[Sidenote: Which.]
113. The sentences in Sec. 108 show that--
(1) _Which_ refers to animals, things, or ideas, not persons.
(2) It is not inflected for gender or number.
(3) It is nearly always third person, rarely second (an example of its
use as second person is given in sentence 32, p. 96).
(4) It has two case forms,--_which_ for the nominative and objective,
_whose_ for the possessive.
[Sidenote: _Examples of_ whose, _possessive case of_ which.]
114. Grammarians sometimes object to the statement that _whose_ is
the possessive of _which_, saying that the phrase _of which_ should
always be used instead; yet a search in literature shows that the
possessive form _whose_ is quite common in prose as well as in poetry:
for example,--
I swept the horizon, and saw at one glance the glorious
elevations, on _whose_ tops the sun kindled all the melodies and
harmonies of light.--BEECHER.
Men may be ready to fight to the death, and to persecute without
pity, for a religion _whose_ creed they do not understand, and
_whose_ precepts they habitually disobey.--MACAULAY
Beneath these sluggish waves lay the once proud cities of the
plain, _whose_ grave was dug by the thunder of the
heavens.--SCOTT.
Many great and opulent cities _whose_ population now exceeds that
of Virginia during the Revolution, and _whose_ names are spoken
in the remotest corner of the civilized world.--MCMASTER.
Through the heavy door _whose_ bronze network closes the place of
his rest, let us enter the church itself.--RUSKIN.
This moribund '61, _whose_ career of life is just coming to its
terminus.--THACKERAY.
So in Matthew Arnold, Kingsley, Burke, and numerous others.
[Sidenote: Which _and its antecedents_.]
115. The last two sentences in Sec. 108 show that _which_ may have
other antecedents than nouns and pronouns. In 5 (_a_) there is a
participial adjective used as the antecedent; in 5 (_b_) there is a
complete clause employed as antecedent. This often occurs.
Sometimes, too, the antecedent follows _which_; thus,--
And, which is worse, _all you have done
Hath been but for a wayward son_.
--SHAKESPEARE.
Primarily, which is very notable and curious, I observe that _men
of business rarely know the meaning of the word "rich_."--RUSKIN.
I demurred to this honorary title upon two grounds,--first, as
being one toward which I had no natural aptitudes or predisposing
advantages; secondly (which made her stare), _as carrying with it
no real or enviable distinction_.--DE QUINCEY.
_-_ritr._A_Ferrazzi%2c_Recanati%2c_casa_Leopardi.jpg)
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