Rule X.—If no nominative intervene between the relative and the verb, the relative shall be the nominative to the verb, as, “Solomon, who was the son of David, built the temple of Jerusalem.” Here who is the nominative to the verb was.
Rule XI.—But, if a nominative intervene between the relative and the verb, the relative shall be under the government of the preposition going before, or the noun or verb following, as, “God, whom we worship, is the Lord, by whose gift we live, and by whom all things were made.” In the first relative clause, where we is the intervening nominative, the relative is in the objective case, and governed by the verb following: in the second clause, where the intervening nominative is likewise we, the relative is in the genitive case, and governed by the noun following, thus, “by whose gift,” or “by the gift of whom;” and in the third clause, where things is the intervening nominative, the relative is in the objective case, and governed by the preposition.
Note 1.—The case of the relative may always be ascertained by repeating the antecedent, and arranging the clause in the natural order, thus, “the city, which is called Rome, was founded by Romulus,” i.e. “the city, which city is called Rome.” The antecedent repeated is the nominative to the verb is, which therefore agrees with it in case. “God, who sees all things, will punish the wicked,” i.e. “God, which God sees all things;” the relative, therefore, is the nominative to the verb sees, that is, it is in the same case in which the antecedent would be put, if again expressed. “Solomon, whom David loved, was the wisest of princes.” Here, if we arrange the relative clause in the natural order, beginning with the nominative and the verb, it will run thus, “David loved whom,” an expression analogous to “David loved him,” or “David loved which Solomon.” Many solecisms in the construction of the relative would be easily avoided, by a little attention to the natural arrangement. Thus, instead of committing the error involved in the following examples, “The philosopher, who he saw to be a man of profound knowledge,” “’Twas my brother, who you met with,” “I was a stranger to the person, who I spoke to,” we should be led by the natural order to the correct phraseology; “he saw whom,” “you met with whom,” “I spoke to whom.” It is to be observed, however, that, though the personal pronouns, when under the government of a verb, may either precede or follow it, the relative in the same state of government must invariably go before it.
Note 2.—The relatives who and which are often understood, especially in colloquial language: “The friend I visited yesterday is dead to-day,” i.e. “the friend whom I visited yesterday is dead to-day.”
Note 3.—After a comparative, both relative and antecedent are often understood. “The damage was far greater than he knew.” Here there is a comparison of two objects, the damage suffered, and the damage known; but only one is expressed. The sentence, if the ellipsis were supplied, would run thus, “The damage was far greater, than what,” or “that, which he knew.”
Note 4.—There are a few cases, which are considered by some distinguished critics and grammarians, as requiring the use of that in preference to the pronouns who and which.
1st. After superlatives the pronoun that is generally used, as, “The wisest man, that ever lived, is liable to error.”
2ndly. After the word same, that is generally used, as, “he is the same man, that you saw yesterday.” But, if a preposition should precede the relative, one of the other two pronouns must be employed, the pronoun that not admitting a preposition prefixed to it, as, “he is the same man, with whom you were acquainted.” It is remarkable, however, that when the arrangement is somewhat changed, the word that admits the preposition, as, “he is the same man, that you were acquainted with.”
3rdly. That is used after who, taken interrogatively, as, “Who, that has the spirit of a man, would suffer himself to be thus degraded?”
4thly. When persons and things are referred to, as, “the men and things, that he hath studied, have not contributed to the improvement of his morals.”