Higher Lessons in English 217p
Higher Lessons in English 217p
Higher Lessons in English 217p
lines are formed with slanted apostrophes (`) Words printed over a horizontally broken line are shown like
this:
, helping '
Words printed bending around a diagonalhorizontal line are broken like this:
\wai \ ting ** End Transcriber's Notes **
HIGHER LESSONS IN ENGLISH.
A WORK ON ENGLISH GRAMMAR AND COMPOSITION,
IN WHICH THE SCIENCE OF THE LANGUAGE IS MADE TRIBUTARY TO THE ART OF
EXPRESSION.
A COURSE OF PRACTICAL LESSONS CAREFULLY GRADED, AND ADAPTED TO EVERYDAY
USE IN THE SCHOOLROOM.
BY ALONZO REED, A.M.,
FORMERLY INSTRUCTOR IN ENGLISH GRAMMAR IN THE POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE,
BROOKLYN,
AND BRAINERD KELLOGG, LL.D.,
PROFESSOR OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE IN THE POLYTECHNIC
INSTITUTE, BROOKLYN.
Revised Edition, 1896.
PREFACE.
The plan of "Higher Lessons" will perhaps be better understood if we first speak of two classes of textbooks
with which this work is brought into competition.
+Method of One Class of Textbooks+.In one class are those that aim chiefly to present a course of
technical grammar in the order of Orthography, Etymology, Syntax, and Prosody. These books give large
space to grammatical Etymology, and demand much memorizing of definitions, rules, declensions, and
conjugations, and much formal word parsing,work of which a considerable portion is merely the invention
of grammarians, and has little value in determining the pupil's use of language or in developing his reasoning
faculties. This is a revival of the longendured, unfruitful, oldtime method.
+Method of Another Class of Textbooks.+In another class are those that present a miscellaneous
collection of lessons in Composition, Spelling, Pronunciation, Sentenceanalysis, Technical Grammar, and
General Information, without unity or continuity. The pupil who completes these books will have gained
something by practice and will have picked up some scraps of knowledge; but his information will be vague
and disconnected, and he will have missed that mental training which it is the aim of a good textbook to
afford. A textbook is of value just so far as it presents a clear, logical development of its subject. It must
present its science or its art as a natural growth, otherwise there is no apology for its being.
+The Study of the Sentence for the Proper Use of Words.+It is the plan of this book to trace with easy steps
the natural development of the sentence, to consider the leading facts first and then to descend to the details.
To begin with the parts of speech is to begin with details and to disregard the higher unities, without which the
details are scarcely intelligible. The part of speech to which a word belongs is determined only by its function
in the sentence, and inflections simply mark the offices and relations of words. Unless the pupil has been
systematically trained to discover the functions and relations of words as elements of an organic whole, his
knowledge of the parts of speech is of little value. It is not because he cannot conjugate the verb or decline the
pronoun that he falls into such errors as "How many sounds have each of the vowels?" "Five years' interest
are due." "She is older than me." He probably would not say "each _have_," "interest _are_," "me am." One
thoroughly familiar with the structure of the sentence will find little trouble in using correctly the few
inflectional forms in English.
+The Study of the Sentence for the Laws of Discourse.+Through the study of the sentence we not only
arrive at an intelligent knowledge of the parts of speech and a correct use of grammatical forms, but we
discover the laws of discourse in general. In the sentence the student should find the law of unity, of
continuity, of proportion, of order. All good writing consists of good sentences properly joined. Since the
sentence is the foundation or unit of discourse, it is allimportant that the pupil should know the sentence. He
should be able to put the principal and the subordinate parts in their proper relation; he should know the exact
function of every element, its relation to other elements and its relation to the whole. He should know the
sentence as the skillful engineer knows his engine, that, when there is a disorganization of parts, he may at
once find the difficulty and the remedy for it.
+The Study of the Sentence for the Sake of Translation.+The laws of thought being the same for all
nations, the logical analysis of the sentence is the same for all languages. When a student who has acquired a
knowledge of the English sentence comes to the translation of a foreign language, he finds his work greatly
simplified. If in a sentence of his own language he sees only a mass of unorganized words, how much greater
must be his confusion when this mass of words is in a foreign tongue! A study of the parts of speech is a far
less important preparation for translation, since the declensions and conjugations in English do not conform to
those of other languages. Teachers of the classics and of modern languages are beginning to appreciate these
facts.
