Note. In older English and in poetry mine and thine are common instead of my and thy before words beginning with a vowel or h: as,—
- Mine eyes dazzle: she died young.—John Webster.
- The very minute bids thee ope thine ear.—Shakspere.
Mine is sometimes used after a vocative noun: as,—brother mine.
For expressions like “a friend of mine,” “that unruly tongue of yours,” see [§ 96].
123. When two or more separate objects are spoken of as possessed, a possessive should precede the name of each if there is danger of ambiguity.
- I will send for our secretary and our treasurer. [Two persons.]
- I will send for our secretary and treasurer. [One person.]
- I have called for my bread and my milk. [Two things.]
- I have called for my bread and milk. [A mixture.]
- Have you Bacon’s “Essays and Apophthegms”? [One book.]
- Have you Bacon’s “Essays” and his “Advancement of Learning”? [Two books.]
Objective Case
124. The commonest constructions in which personal pronouns take the objective case are the following:—
1. Object of a preposition ([§ 97]): as,—
Take it from him.