general, it is only by ellipsis of the noun after it, and not as the representative of a noun going before, that any one of these words assumes the appearance of a pronoun.  Hence, they are not pronouns, but adjectives.  Nor are they “more properly articles than any thing else;” for, “if the essence of an article be to define and ascertain” the meaning of a noun, this very conception of the thing necessarily supposes the noun to be used with it.

OBS. 31.—­The following example, or explanation, may show what is meant by definitives.  Let the general term be man, the plural of which is men:  A man—­one unknown or indefinite; The man—­one known or particular; The men—­some particular ones; Any man—­one indefinitely; A certain man—­one definitely; This man—­one near; That man—­one distant; These men—­several near; Those men—­several distant; Such a man—­one like some other; Such men—­some like others; Many a man—­a multitude taken singly; Many men—­an indefinite multitude taken plurally; A thousand men—­a definite multitude; Every man—­all or each without exception; Each man—­both or all taken separately; Some man—­one, as opposed to none; Some men—­an indefinite number or part; All men—­the whole taken plurally; No men—­none of the sex; No man—­never one of the race.

EXAMPLES FOR PARSING.

PRAXIS II—­ETYMOLOGICAL.

In the Second Praxis, it is required of the pupil—­to distinguish and define the different parts of speech, and to explain the ARTICLES as definite or indefinite.

The definitions to be given in the Second Praxis, are two for an article, and one for a noun, an adjective, a pronoun, a verb, a participle, an adverb, a conjunction, a preposition, or an interjection.  Thus_:—­

EXAMPLE PARSED.

“The task of a schoolmaster laboriously prompting and urging an indolent class, is worse than his who drives lazy horses along a sandy road.”—­G.  Brown.

The is the definite article. 1.  An article is the word the, an, or a, which we put before nouns to limit their signification. 2.  The definite article is the, which denotes some particular thing or things.

Task is a noun. 1.  A noun is the name of any person, place, or thing, that can be known or mentioned.

Of is a preposition. 1.  A preposition is a word used to express some relation of different things or thoughts to each other, and is generally placed before a noun or a pronoun.

A is the indefinite article. 1.  An article is the word the, an, or a, which we put before nouns to limit their signification. 2.  The indefinite article is an or a, which denotes one thing of a kind, but not any particular one.