+The Study of the Sentence for Discipline+.As a means of discipline nothing can compare with a training
in the logical analysis of the sentence. To study thought through its outward form, the sentence, and to
discover the fitness of the different parts of the expression to the parts of the thought, is to learn to think. It has
been noticed that pupils thoroughly trained in the analysis and the construction of sentences come to their
other studies with a decided advantage in mental power. These results can be obtained only by systematic and
persistent work. Experienced teachers understand that a few weak lessons on the sentence at the beginning of
a course and a few at the end can afford little discipline and little knowledge that will endure, nor can a
knowledge of the sentence be gained by memorizing complicated rules and labored forms of analysis. To
compel a pupil to wade through a page or two of such bewildering terms as "complex adverbial element of the
second class" and "compound prepositional adjective phrase," in order to comprehend a few simple functions,
is grossly unjust; it is a substitution of form for content, of words for ideas.
+Subdivisions and Modifications after the Sentence.+Teachers familiar with textbooks that group all
grammatical instruction around the eight parts of speech, making eight independent units, will not, in the
following lessons, find everything in its accustomed place. But, when it is remembered that the thread of
connection unifying this work is the sentence, it will be seen that the lessons fall into their natural order of
sequence. When, through the development of the sentence, all the offices of the different parts of speech are
mastered, the most natural thing is to continue the work of classification and subdivide the parts of speech.
The inflection of words, being distinct from their classification, makes a separate division of the work. If the
chief end of grammar were to enable one to parse, we should not here depart from longestablished precedent.
+Sentences in GroupsParagraphs+.In tracing the growth of the sentence from the simplest to the most
complex form, each element, as it is introduced, is illustrated by a large number of detached sentences, chosen
with the utmost care as to thought and expression. These compel the pupil to confine his attention to one thing
till he gets it well in hand. Paragraphs from literature are then selected to be used at intervals, with questions
and suggestions to enforce principles already presented, and to prepare the way informally for the regular
lessons that follow. The lessons on these selections are, however, made to take a much wider scope. They lead
the pupil to discover how and why sentences are grouped into paragraphs, and how paragraphs are related to
each other; they also lead him on to discover whatever is most worthy of imitation in the style of the several
models presented.
+The Use of the Diagram+.In written analysis, the simple map, or diagram, found in the following lessons,
will enable the pupil to present directly and vividly to the eye the exact function of every clause in the
sentence, of every phrase in the clause, and of every word in the phraseto picture the complete analysis of
the sentence, with principal and subordinate parts in their proper relations. It is only by the aid of such a map,
or picture, that the pupil can, at a single view, see the sentence as an organic whole made up of many parts
performing various functions and standing in various relations. Without such map he must labor under the
disadvantage of seeing all these things by piecemeal or in succession.
But if for any reason the teacher prefers not to use these diagrams, they may be omitted without causing the
slightest break in the work. The plan of this book is in no way dependent on the use of the diagrams.
+The Objections to the Diagram+.The fact that the pictorial diagram groups the parts of a sentence
according to their offices and relations, and not in the order of speech, has been spoken of as a fault. It is, on
the contrary, a merit, for it teaches the pupil to look through the literary order and discover the logical order.
He thus learns what the literary order really is, and sees that this may be varied indefinitely, so long as the
logical relations are kept clear.
The assertion that correct diagrams can be made mechanically is not borne out by the facts. It is easier to
avoid precision in oral analysis than in written. The diagram drives the pupil to a most searching examination
of the sentence, brings him face to face with every difficulty, and compels a decision on every point.
+The Abuse of the Diagram+.Analysis by diagram often becomes so interesting and so helpful that, like
other good things, it is liable to be overdone. There is danger of requiring too much written analysis. When the
ordinary constructions have been made clear, diagrams should be used only for the more difficult sentences,
or, if the sentences are long, only for the more difficult parts of them. In both oral and written analysis there is
danger of repeating what needs no repetition. When the diagram has served its purpose, it should be dropped.
AUTHORS' NOTE TO REVISED EDITION.
During the years in which "Higher Lessons" has been in existence, we have ourselves had an instructive
experience with it in the classroom. We have considered hundreds of suggestive letters written us by
intelligent teachers using the book. We have examined the best works on grammar that have been published
recently here and in England. And we have done more. We have gone to the original source of all valid
authority in our language the best writers and speakers of it. That we might ascertain what present
linguistic usage is, we chose fifty authors, now alive or living till recently, and have carefully read three
hundred pages of each. We have minutely noted and recorded what these men by habitual use declare to be
good English. Among the fifty are such men as Ruskin, Froude, Hamerton, Matthew Arnold, Macaulay, De
Quincey, Thackeray, Bagehot, John Morley, James Martineau, Cardinal Newman, J. R. Green, and Lecky in
England; and Hawthorne, Curtis, Prof. W. D. Whitney, George P. Marsh, Prescott, Emerson, Motley, Prof.
Austin Phelps, Holmes, Edward Everett, Irving, and Lowell in America. When in the pages following we
anywhere quote usage, it is to the authority of such men that we appeal.
Upon these four sources of help we have drawn in the Revision of "Higher Lessons" that we now offer to the
public.
