Nobody knows what it is to lose a friend, till they have lost him.—Fielding.
Where she was gone, or what was become of her, no one could take upon them to say.—Sheridan.
I do not mean that I think any one to blame for taking due care of their health.—Addison.
Exercise.—In the above sentences, unless both genders are implied, change the pronoun to agree with its antecedent.
RELATIVE PRONOUNS.
I. RESTRICTIVE AND UNRESTRICTIVE RELATIVES.
What these terms mean.
412. As to their conjunctive use, the definite relatives who, which, and that may be coördinating or restrictive.
A relative, when coördinating, or unrestrictive, is equivalent to a conjunction (and, but, because, etc.) and a personal pronoun. It adds a new statement to what precedes, that being considered already clear; as, "I gave it to the beggar, who went away." This means, "I gave it to the beggar [we know which one], and he went away."
A relative, when restrictive, introduces a clause to limit and make clear some preceding word. The clause is restricted to the antecedent, and does not add a new statement; it merely couples a thought necessary to define the antecedent: as, "I gave it to a beggar who stood at the gate." It defines beggar.