.o.nouns have distinctive forms for the different cases, and the failure to use the proper case forms in the sentence is one of the most frequent sources of error. The case to be used is to be determined by the use which the p.r.o.noun, not its antecedent, has in the sentence. In the sentence, _I name HIM_, note that _him_ is the object of the verb _name_. In the sentence, _WHOM do you seek_, although coming at the first of the sentence, _whom_ is grammatically the object of the verb _seek_. In the use of p.r.o.nouns comes the most important need for a knowledge of when to use the different cases.

Note the following different case forms of p.r.o.nouns:

Nominative: _I, we, you, thou, ye, he, she, they, it, who_.

Objective: _me, us, you, thee, ye, him, her, it, them, whom_.

Possessive: _my, mine, our, ours, thy, thine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its, their, theirs, whose_.

It will be noted that, while some forms are the same in both the nominative and objective cases, _I, WE, HE, SHE, THEY, THOU_, AND _WHO_ ARE ONLY PROPER WHERE THE NOMINATIVE CASE SHOULD BE USED.

_ME, US, HIM, THEM, THEE, WHOM_, AND _HER_, except when _her_ is possessive, ARE ONLY PROPER WHEN THE OBJECTIVE CASE IS DEMANDED.

These forms must be remembered. It is only with these p.r.o.nouns that mistakes are made in the use of the nominative and objective cases.

29. THE FOLLOWING OUTLINE EXPLAINS THE USE OF THE DIFFERENT CASE FORMS OF THE p.r.o.nOUNS. The outline should be mastered.

THE NOMINATIVE CASE SHOULD BE USED:

1. When the noun or p.r.o.noun is the subject of a finite verb; that is, a verb other than an infinitive. See 3 under Objective Case.

2. When it is an attribute complement. An attribute complement, as explained in Chapter I, is a word used in the predicate explaining or stating something about the subject. Examples: _It is I, The man was HE, The people were THEY of whom we spoke._

3. When it is used without relation to any other part of speech, as in direct address or exclamation.

THE OBJECTIVE CASE SHOULD BE USED:

1. When the noun or p.r.o.noun is the object of a verb; as, _He named ME, She deceived THEM, They watch US_.

2. When it is the object of a preposition, expressed or understood: as, _He spoke of ME, For WHOM do you take me, He told (to) ME a story._

3. When it is the subject of an infinitive; as, _I told HIM to go, I desire HER to hope_. The infinitives are the parts of the verb preceded by _to_; as, _to go, to see, to be, to have been seen_, etc. The sign of the infinitive, to, is not always expressed.

The objective case is, nevertheless, used; as, _Let HIM (to) go, Have HER (to be) told about it._

4. When it is an attribute complement of an expressed subject of the infinitive _to be_; as, _They believed her to be ME, He denied it to have been him_. (See Note 2 below.)

THE POSSESSIVE CASE SHOULD BE USED:

When the word is used as a possessive modifier; as, _They spoke of HER being present, The book is HIS (book), It is THEIR fault._

NOTE I.--When a substantive is placed by the side of another substantive and is used to explain it, it is said to be in APPOSITION with that other substantive and takes the case of that word; as, _It_ was given _to John Smith, HIM whom you see there._

NOTE 2.--The attribute complement should always have the case of that subject of the verb which is expressed in the sentence. Thus, in the sentence, _I could not wish John to be HIM, him_ is properly in the objective case, since there is an expressed subject of the infinitive, _John_, which is in the objective case. But in the sentence, _I should hate to be HE, he_ is properly in the nominative case, since the only subject that is expressed in the sentence is _I_, in the nominative case.

NOTE 3.--Where the relative p.r.o.noun _who (whom)_ is the subject of a clause that itself is the object clause of a verb or a preposition, it is always in the nominative case. Thus the following sentences are both correct: _I delivered it to WHO owned it, Bring home WHOEVER will come with you._

EXERCISE 11

_Write sentences ill.u.s.trating the correct use of each of the following p.r.o.nouns:_

I, whom, who, we, me, us, they, whose, theirs, them, she, him, he, its, mine, our, thee, thou.

EXERCISE 12

_In the following sentences choose the proper form from the words in italics:_

1. My brother and _I me_ drove to the east end of the town.

2. Between you and _I me_ things are doubtful.

3. May James and _I me_ go to the circus?

4. Will you permit James and _I me_ to go to the play?

5. Who made that noise? Only _I me_.

6. He introduced us all, _I me_ among the rest.

7. He promised to bring candy to Helen and _I me_.

8. Was it _I me_ that you asked for?

9. Who spoke? _I me_.

10. I am taken to be _he him_.

11. No, it could not have been _me I_.

12. All have gone but you and _I me_.

13. You suffer more than _me I_.

14. Everyone has failed in the examination except you and _I me_.

15. He asked you and _I me_ to come to his office.

16. See if there is any mail for Mary and _me I_.

17. Neither you nor _I me_ can teach the cla.s.s.

18. They think it to be _I me_.

19. This is the student _whom who_ all are praising.

20. The one that is _he him_ wears a brown hat.

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