In this revised work we have given additional reasons for the opinions we hold, and have advanced to some
new positions; have explained more fully what some teachers have thought obscure; have qualified what we
think was put too positively in former editions; have given the history of constructions where this would
deepen interest or aid in composition; have quoted the verdicts of usage on many locutions condemned by
purists; have tried to work into the pupil's style the felicities of expression found in the lesson sentences; have
taught the pupil earlier in the work, and more thoroughly, the structure and the function of paragraphs; and
have led him on from the composition of single sentences of all kinds to the composition of these great groups
of sentences. But the distinctive features of "Higher Lessons" that have made the work so useful and so
popular stand as they have stoodthe Study of Words from their Offices in the Sentence, Analysis for the
sake of subsequent Synthesis, Easy Gradation, the Subdivisions and Modifications of the Parts of Speech after
the treatment of these in the Sentence, etc., etc. We confess to some surprise that so little of what was thought
good in matter and method years ago has been seriously affected by criticism since.
The additions made to "Higher Lessons"additions that bring the work up to the latest requirementsare
generally in footnotes to pages, and sometimes are incorporated into the body of the Lessons, which in
number and numbering remain as they were. The books of former editions and those of this revised edition
can, therefore, be used in the same class without any inconvenience.
Of the teachers who have given us invaluable assistance in this Revision, we wish specially to name Prof.
Henry M. Worrell, of the Polytechnic Institute; and in this edition of the work, as in the preceding, we take
pleasure in acknowledging our great indebtedness to our critic, the distinguished Prof. Francis A. March, of
Lafayette College.
*****
LESSON 1.
A TALK ON LANGUAGE.
Let us talk today about a language that we never learn from a grammar or from a book of any kinda
language that we come by naturally, and use without thinking of it.
It is a universal language, and consequently needs no interpreter. People of all lands and of all degrees of
culture use it; even the brute animals in some measure understand it.
This Natural language is the language of cries, laughter, and tones, the language of the eyes, the nose, the
mouth, the whole face; the language of gestures and postures.
The child's cry tells of its wants; its sob, of grief; its scream, of pain; its laugh, of delight. The boy raises his
eyebrows in surprise and his nose in disgust, leans forward in expectation, draws back in fear, makes a fist in
anger, and calls or drives away his dog simply by the tone in which he speaks.
But feelings and desires are not the only things we wish to communicate. Early in life we begin to acquire
knowledge and learn to think, and then we feel the need of a better language.
Suppose, for instance, you have formed an idea of a day; could you express this by a tone, a look, or a
gesture?
If you wish to tell me the fact that _yesterday was cloudy_, or that _the days are shorter in winter than in
louder will be the sound. Just so with these vocal bands or cords. The varying force with which the breath
strikes them and their different tensions and lengths at different times, explain the different degrees of
loudness and the varying pitch of the voice.
If the voice thus produced comes out through the mouth held well open, a class of sounds is formed which we
call vowel sounds.
But if the voice is held back or obstructed by the palate, tongue, teeth, or lips, one kind of the sounds called
consonant sounds is made. If the breath is driven out without voice, and is held back by these same parts of
the mouth, the other kind of consonant sounds is formed.
The written word is made up of characters, or letters, which represent to the eye these sounds that address the
ear.
You are now prepared to understand us when we say that +vowels+ are the +letters+ that stand for the +open
sounds+ of the +voice+, and that +consonants+ are the +letters+ that stand for the sounds made by the
+obstructed voice+ and the +obstructed breath+.
The alphabet of a language is a complete list of its letters. A perfect alphabet would have one letter for each
sound, and only one.
Our alphabet is imperfect in at least these three ways:
1. Some of the letters are superfluous; c stands for the sound of s or of _k_, as in city and _can_; q has the
sound of _k_, as in _quit_; and x that of _ks_, _gz_, or _z_, as in _expel_, _exist_, and Xenophon.
2. Combinations of letters sometimes represent single sounds; as, th in thine, th in _thin_, ng in _sing_, and sh
in shut.
3. Some letters stand each for many sounds. Twentythree letters represent over forty sounds. Every vowel
does more than single duty; e stands for two sounds, as in mete and _met_; i for two, as in pine and _pin_; o
for three, as in _note, not_, and _move_; u for four, as in _tube, tub, full_, and _fur_; a for six, as in _fate, fat,
far, fall, fast_, and fare.
W is a vowel when it unites with a preceding vowel to represent a vowel sound, and y is a vowel when it has
the sound of _i_, as in _now, by, boy, newly_. W and y are consonants at the beginning of a word or syllable.
The various sounds of the several vowels and even of the same vowel are caused by the different shapes
which the mouth assumes. These changes in its cavity produce, also, the two sounds that unite in each of the
compounds, _ou_, _oi_, _ew_, and in the alphabetic i and o.
