Ads 468x60px

Pages

Whose/which - antecedents - Pronouns - Parts Of Speech-ESL/Learn English Grammar

|1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18|19|20|21|22|23|24|25|26|27|28|29|30|31|



[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.






|1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18|19|20|21|22|23|24|25|26|27|28|29|30|31|

0 comments:


Hello Friends ! Please send your requests,comments,suggestions to improve this blog.
loading...
Learn English Grammar & Usage; Are U Anxious To Know The Science & Tech News; Where Are You ? Know The Changes; Health:News N Tips
Word of the Day

gyrate discuss

Definition:(verb) Revolve quickly and repeatedly around one's own axis.
Synonyms:spin, reel, whirl
Usage:The airplane gyrated about in the sky in a most alarming fashion.
Article of the Day

Self-Replicating Spacecraft

A self-replicating spacecraft is an entity that would, in theory, be able to travel to a neighboring star-system and extract raw materials from celestial bodies to create replicas of itself. Such replicas could then be sent to other star systems, repeating the process in an exponentially increasing pattern. Using relatively conventional theoretical methods of interstellar travel, how long would it take for self-replicating spacecrafts to spread throughout the Milky Way Galaxy? More... Discuss

This Day in History

The Battle of Bunker Hill (1775)

Early in the American Revolution and soon after the battles of Lexington and Concord, colonial troops laid siege to Boston. When they began occupying hills overlooking the city, newly reinforced British troops attacked. After two failed assaults, a third charge dislodged the Americans, who had run out of gunpowder. Though the British technically won, their unexpectedly heavy casualties were a psychological blow, and American morale soared. On what hill was the battle actually fought—and why? More... Discuss
Today's Birthday

Charles François Gounod (1818)

Gounod was French composer who also studied for the priesthood and worked as an organist. Throughout his life, he remained torn between the theatre and the church. His reputation largely rests on his hugely popular 1859 opera, Faust, but he also wrote 15 lesser-known operas, 17 masses, more than 150 songs, and two symphonies. One of his short pieces, "Funeral March of a Marionette," became well-known—albeit not by name—as the theme to what popular TV show beginning in the 1950s? More... Discuss

In the News

Quote of the Day
Here, sir, the people govern; here they act by their immediate representatives.
Alexander Hamilton
(1755-1804)
Discuss

Spelling Bee
difficulty level:
score: -
n. In folklore, the magical ability to assume the form and characteristics of a wolf
 
spell the word:
Match Up
Select word:










Match each word in the left column with its synonym on the right. When finished, click Answer to see the results. Good luck!