2. Interrogative adjectives. These are which and what when used with a noun to ask a question; as, Which poem will you recite? What wrong have you done?
3. Relative adjectives. These are the words which and what used relatively with a noun; as, I know which pen you prefer. I see what course you are taking.
4. Indefinite adjectives. These are the words which, when used without nouns, are indefinite pronouns; as, Few persons believe his story. [See Lesson XXVII.]
5. Demonstrative adjectives. These are this, these; that, those; yon, yonder, when used with nouns; as, That tree is very tall. Yon ship is coming nearer.
To the foregoing list of demonstrative adjectives we may add a, an, and the, since they are demonstrative in their nature, that is they are used to point out, but they have no pronominal use; as, The man is well again. An apple is on the table.
Note.—An is used before a word beginning with a vowel sound; as, An orange is yellow. An hour contains sixty minutes.
A is used before a word beginning with a consonant sound; as, A pencil is on the desk. Many a one has succeeded. (One begins with the consonant sound of w.)
EXERCISE.
Select the pronominal adjectives in the following sentences, give the kind of each and the word it modifies:—
| 1. | Which way did he go? | |
| 2. | That lady explained my lesson. | |
| 3. | Any other pen will do. | |
| 4. | I do not know what work he did. | |
| 5. | Their father bought them some fruit. | |
| 6. | Beneath those rugged elms, that yew-tree’s shade, | |
| Where heaves the turf in many a mouldering heap, | ||
| Each in his narrow cell forever laid, | ||
| The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep.—Gray. |