1. 2. Vocal Consonants. Aspirates. b..................p d..................t g..................k h
j..................ch l m n
r th.................th (in _thine_) (in _thin_) v..................f w
y z (in _zone_)......s z (in _azure_).....sh
The consonants in column 1 represent the sounds made by the obstructed voice; those in column 2, except h
(which represents a mere forcible breathing), represent those made by the obstructed breath.
The letters are mostly in pairs. Now note that the tongue, teeth, lips, and palate are placed in the same relative
position to make the sounds of both letters in any pair. The difference in the sounds of the letters of any pair is
simply this: there is voice in the sounds of the letters in column 1, and only whisper in those of column 2.
Give the sound of any letter in column 1, as _b, g, v_, and the last or vanishing part of it is the sound of the
other letter of the pair.
TO THE TEACHER.Write these letters on the board, as above, and drill the pupils on the sounds till they
can see and make these distinctions. Drill them on the vowels also.
In closing this talk with you, we wish to emphasize one point brought before you. Here is a pencil, a real
thing; we carry in memory a picture of the pencil, which we call an idea; and there are the two words naming
this idea, the spoken and the written. Learn to distinguish clearly these four things.
TO THE TEACHER.In reviewing these three Lessons, put particular emphasis on Lesson 2.
*****
LESSON 4.
ANALYSIS AND THE DIAGRAM.
TO THE TEACHER.If the pupils have been through "Graded Lessons" or its equivalent, some of the
following Lessons may be passed over rapidly.
+DEFINITION.A Sentence is the expression of a thought in words+.
+Direction+._Analyze the following sentences_:
+Model+.Spiders spin. Why is this a sentence? Ans.Because it expresses a thought. Of what is
something thought? Ans.Spiders. Which word tells what is thought? Ans.Spin. [Footnote: The word
_spiders_, standing in Roman, names our idea of the real thing; _spin_, used merely as a word, is in Italics.
This use of Italics the teacher and the pupil will please note here and elsewhere.]
1. Tides ebb. 2. Liquids flow. 3. Steam expands. 4. Carbon burns. 5. Iron melts. 6. Powder explodes. 7.
Leaves tremble. 8. Worms crawl. 9. Hares leap.
In each of these sentences there are, as you have learned, two partsthe +Subject+ and the +Predicate+.
+DEFINITION.The Subject of a sentence names that of which something is thought.+
+DEFINITION.The Predicate of a sentence tells what is thought.+
+DEFINITION.The Analysis of a sentence is the separation of it into its parts.+
+Direction+._Analyze these sentences_:
+Model+.Beavers build. This is a sentence because it expresses a thought. Beavers is the subject because it
names that of which something is thought; build is the predicate because it tells what is thought. [Footnote:
When pupils are familiar with the definitions, let the form of analysis be varied. The reasons may be made
more specific. Here and elsewhere avoid mechanical repetition.]
1. Squirrels climb. 2. Blood circulates. 3. Muscles tire. 4. Heralds proclaim. 5. Apes chatter. 6. Branches
wave. 7. Corn ripens. 8. Birds twitter. 9. Hearts throb.
+Explanation+.Draw a heavy line and divide it into two parts. Let the first part represent the subject of a
10
11
LESSON 6.
ANALYSIS.
The predicate sometimes contains more than one word.
+Direction+._Analyze as in Lesson 4_.
1. Moisture is exhaled. 2. Conclusions are drawn. 3. Industry will enrich. 4. Stars have disappeared. 5.
Twilight is falling. 6. Leaves are turning. 7. Sirius has appeared. 8. Constantinople had been captured. 9.
Electricity has been harnessed. 10. Tempests have been raging. 11. Nuisances should be abated. 12. Jerusalem
was destroyed. 13. Light can be reflected. 14. Rain must have fallen. 15. Planets have been discovered. 16.
Palaces shall crumble. 17. Storms may be gathering. 18. Essex might have been saved. 19. Caesar could have
been crowned, 20. Inventors may be encouraged.
+Direction+._Point out the subject and the predicate of each sentence in Lessons 12 and 17_.
Look first for the word that asserts, and then, by putting who or what before this predicate, the subject may
easily be found.
TO THE TEACHER.Let this exercise be continued till the pupils can readily point out the subject and the
predicate in ordinary simple sentences.
When this can be done promptly, the first and most important step in analysis will have been taken.
*****
LESSON 7.
COMPOSITIONSUBJECT AND PREDICATE.
+Direction+._Make at least ten good sentences out of the words in the three columns following_:
The helping words in column 2 must be prefixed to words in column 3 in order to make complete predicates.
Analyze your sentences.
1 2 3 Arts is progressing. Allen was tested. Life are command. Theories will prolonged. Science would
released. Truth were falling. Shadows may be burned. Moscow has been measured. Raleigh have been prevail.
