An English Grammar Part 85

The constructions presented as general will be justified by quotations from _modern writers of English_ who are regarded as "standard;" that is, writers whose style is generally acknowledged as superior, and whose judgment, therefore, will be accepted by those in quest of authoritative opinion.

Reference will also be made to spoken English when its constructions differ from those of the literary language, and to vulgar English when it preserves forms which were once, but are not now, good English.

It may be suggested to the student that the only way to acquire correctness is to watch good usage _everywhere_, and imitate it.

NOUNS.

394. Nouns have no distinct forms for the nominative and objective cases: hence no mistake can be made in using them. But some remarks are required concerning the use of the possessive case.

[Sidenote: _Use of the possessive. Joint possession._]

395. When two or more possessives modify the same noun, or indicate joint ownership or possession, the possessive sign is added to the last noun only; for example,--

Live your _king and country's_ best support.--ROWE.

Woman, _sense and nature's_ easy fool.--BYRON.

_Oliver and Boyd's_ printing office.--MCCULLOCH.

_Adam and Eve's_ morning hymn.--MILTON.

In _Beaumont and Fletcher's_ "Sea Voyage," Juletta tells, etc.--EMERSON.

[Sidenote: _Separate possession._]

396. When two or more possessives stand before the same noun, but imply separate possession or ownership, the possessive sign is used with each noun; as,--

He lands us on a gra.s.sy stage, Safe from the _storm's_ and _prelate's_ rage.--MARVELL

Where were the sons of Peers and Members of Parliament in _Anne's_ and _George's_ time?--THACKERAY.

_Levi's_ station in life was the receipt of custom; and _Peter's_, the sh.o.r.e of Galilee; and _Paul's_, the antechamber of the High Priest.--RUSKIN.

Swift did not keep _Stella's_ letters. He kept _Bolingbroke's,_ and _Pope's_, and _Harley's_, and _Peterborough's_.--THACKERAY.

An actor in one of _Morton's_ or _Kotzebue's_ plays.--MACAULAY.

Putting _Mr. Mill's_ and _Mr. Bentham's_ principles together.

--_Id._

397. The possessive preceding the gerund will be considered under the possessive of p.r.o.nouns (Sec. 408).

p.r.o.nOUNS.

PERSONAL p.r.o.nOUNS.

I. NOMINATIVE AND OBJECTIVE FORMS.

398. Since most of the personal p.r.o.nouns, together with the relative _who_, have separate forms for nominative and objective use, there are two general rules that require attention.

[Sidenote: _General rules._]

(1) The _nominative use_ is usually marked by the nominative form of the p.r.o.noun.

(2) The _objective use_ is usually marked by the objective form of the p.r.o.noun.

These simple rules are sometimes violated in spoken and in literary English. Some of the violations are universally condemned; others are generally, if not universally, sanctioned.

[Sidenote: _Objective for the nominative._]

399. The objective is sometimes found instead of the nominative in the following instances:--

(1) By a common vulgarism of ignorance or carelessness, no notice is taken of the proper form to be used as subject; as,--

He and _me_ once went in the dead of winter in a one-hoss shay out to Boonville.--WHITCHER, _Bedott Papers._

It seems strange to me that _them_ that preach up the doctrine don't admire one who carrys it out.--_Josiah Allens Wife._

(2) By faulty a.n.a.lysis of the sentence, the true relation of the words is misunderstood; for example, "_Whom_ think ye that I am?" (In this, _whom_ is the complement after the verb _am_, and should be the nominative form, _who_.) "The young Harper, _whom_ they agree was rather nice-looking" (_whom_ is the subject of the verb _was_).

Especially is this fault to be noticed after an ellipsis with _than_ or _as_, the real thought being forgotten; thus,--

But the consolation coming from devotion did not go far with such a one as _her_.--TROLLOPE.

This should be "as _she_," because the full expression would be "such a one as _she is_."

400. Still, the last expression has the support of many good writers, as shown in the following examples:--

She was neither better bred nor wiser than you or _me_.--THACKERAY.

No mightier than thyself or _me_.--SHAKESPEARE.