LESSON XIV. POSSESSIVE FORMS. I. Recognised authorities differ as to the correct form for the possessive of such pronouns as "any one else," "anybody else," "some one else," "somebody else." Either "any one's else" or "any one else's" may be regarded as correct, but the form "any one's else" is perhaps preferable. As to the possessive form of "who else" there is no question; the sign of the possessive should be added to the pronoun, not to the adjective; write, "whose else.”1 II. (a) Compound nouns form the possessive regularly by adding "'s" to the end of the word. (b) This rule applies also to compound expressions, such as titles; e.g. (a) "The chief's eye flashed; but presently Softened itself, as sheathes A film the mother-eagle's eye When her bruised eaglet breathes." (b) Bolingbroke. maintain BROWNING, Incident of the French Camp. "Further I say, and further will Upon his bad life to make all this good, That he did plot the Duke of Gloucester's death." III. Where two nouns or pronouns connected by a conjunction denote possession, (a) each must be in the possessive case, (b) unless the two nouns are taken 1 Notice that the principle here is the same as that which governs the change in the objective case to "whom else," "whomever." together to denote common possession, as in the name of a firm, when the sign of possession is added only, to the second noun; e.g.— (a) "The story of Mary Lamb's life is mainly the story of a brother's and a sister's love." ANNE GILCHRIST, The Life of Mary Lamb. (b) Dombey and Son's. IV. Question sometimes arises as regards the use of the so-called "double genitive" or "double possessive," where a noun or a pronoun in the possessive case follows the preposition "of" used as a sign of possession. This use of a second possessive has perhaps arisen in an effort to distinguish between "of" denoting possession and "of" meaning "about," "in regard to."1 Whatever its origin, this second possessive is now used frequently when no such distinction is necessary. When a personal pronoun follows an "of" denoting possession, the possessive form is always used; it is often found when a noun follows, and seems to occur most often when a demonstrative adjective limits the noun modified by the double genitive. EXAMPLES. 1. "O no! this is not Mr. Toil, the schoolmaster,' said the stranger, 'it is another brother of his." Little Daffydowndilly. 2. "Only last night, apropos of these sketches of Ruskin's, and of a new portfolio of them lately pub 1 Example of "of " meaning "about," "in regard to": "Mrs. Browning once told us a little anecdote of the Carlyles at tea at Cheyne Row." ANNE THACKERAY RITCHIE, Records of Tennyson, Ruskin, and Browning. lished, I heard no less an authority than the Slade Professor at Cambridge saying that, with all the credit Professor Ruskin has justly won as a master of English diction, he has scarcely gained as much as he deserved for the exquisite character of his actual drawing." Records of Tennyson, Ruskin, and Browning. 3. "Was it not Charles Lamb who wanted to return grace after reading Shakespeare, little deeming in humble simplicity that many of us yet to come would be glad to return thanks for a jest of Charles Lamb's ?” Ibid. V. Where a noun or pronoun in the possessive case is followed by an appositive, the appositive too must be in the possessive. Since, however, this makes an awkward construction, it is well to avoid the combination, or to separate the appositive from the noun or pronoun in the possessive; e.g. "The last time I saw the Fountain of Trevi, it was from Arthur's father's room-Joseph Severn's." RUSKIN, Præterita. VI. When the present participle is used as a noun (called the "verbal noun ") a noun or pronoun preceding it should be put in the possessive case; e.g. 1. "I discovered this by his being out on the second or third evening of our visit, and by Mrs. Gummidge's looking up at the Dutch clock, between eight and nine, and saying he was there." David Copperfield. 2. "All these, like Benedick's brushing his hat of a morning, were signs that the sweet youth was in love." SCOTT, Rob Roy. For " VERBS. LESSON XV. CAN AND MAY (Notional verbs). may" ("might") used as auxiliary in forming the subjunctive mood, see Lesson XXIII. "Can" ("could") is used to express ability; "may" ("might"), to express permission, opportunity, or chance. EXAMPLES. 1. Portia. "An unlessoned girl, unschool'd, unpractis'd: Happy in this, she is not yet so old But she may learn; happier than this, The Merchant of Venice, III. 2. Here Portia means that she may learn, because, as there are many years before her, time will permit her to do so; that she can learn, because, not having been bred dull, she has the ability to do so. 2. "I can not sing; for this cause I left the feast and came hither." BEDE's Story of Cædmon.1 Here the meaning is, "I have not the ability, I do not know how, to sing." 3. "Turn wheresoe'er I may, By night or day, The things that I have seen I now can see no more." Ode on the Intimations of Immortality. Here the meaning is: "wheresoever I chance to turn, I now have not the ability to see." 1 See Stopford Brooke's Primer of English Literature, Cædmon. 4. Polonius. true, "This above all: to thine own self be And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man." SHAKESPEARE, Hamlet, I. 3. Here Polonius means, by canst not, "It will not be within your power, i.e. you will not be able to be false." "He that wold not when he might, 5. He shall not when he wolda." The Beggar Knight, from Bishop Percy's Here the meaning is: "the man that would not when he had the opportunity, shall not be given the opportunity again when he wishes it." EXERCISE. Supply "can" or "may," "could" or "might," in the following passages, giving the reason for your choice in each case. 1. When she saw the young man's smile, heard his kindly tone, she began to Holgrave," cried she, as soon as she sob. and "Oh, Mr. speak, "I never go through with it! Never, never, never!" 2. This is our little snow-girl, and she not live any longer than while she breathes the cold west wind. 3. No human being, however great or powerful, was ever so free as a fish. There is always something that he must or must not do; while a fish do whatever he likes. 4. And he was ready to listen attentively to whatever |