Quantity should have been lost.
Review Questions.
What is language proper? What is English grammar? What is a sentence? What are its two parts? What is the
subject of a sentence? The predicate of a sentence? The analysis of a sentence? What is a diagram? What rule
has been given for the use of capital letters? For the period? May the predicate contain more than one word?
Illustrate.
TO THE TEACHER.Introduce the class to the Parts of Speech before the close of this recitation. See
"Introductory Hints" below.
*****
12
LESSON 8.
CLASSES OF WORDS.
NOUNS.
+Introductory Hints+.We have now reached the point where we must classify the words of our language.
But we are appalled by their number. If we must learn all about the forms and the uses of a hundred thousand
words by studying these words one by one, we shall die ignorant of English grammar.
But may we not deal with words as we do with plants? If we had to study and name each leaf and stem and
flower, taken singly, we should never master the botany even of our gardenplants.
But God has made things to resemble one another and to differ from one another; and, as he has given us the
power to detect resemblances and differences, we are able to group things that have like qualities.
From certain likenesses in form and in structure, we put certain flowers together and call them roses; from
other likenesses, we get another class called lilies; from others still, violets. Just so we classify trees and get
the oak, the elm, the maple, etc.
The myriad objects of nature fall into comparatively few classes. Studying each class, we learn all we need to
know of every object in it.
From their likenesses, though not in form, we classify words. We group them according to their similarities in
use, or office, in the sentence. Sorting them thus, we find that they all fall into eight classes, which we call
Parts of Speech.
We find that many words name thingsare the names of things of which we can think and speak. These we
place in one class and call them +Nouns+ (Latin _nomen_, a name, a noun).
PRONOUNS.
Without the little words which we shall italicize, it would be difficult for one stranger to ask another, "Can
you tell me who is the postmaster at B?" The one would not know what name to use instead of _you_, the
other would not recognize the name in the place of _me_, and both would be puzzled to find a substitute for
who.
_I, you, my, me, what, we, it, he, who, him, she, them,_ and other words are used in place of nouns, and are,
therefore, called +Pronouns+ (Lat. _pro_, for, and _nomen_, a noun).
By means of these handy little words we can represent any or every object in existence. We could hardly
speak or write without them now, they so frequently shorten the expression and prevent confusion and
repetition.
+DEFINITION.A Noun is the name of anything.+
+DEFINITION.A Pronoun is a word used for a noun.+
The principal office of nouns is to name the things of which we say, or assert, something in the sentence.
+Direction+._Write, according to the model, the names of things that can burn, grow, melt, love, roar, or
revolve._
13
+Model.+ _Nouns._ Wood | Paper | Oil | Houses + burn or burns. Coal | Leaves | Matches | Clothes |
+Remark.+Notice that, when the subject adds s or es to denote more than one, the predicate does not take s.
Note how it would sound if both should add s.
+Every subject+ of a sentence is a +noun+, or some word or words used as a noun. But not every noun in a
sentence is a subject.
+Direction.+_Select and write all the nouns and pronouns, whether subjects or not, in the sentences given
in Lesson_ 18.
_In writing them observe the following rules_:
+CAPITAL LETTERRULE._Proper,_ or _individual, names_ and words derived from them begin with
capital letters.+
+PERIOD and CAPITAL LETTERRULE.Abbreviations generally begin with capital letters and are
always followed by the period.+
*****
LESSON 9.
CAPITAL LETTERS.
+Direction.+_From the following words select and write in one column those names that distinguish
individual things from others of the same class, and in another column those words that are derived from
individual names_:
Observe Rule 1, Lesson 8.
ohio, state, chicago, france, bostonian, country, england, boston, milton, river, girl, mary, hudson, william,
britain, miltonic, city, englishman, messiah, platonic, american, deity, bible, book, plato, christian, broadway,
america, jehovah, british, easter, europe, man, scriptures, god.
+Direction.+_Write the names of the days of the week and the months of the year, beginning each with a
capital letter; and write the names of the seasons without capital letters._
+Remember+ that, when a class name and a distinguishing word combine to make one individual name, each
word begins with a capital letter; as, Jersey City. [Footnote: Dead Sea is composed of the class name _sea_,
which applies to all seas, and the word _Dead_, which distinguishes one sea from all others.]
But, when the distinguishing word can by itself be regarded as a complete name, the class name begins with a
small letter; as, river Rhine.
+Examples+.Long Island, Good Friday, Mount Vernon, Suspension Bridge, New York city, Harper's Ferry,
Cape May, Bunker Hill, Red River, Lake Erie, General Jackson, White Mountains, river Thames, Astor
House, steamer Drew, North Pole.
