it would approximate nearer to correctness to say, you wast.  We never use the singular of the present tense with you:—­you art, you is; you walkest, you walks.  Why, then, should any attempt be made to force a usage so unnatural and gratuitous as the connecting of the singular verb in the past tense with this pronoun?  In every point of view, the construction, “When were you there?” “How far were you from the parties?” is preferable to the other.

3.  The words my, thy, his, her, our, your, their, are, by many, denominated possessive adjective pronouns; but they always stand for nouns in the possessive case.  They ought, therefore, to be classed with the personal pronouns.  That principle of classification which ranks them with the adjective pronouns, would also throw all nouns in the possessive case among the adjectives.  Example:  “The lady gave the gentleman her watch for his horse.”  In this sentence her personates, or stands for, the noun “lady,” and his represents “gentleman.”  This fact is clearly shown by rendering the sentence thus, “The lady gave the gentleman the lady’s watch for the gentleman’s horse.”  If lady’s and gentleman’s are nouns, her and his must be personal pronouns.  The same remarks apply to my, thy, our, your, their and its.  This view of these words may be objected to by those who speculate and refine upon the principles of grammar until they prove their non-existence, but it is believed, nevertheless, to be based on sound reason and common sense.

4. Mine, thine, his, hers, ours, yours, theirs, have, by many respectable grammarians, been considered merely the possessive cases of personal pronouns, whilst, by others, they have been denominated pronouns or nouns in the nominative or objective case.  It is believed, however, that a little attention to the meaning and office of these words, will clearly show the impropriety of both these classifications.  Those who pursue the former arrangement, allege, that, in the examples, “You may imagine what kind of faith theirs was; My pleasures are past; hers and yours are to come; they applauded his conduct, but condemned hers and yours,” the words theirs, hers, and yours, are personal pronouns in the possessive case, and governed by their respective nouns understood.  To prove this, they construct the sentence thus, “You may imagine what kind of faith their faith was;—­her pleasures and your pleasures are to come;—­but condemned her conduct and your conduct;” or thus, “You may imagine what kind of faith the faith of them was;—­the pleasures of her and the pleasures of you, are to come;—­ but condemned the conduct of her and the conduct of you.”  But these constructions, (both of which are correct,) prove too much for their purpose;