Chapter XXXIX: Personal Pronouns

=142.= Certain pronouns, as _I_, _you_, _he_, _it_, etc., show by their form that they refer to the person speaking, the person spoken to, or the person or thing spoken of.

The pronoun _I_ denotes the person speaking, and is said to be a pronoun of the =first person=.

The pronoun _you_ denotes the person spoken to, and is said to be a pronoun of the =second person=.

The pronouns _he_, _she_, and _it_ denote the person or thing spoken of, and are said to be pronouns of the =third person=.

Such pronouns are called =personal= pronouns.

=143.= The noun that a pronoun stands for, whether it is expressed somewhere in the sentence or merely understood, is called the =antecedent= of the pronoun.

=144.= All the personal pronouns have several different forms, and if we wish to speak our language correctly, we must know these forms and be careful in their use. The personal pronouns are declined as follows:—

FIRST PERSON SECOND PERSON

_Singular_ _Plural_ _Singular_ _Plural_

_Nom._ I we you you
_Poss._ my, mine our, ours your, yours your, yours
_Obj._ me us you you

THIRD PERSON

_Singular_ _Plural_

MASCULINE FEMININE NEUTER

_Nom._ he she it they
_Poss._ his her, hers its their, theirs
_Obj._ him her it them

=145.= There is another personal pronoun of the second person—_thou_. It is not used in conversation nowadays, but is frequently found in the Bible and in poetry. It is declined as follows:—

_Singular_ _Plural_

_Nom._ thou ye
_Poss._ thy, thine your, yours
_Obj._ thee you

=Summary.=—A =personal pronoun= is one that shows by its form whether it denotes the person speaking, the person spoken to, or the person or thing spoken of.

The personal pronouns are _I_, _thou_, _you_, _he_, _she_, _it_, and their various case forms in the two numbers.

The =antecedent= of a pronoun is the word for which it stands.

=Exercise.=—Select all the personal pronouns. Tell from the form of each its person and number, and, if it is a pronoun of the third person, tell also its gender. Where it is possible, tell the antecedent of the pronoun.

1. Hide me in the oven.

2. First lay aside your black veil, then tell us why you put it
on.

3. While we were following the direction of his finger, a sound
of distant oars fell on our ears.

4. If you want a thing, and have no money to buy it, go without
it until you can pay for it.

5. Though the Jungle People drink seldom, they must drink deep.

6. The whelps were evidently very young, but their ears were
wide open, and they stood up on strong legs when the boy
touched them gently with his palm.

7. “Well,” said grandfather, “I tell you one thing; the game
will last me till that poor cat gets well again.”

8. They sent him for troops only the sweepings of the galleys.

9.

My driftwood fire will burn so bright!
To what warm shelter canst thou fly?
I do not fear for thee, though wroth
The tempest rushes through the sky.

10. Caught in a steel trap, she had gnawed off her own paw as
the price of freedom.

11. At recess he gave me the core of his apple, though there
were several applicants for it.