+Direction+._Write these words, using capital letters when needed_:
ohio river, professor huxley, president adams, doctor brown, clinton county, westchester county, colonel burr,
14
secretary stanton, lake george, green mountains, white sea, cape cod, delaware bay, atlantic ocean, united
states, rhode island.
+Remember+ that, when an individual name is made up of a class name, the word _of_, and a distinguishing
word, the class name and the distinguishing word should each begin with a capital letter; as, Gulf of Mexico.
But, when the distinguishing word can by itself be regarded as a complete name, the class name should begin
with a small letter; as, city of London. [Footnote: The need of some definite instruction to save the young
writer from hesitation and confusion in the use of capitals is evident from the following variety of forms now
in use: City of New York, city of New York, New York _City_, New York _city_, New York _State_, New
York _state_, Fourth _Avenue_, Fourth _avenue_, Grand _Street_, Grand _street_, Grand _st._, Atlantic
_Ocean_, Atlantic _ocean_, Mediterranean _Sea_, Mediterranean _sea_, Kings _County_, Kings _county_,
etc.
The usage of newspapers and of textbooks on geography would probably favor the writing of the class
names in the examples above with initial capitals; but we find in the most carefully printed books and
periodicals a tendency to favor small letters in such cases.
In the superscription of letters, such words as _street_, _city_, and county begin with capitals.
Usage certainly favors small initials for the following italicized words: river Rhine, Catskill _village_, the
Ohio and Mississippi rivers. If river and _village_, in the preceding examples, are not essential parts of the
individual names, why should _river_, _ocean_, and _county_, in Hudson _river_, Pacific _ocean_, Queens
_county_, be treated differently? We often say the _Hudson_, the _Pacific_, _Queens_, without adding the
explanatory class name.
The principle we suggest may be in advance of common usage; but it is in the line of progress, and it tends to
uniformity of practice and to an improved appearance of the page. About a century ago every noun began with
a capital letter.
The American Cyclopedia takes a position still further in advance, as illustrated in the following: Bed _river_,
Black _sea_, gulf of Mexico, Rocky mountains. In the Encyclopaedia Britannica (Little, Brown, & Co., 9th
ed.) we find Connecticut _river_, Madison _county_, etc., quite uniformly; but we find Gulf of Mexico,
Pacific _Ocean_, etc.]
+Direction+._Write these words, using capital letters when needed:_
city of atlanta, isle of man, straits of dover, state of Vermont, isthmus of darien, sea of galilee, queen of
england, bay of naples, empire of china.
+Remember+ that, when a compound name is made up of two or more distinguishing words, as, Henry Clay,
John Stuart Mill, each word begins with a capital letter.
+Direction+._Write these words, using capital letters when needed_:
great britain, lower california, south carolina, daniel webster, new england, oliver wendell holmes, north
america, new orleans, james russell lowell, british america.
+Remember+ that, in writing the titles of books, essays, poems, plays, etc., and the names of the Deity, only
the chief words begin with capital letters; as, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Supreme Being, Paradise
Lost, the Holy One of Israel.
+Direction+._Write these words, using capital letters when needed_:
15
declaration of independence, clarendon's history of the great rebellion, webster's reply to hayne, pilgrim's
progress, johnson's lives of the poets, son of man, the most high, dombey and son, tent on the beach,
bancroft's history of the united states.
+Direction+._Write these miscellaneous names, using capital letters when needed_:
erie canal, governor tilden, napoleon bonaparte, cape of good hope, pope's essay on criticism, massachusetts
bay, city of boston, continent of america, new testament, goldsmith's she stoops to conquer, milton's hymn on
the nativity, indian ocean, cape cod bay, plymouth rock, anderson's history of the united states, mount
washington, english channel, the holy spirit, new york central railroad, old world, long island sound, flatbush
village.
*****
LESSON 10.
ABBREVIATIONS.
+Direction+._Some words occur frequently, and for convenience may he abbreviated in writing. Observing
Rule 2, Lesson 8, abbreviate these words by writing the first five letters_:
Thursday and lieutenant.
_These by writing the first four letters_:
Connecticut, captain, Colorado, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oregon,
professor, president, Tennessee, and Tuesday.
_These by writing the first three letters_:
Alabama, answer, Arkansas, California, colonel, Delaware, England, esquire, Friday, general, George,
governor, honorable, Illinois, Indiana, major, Monday, Nevada, reverend, Saturday, secretary, Sunday, Texas,
Wednesday, Wisconsin, and the names of the months except May, June, and July.
_These by writing the first two letters_:
Company, county, credit, example, and idem (the same).
_These by writing the first letter_:
East, north, south, and west. [Footnote: When these words refer to sections of the country, they should begin
with capitals.]
_These by writing the first and the last letter_:
Doctor, debtor, Georgia, junior, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Master, Mister, numero (number),
Pennsylvania, saint, street, Vermont, and Virginia.
