A PRONOUN is a word used instead of a noun, and generally to avoid the
too frequent repetition of the same word. A pronoun is, likewise,
sometimes a substitute for a sentence, or member of a sentence.
The word _pronoun_ comes from the two Latin words, _pro_, which means
_for_, or _instead of_, and _nomen_, a _name_, or _noun._ Hence you
perceive, that _pronoun_ means _for a noun_, or _instead of a noun_.
In the sentence, "The man is happy; _he_ is benevolent; _he_ is useful;"
you perceive, that the word _he_ is used instead of the noun _man;_
consequently _he_ must be a _pronoun_. You observe, too, that, by making
use of the pronoun _he_ in this sentence, we avoid the _repetition_ of
the _noun_ man, for without the pronoun, the sentence would be rendered
thus, "The man is happy; _the man_ is benevolent; _the man_ is useful."
By looking again at the definition, you will notice, that pronouns
always _stand for_ nouns, but they do not always _avoid the repetition_
of nouns. _Repetition_ means _repeating_ or mentioning the same thing
again. In the sentence, "I come to die for my country," the pronouns,
_I_ and _my, stand_ for the name of the person who speaks; but they do
not _avoid the repetition_ of that name, because the name or noun for
which the pronouns are used, is not mentioned at all. Pronouns of the
_third_ person, generally avoid the repetition of the nouns for which
they stand; but pronouns of the _first_ and _second_ person, sometimes
avoid the repetition of nouns, and sometimes they do not.
A little farther illustration of the pronoun will show you its
importance, and, also, that its nature is very easily comprehended. If
we had no pronouns in our language, we should be obliged to express
ourselves in this manner: "A woman went to a man, and told the man that
the man was in danger of being murdered by a gang of robbers; as a gang
of robbers had made preparations for attacking the man. The man thanked
the woman for the woman's kindness, and, as the man was unable to defend
the man's self, the man left the man's house, and went to a neighbor's."
This would be a laborious style indeed; but, by the help of pronouns, we
can express the same ideas with far greater ease and conciseness: "A
woman went to a man, and told _him_, that _he_ was in great danger of
being murdered by a gang of robbers, _who_ had made preparations for
attacking _him. He_ thanked _her_ for _her_ kindness, and, as _he_ was
unable to defend _himself_, _he_ left _his_ house and went to a
neighbor's."
If you look at these examples a few moments, you cannot be at a loss to
tell which words are pronouns; and you will observe too, that they all
stand for nouns.
Pronouns are generally divided into three kinds, the _Personal_, the
_Adjective_, and the _Relative_ pronouns. They are all known by the
_lists_.
1. OF PERSONAL PRONOUNS. Personal Pronouns are distinguished from the
relative, by their denoting the _person_ of the nouns for which they
stand. There are five of them; _I_, _thou, he, she, it_; with their
plurals, _We, ye_ or _you, they_.
To pronouns belong gender, person, number, and case.
GENDER. When we speak of a _man_, we say, _he, his, him_; when we speak
of a _woman_, we say, _she, hers, her_; and when we speak of a _thing_,
we say _it_. Hence you perceive, that gender belongs to pronouns as well
as to nouns. Example; "The general, in gratitude to the lady, offered
_her his_ hand; but _she_, not knowing _him_, declined accepting _it_."
The pronouns _his_ and _him_, in this sentence, personate or represent
the noun _general_; they are, therefore, of the masculine gender: _her_
and _she_ personate the _lady_; therefore, they are feminine: and _it_
represents _hand_; for which reason it is of the neuter gender. This
illustration shows you, then, that pronouns must be of the same gender
as the nouns are for which they stand. But, as it relates to the
variation of the pronouns to express the sex,
Gender has respect only to the third person singular of the pronouns,
_he, she, it. He_ is masculine; _she_ is feminine; _it_ is neuter.
You may naturally inquire, why pronouns of the first and second persons
are not varied to denote the gender of their nouns, as well as of the
third. The reason is obvious. The first person, that is, the person
speaking, and the second person, or the person spoken to, being at the
same time the subjects of the discourse, are supposed to be present;
from which, and other circumstances, their sex is commonly known, and,
therefore, the pronouns that represent these persons, need not be marked
by a distinction of gender; but the third person, that is, the person or
thing spoken of, being absent, and in many respects unknown, necessarily
requires the pronoun that stands for it, to be marked by a distinction
of gender.
In parsing, we sometimes apply gender to pronouns of the first and
second person, and also to the plural number of the third person; but
these have no peculiar form to denote their gender; therefore they have
no agreement, in this respect, with the nouns which they represent.
PERSON. Pronouns have three persons in each number.
_I_, is the first person }
_Thou_, is the second person } Singular.
_He, she_, or _it_, is the third person }
_We_, is the first person }
_Ye_ or _you_, is the second person } Plural.
_They_, is the third person }
This account of persons will be very intelligible, when you reflect,
that there are three persons who may be the subject of any discourse:
first, the person who speaks, may speak of himself; secondly, he may
speak of the person to whom he addresses himself; thirdly, he may speak
of some other person; and as the speakers, the persons spoken to, and
the persons spoken of, may be many, so each of these persons must have a
plural number.
Pronouns of the second and third person, always agree, in person with
the nouns they represent; but pronouns of the first person, do not.
Whenever a pronoun of the first person is used, it represents a noun;
but nouns are _never_ of the first person, therefore these pronouns
cannot agree in person with their nouns.
NUMBER. Pronouns, like nouns, have two numbers, the singular and the
plural; as, _I, thou, he_; _we, ye_ or _you, they_.
CASE. Pronouns have three cases, the nominative, the possessive, and the
objective.
In the next place I will present to you the _declension_ of the personal
pronouns, which declension you must commit to memory before you proceed
any farther.
The advantages resulting from the committing of the following
declension, are so great and diversified, that you cannot be too
particular in your attention to it. You recollect, that it is sometimes
very difficult to distinguish the nominative case of a noun from the
objective, because these cases of nouns are not marked by a difference
in termination; but this difficulty is removed in regard to the personal
pronouns, for their cases are always known by their termination. By
studying the declension you will learn, not only the cases of the
pronouns, but, also, their genders, persons, and numbers.