E RELATIVES.

119. The _gender_, _number_, and _person_ of the relatives _who_,
_which_, and _that_ must be determined by those of the antecedent; the
_case_ depends upon the function of the relative in its own clause.

For example, consider the following sentence:

"He uttered truths _that_ wrought upon and molded the lives of
those _who_ heard him."

Since the relatives hold the sentence together, we can, by taking them
out, let the sentence fall apart into three divisions: (1) "He uttered
truths;" (2) "The truths wrought upon and molded the lives of the
people;" (3) "These people heard him."

_That_ evidently refers to _truths_, consequently is neuter, third
person, plural number. _Who_ plainly stands for _those_ or _the
people_, either of which would be neuter, third person, plural number.
Here the relative agrees with its antecedent.

We cannot say the relative agrees with its antecedent in _case_.
_Truths_ in sentence (2), above, is subject of _wrought upon and
molded_; in (1), it is object of _uttered_. In (2), _people_ is the
object of the preposition _of_; in (3), it is subject of the verb
_heard_. Now, _that_ takes the case of _the truths_ in (2), not of
_truths_ which is expressed in the sentence: consequently _that_ is in
the nominative case. In the same way _who_, standing for _the people_
understood, subject of _heard_, is in the nominative case.

Exercise.

First find the antecedents, then parse the relatives, in the following
sentences:--

1. How superior it is in these respects to the pear, whose blossoms
are neither colored nor fragrant!

2. Some gnarly apple which I pick up in the road reminds me by its
fragrance of all the wealth of Pomona.

3. Perhaps I talk with one who is selecting some choice barrels for
filling an order.

4. Ill blows the wind that profits nobody.

5. Alas! it is we ourselves that are getting buried alive under this
avalanche of earthly impertinences.

6. This method also forces upon us the necessity of thinking, which
is, after all, the highest result of all education.

7. I know that there are many excellent people who object to the
reading of novels as a waste of time.

8. I think they are trying to outwit nature, who is sure to be
cunninger than they.

[Sidenote: _Parsing_ what, _the simple relative_.]

120. The relative _what_ is handled differently, because it has
usually no antecedent, but is singular, neuter, third person. Its case
is