_These by writing the first letter of each word of the compound with a period after each letter_:
Artium baccalaureus (bachelor of arts), anno Domini (in the year of our Lord), artium magister (master of
arts), ante meridiem (before noon), before Christ, collect on delivery, District (of) Columbia, divinitatis doctor
16
(doctor of divinity), member (of) Congress, medicinae doctor (doctor of medicine), member (of) Parliament,
North America, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, postmaster, post meridiem
(afternoon), postoffice, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and United States.
+Direction.+_The following abbreviations and those you have made should be committed to memory_:
Acct. or acct., account. Bbl. or bbl., barrel. Chas., Charles. Fla., Florida. LL. D., legum doctor (doctor of
laws).[Footnote: The doubling of the l to ll and in _LL. D.,_ and of p in _pp.,_ with no period between the
letters, comes from pluralizing the nouns _line, lean_, and page.] Messrs., messieurs (gentlemen). Mme.,
madame. Mo., Missouri. Mrs., (pronounced missis) mistress. Mts., mountains. Ph.D., philosophiae doctor
(doctor of philosophy). Recd., received. Robt., Robert. Supt., superintendent. Thos., Thomas. bu., bushel. do.,
ditto (the same) doz., dozen. e.g., exempli gratia (for example) etc., et caetera (and others). ft., foot, feet. hhd.,
hogshead. hdkf., handkerchief. i.e., id est (that is). l., line. ll., lines. lb., libra (pound). oz., ounce. p., page. pp.,
pages. qt., quart. vs., versus (against). viz., videlicet (namely). yd., yard.
+Remark.+In this Lesson we have given the abbreviations of the states as now regulated by the "U. S.
Official Postal Guide." In the "Guide" Iowa and Ohio are not abbreviated. They are, however, frequently
abbreviated thus: _Iowa, Ia._ or _Io.; Ohio, 0._
The similarity, when hurriedly written, of the abbreviations _Cal., Col.; Ia., Io.; Neb., Nev.; Penn., Tenn.,_
etc., has led to much confusion.
*****
LESSON 11.
VERBS.
+Introductory Hints+.We told you in Lesson 8 how, by noticing the essential likenesses in things and
grouping the things thus alike, we could throw the countless objects around us into comparatively few classes.
We began to classify words according to their use, or office, in the sentence; we found one class of words that
name things, and we called them nouns.
But in all the sentences given you, we have had to use another class of words. These words, you notice, tell
what the things do, or assert that they are, or exist.
When we say _Clocks tick_, tick is not the name of anything; it tells what clocks do: it asserts action.
When we say _Clocks are_, or _There are clocks_, are is not the name of. anything, nor does it tell what
clocks do; it simply asserts existence, or being.
When we say _Clocks hang, stand, last, lie_, or _remain_, these words _hang, stand, last_, etc., do not name
anything, nor do they tell that clocks act or simply exist; they tell the condition, or state, in which clocks are,
or exist; that is, they assert state of being.
All words that assert action, being, or state of being, we call +Verbs+ (+Lat+. _verbum_, a word). The name
was given to this class because it was thought that they were the most important words in the sentence.
Give several verbs that assert action. Give some that assert being, and some that assert state of being.
+DEFINITION+.+A Verb is a word that asserts action, being, or state of being+.
17
There are, however, two forms of the verb, the participle and the infinitive (see Lessons 37 and 40), that
express action, being, or state of being, without asserting it.
+Direction.+_Write after each of the following nouns as many appropriate verbs as you can think of_:
Let some express being and some express state of being.
+Model._Noun._ | burns. | melt. | scorches. Fire | keep. (or) + spreads. Fires | glow. | rages. | heat. | exists.
+Remark.+Notice that the simple form of the verb, as, _burn, melt, scorch_, adds s or es when its subject
noun names but one thing.
Lawyers, mills, horses, books, education, birds, mind.
A verb may consist of two, three, or even four words; as, _is learning, may be learned, could have been
learned_. [Footnote: Such groups of words are sometimes called _verbphrases_. For definition of _phrase_,
see Lesson 17.]
+Direction.+Unite the words in columns 2 and 3 _below, and append the verbs thus formed to the nouns
and pronouns in column_ 1 _so as to make good sentences_:
+Remark.+Notice that _is, was_, and has are used with nouns naming one thing, and with the pronouns
_he, she_, and _it_; and that _are, were_, and have are used with nouns naming more than one thing, and with
the pronouns _we, you_, and they. I may be used with _am, was_, and have.
1 2 3 Words am confused. Cotton is exported. Sugar are refined. Air coined. Teas was delivered. Speeches
were weighed. I, we, you has been imported. He, she, it, they have been transferred.
As verbs are the only words that assert, +every predicate+ must be a verb, or must contain a verb.
