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phrase going before, which is called the antecedent. They are _who, which_, and _that_. The word _antecedent_, comes from the two Latin words, _ante, before_, and _cedo, to go_. Hence you perceive, that antecedent means going before; thus, "The _man_ is happy _who_ lives virtuously; This is the _lady who_ relieved my wants; _Thou who_ lovest wisdom, &c. _We who_ speak from experience," &c. The relative who, in these sentences, relates to the several words, _man, lady, thou_, and _we_, which words, you observe, come before the relative: they are, therefore, properly called antecedents. The relative is not varied on account of gender, person, or number, like a personal pronoun. When we use a personal pronoun, in speaking of a man, we say _he_, and of a woman, _she_; in speaking of one person or thing, we use a singular pronoun, of more than one, a plural, and so on; but there is no such variation of the relative. _Who_, in the first of the preceding examples, relates to an antecedent of the mas. gend. third pers. sing.; in the second, the antecedent is of the fem. gend.; in the third, it is of the second pers.; and in the fourth, it is of the first pers. plur. num.; and, yet, the relative is in the same form in each example. Hence you perceive, that the relative has no peculiar _form_ to denote its gend. pers. and num., but it always agrees with its antecedent _in sense_. Thus, when I say, The _man who_ writes, _who_ is mas. gend. and sing.; but when I say, The _ladies who_ write, _who_ is feminine, and plural. In order to ascertain the gend. pers. and num. of the relative, you must always look at its antecedent. WHO, WHICH, and THAT. _Who_ is applied to _persons, which_ to _things_ and _brutes_; as, "He is a _friend who_ is faithful in adversity; The _bird which_ sung so sweetly, is flown; This is the _tree which_ produces no fruit." _That_ is often used as a relative, to prevent the too frequent repetition of _who_ and _which_. It is applied both to persons and things; as, "_He that_ acts wisely, deserves praise; Modesty is a _quality that_ highly adorns a woman." NOTES. 1. _Who_ should never be applied to animals. The following application of it is erroneous:--"He is like a _least_ of prey, _who_ destroys without pity." It should be, _that_ destroys, &c. 2. _Who_ should not be applied to children. It is incorrect to say, "The _child whom_ we have just seen," &c. It should be, "
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