NOTE XI.—­The pronoun them should never be used as an adjective, in lieu of those:  say, “I bought those books;” not, “them books.”  This also is a vulgar error, and chiefly confined to the conversation of the unlearned.[375]

NOTE XII.—­When the pronominal adjectives, this and that, or these and those, are contrasted; this or these should represent the latter of the antecedent terms, and that or those the former:  as,

   “And, reason raise o’er instinct as you can,
    In this ’tis God directs, in that ’tis man.”—­Pope.

    “Farewell my friends! farewell my foes! 
    My peace with these, my love with those!”—­Burns.

NOTE XIII.—­The pronominal adjectives either and neither, in strict propriety of syntax, relate to two things only; when more are referred to, any and none, or any one and no one, should be used in stead of them:  as, “Any of the three,” or, “Any one of the three;” not, “Either of the three.”—­“None of the four,” or, “No one of the four;” not, “Neither of the four.” [376]

NOTE XIV.—­The adjective whole must not be used in a plural sense, for all; nor less, in the sense of fewer; nor more or most, in any ambiguous construction, where it may be either an adverb of degree, or an adjective of number or quantity:  as, “Almost the whole inhabitants were present.”—­HUME:  see Priestley’s Gram., p. 190.[377] Say, “Almost all the inhabitants.”  “No less than three dictionaries have been published to correct it.”—­Dr. Webster.  Say, “No fewer.”  “This trade enriched some people more than them.”—­Murray’s Gram., Vol. i, p. 215.  This passage is not clear in its import:  it may have either of two meanings.  Say, “This trade enriched some other people, besides them.”  Or, “This trade enriched some others more than it did them.”

NOTE XV.—­Participial adjectives retain the termination, but not the government of participles; when, therefore, they are followed by the objective case, a preposition must be inserted to govern it:  as, “The man who is most sparing of his words, is generally most deserving of attention.”

NOTE XVI.—­When the figure of any adjective affects the syntax and sense of the sentence, care must be taken to give to the word or words that form, simple or compound, which suits the true meaning and construction.  Examples:  “He is forehead bald, yet he is clean.”—­FRIENDS’ BIBLE:  Lev., xiii, 41.  Say, “forehead-bald.,”—­ALGER’S BIBLE, and SCOTT’S.  “From such phrases as, ‘New England scenery,’ convenience requires the omission of the hyphen.”—­Sanborn’s Gram., p. 89.  This is a false notion.  Without the hyphen, the phrase properly means, “New scenery in England;” but New-England scenery is scenery in New England. “’Many coloured wings,’ means many wings which are coloured; but ‘many-coloured wings’ means wings of many colours.”—­Blair’s Gram., p. 116.