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104 SIDNEY H. RAY. 
Two classes of nouns are everywhere distinguished. One of 
these is used with suffixed possessive pronouns, the other without. 
The class taking suffixes is usually restricted to nouns denoting 
parts of a whole, but includes much more in Espiritu Santo than 
in the other islands. For the forms of the suffixed pronouns, see 
the Vocabulary. 
2. Pronouns :—These are all from the same roots, as are also 
the words used as possessives. The forms found will be seen in 
the Comparative Vocabulary. 
3. VERBS :—Particles are used with common. words which are 
thus made verbs as to their grammatical form. The commonest 
particle is, in all the languages (except Espiritu Santo and Efate), 
some form of the syllable mo. 
The future tense usually is clearly distinguished, but the past 
and the present require definition by an adverb. Person and 
number are defined by particles, which appear usually as abbrevi- 
ated forms of the pronouns. The use of the particles in the 
several languages may be summarized as follows :— 
a. Aneitywm.:— Distinct words for each tense, number, and person. 
b. Tannaand Kromanga:—Combinations of pronominal forms with 
particles expressing the condition of the action (in progress, 
completed, continuous, customary, &c.). 
c. Efate and Espiritu Santo -—Verbal particles appear to be simply 
abbreviated pronouns and indicate only person and number. 
Tense is shown by adverbs. 
d. Hpi:—Particles expressing person and number as in Efate, but 
with prefix m (or modification of initial consonant), to mark 
actual action (present or past), the verb without a particle 
being future. 
e. Malekula:—Variation of number made by change of vowel, the 
tense sign being invariable. This is the verbal use in the 
Solomon Islands. 
f. Arag, Omba, Maewo -—Particles asin Tanna and Hromanga. 
Also invariable particles denoting tense, used with pronouns. 
