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Which and Who after “And”

Which and who cannot follow and unless there has been a preceding which or who in the same sentence and in the same construction.

“The more important rules, definitions and observations, and which are therefore the most proper to be committed to memory, are printed with a large type.”—­ Murray’s Grammar.  In Moore’s Bad English the sentence is corrected thus:  “The rules, definitions, and observations which are the more important, and which are therefore the most proper to be committed to memory, are printed in larger type.”

Adverbs for Relative Pronouns

Adverbs are often employed where a preposition with a relative pronoun would better express the sense.

“There is no method known how his safety may be assured.”  Use by which instead of how.

“He wrote me a letter where he repeated his instructions.”  “Letter in which he repeated,” etc.

“And curse the country where their fathers dwelt.”  “In which their fathers dwelt.”

“This is a case where large interests are involved.”  The preposition and relative will better express the meaning; as, “This is a case in which large interests are involved.”
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Misplaced Relative

The relative should be so placed as to prevent ambiguity, and as near as possible to its antecedent.

“Mr. Smith needs a surgeon, who has broken his arm.”  Say, “Mr. Smith, who has broken,” etc.

“The figs were in small wooden boxes, which we ate.”  “The figs which we ate,” etc.

“He needs no boots that cannot walk.”  “He that cannot walk,” etc.

Omitted Relatives

The relative pronoun is often omitted when it should be expressed.

“The next falsehood he told was the worst of all.”  Say, “The next falsehood that he told,” etc.

“It is little we know of the divine perfections.”  Say, “Little that we know.”

“Almost all the irregularities in the construction of any language have arisen from the ellipsis of some words which were originally inserted in the sentence and made it regular.”—­ Murray’s Grammar.  The sentence should end with “and which made it regular.”

The one, the other

When the one and the other refer to things previously mentioned, the one applies to the first mentioned, and the other to the last mentioned.

“Homer was a genius, Virgil an artist:  in the one we most admire the man; in the other, the work.”
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CHAPTER VI

Number

Many persons of moderate education regard nouns that do not end with s or es as singular.  Even the gifted pen of Addison once slipped so far as to betray him into using the word seraphim, in the singular.