The Grammar of English Grammars, page 258 by Gould Brown
<< Return to Title Details & Download259
express any quality either of the adjective or of the noun, but to express some quality of the thing signified by the noun. But the definition is too much restricted; for adjectives may be added to pronouns as well as to nouns, nor do they always express quality.
24. FOURTH DEFINITION:--"A Pronoun is a word used instead of a noun, to avoid the too frequent repetition of the same word."--_Dr. Ash's Gram._, p. 25; _Murray's_, 28 and 50; _Felton's_, 18; _Alger's_, 13; _Bacon's_, 10; and others. The latter part of this sentence is needless, and also contains several errors. 1. The verb avoid is certainly very ill-chosen; because it implies intelligent agency, and not that which is merely instrumental. 2. The article the is misemployed for _a_; for, "the too frequent repetition," should mean some particular too frequent repetition--an idea not intended here, and in itself not far from absurdity. 3. The phrase, "_the same word_" may apply to the pronoun itself as well as to the noun: in saying, "I came, I saw, I conquered," there is as frequent a repetition of the same word, as in saying, "_Cæsar_ came, _Cæsar_ saw, _Cæsar_ conquered." If, therefore, the latter part of this definition must be retained, the whole should be written thus: "A Pronoun is a word used in stead of a noun, to prevent too frequent a repetition of it."
25. FIFTH DEFINITION:--"A Verb is a word which signifies _to be, to do_, or _to suffer_"--_Lowth, Murray, and others_. NOTE:--"A verb may generally be distinguished by its making sense with any of the personal pronouns, or the word to before it."--_Murray, and others_. It is confessedly difficult to give a perfect definition of a _verb_; and if, with Murray, we will have the participles to be verbs, there must be no small difficulty in forming one that shall be tolerable. Against the foregoing old