+Naming the class+ to which a word belongs is the +first step in parsing.+
+Direction+.Parse five of the sentences you have written.
+Model+.Poland was dismembered.
+Parsing+.Poland is a noun because ; was dismembered is a verb because it asserts action.
*****
LESSON 12.
MODIFIED SUBJECT.
ADJECTIVES.
+Introductory Hints+.The subject noun and the predicate verb are not always or often the whole of the
structure that we call the sentence, though they are the underlying timbers that support the rest of the verbal
bridge. Other words may be built upon them.
We learned in Lesson 8 that things resemble one another and differ from one another. They resemble and they
differ in what we call their qualities. Things are alike whose qualities are the same, as, two oranges having the
18
same color, taste, and odor. Things are unlike, as an orange and an apple, whose qualities are different.
It is by their qualities, then, that we know things and group them.
_Ripe apples are healthful. Unripe apples are hurtful._ In these two sentences we have the same word apples
to name the same general class of things; but the prefixed words ripe and unripe, marking opposite qualities in
the apples, separate the apples into two kindsthe ripe ones and the unripe ones.
These prefixed words ripe and _unripe_, then, limit the word apples in its scope; ripe apples or unripe apples
applies to fewer things than apples alone applies to.
If we say _the, this, that_ apple, or _an, no_ apple, or _some, many, eight_ apples, we do not mark any quality
of the fruit; but _the, this,_ or that points out a particular apple, and limits the word apple to the one pointed
out; and _an, no, some, many_, or eight limits the word in respect to the number of apples that it denotes.
These and all such words as by marking quality, by pointing out, or by specifying number or quantity limit the
scope or add to the meaning of the noun, +modify+ it, and are called +Modifiers+.
In the sentence above, apples is the +Simple Subject+ and ripe apples is the +Modified Subject+.
Words that modify nouns and pronouns are called +Adjectives+ (Lat. _ad_, to, and _jacere_, to throw).
+DEFINITION.A Modifier is a word or a group of words joined to some part of the sentence to qualify or
limit the meaning+.
The +Subject+ with its +Modifiers+ is called the +Modified Subject+, or Logical Subject.
+DEFINITION.An Adjective is a word used to modify a noun or a pronoun+.
Analysis and Parsing.
1. The cold November rain is falling.
rain | is falling =========================|============== \The \cold \November |
+Explanation.+The two lines shaded alike and placed uppermost stand for the subject and the predicate,
and show that these are of the same rank, and are the principal parts of the sentence. The lighter lines, placed
under and joined to the subject line, stand for the less important parts, the modifiers, and show what is
modified. [Footnote: TO THE TEACHER.When several adjectives are joined to one noun, each adjective
does not always modify the unlimited noun. _That old wooden house was burned._ Here wooden modifies
_house_, old modifies house limited by _wooden_, and that modifies house limited by old and wooden. This
may be illustrated in the diagram by numbering the modifiers in the order of their rank, thus:
| ==================|======= \3 \2 \1 |
Adverbs, and both phrase and clause modifiers often differ in rank in the same way. If the pupils are able to
see these distinctions, it will be well to have them made in the analysis, as they often determine the
punctuation and the arrangement. See Lessons 13 and 21.]
+TO THE TEACHER.+While we, from experience, are clear in the belief that diagrams are very helpful in
the analysis of sentences, we wish to say that the work required in this book can all be done without resorting
to these figures. If some other form, or no form, of written analysis is preferred, our diagrams can be omitted
19
20
21
+Oral Analysis+.Very quietly is a modifier of the predicate; quietly is the principal word of the group; very
modifies _quietly_; the leaves is the modified subject; fall very quietly is the modified predicate.
+Parsing+.Quietly is an adverb modifying _fall_, telling the manner; very is an adverb modifying
_quietly_, telling the degree.
2. The old, historic Charter Oak was blown down. 3. The stern, rigid Puritans often worshiped there. 4.
Brighteyed daisies peep up everywhere. 5. The precious morning hours should not be wasted. 6. The timely
suggestion was very kindly received. 7. We turned rather abruptly. 8. A highly enjoyable entertainment was
provided. 9. The entertainment was highly enjoyed. 10. Why will people exaggerate so! 11. A somewhat
dangerous pass had been reached quite unexpectedly. 12. We now travel still more rapidly. 13. Therefore he
spoke excitedly. 14. You will undoubtedly be very cordially welcomed. 15. A furious equinoctial gale has just
swept by. 16. The Hell Gate reef was slowly drilled away.
*****
LESSON 15.
COMPOSITIONADVERBS.
+Caution+.So place adverbs that there can be no doubt as to what you intend them to modify. Have regard
to the sound also.
+Direction+._Place the, italicized words below in different positions, and note the effect on the sound and
the sense_:
1. I immediately ran out. 2. Only one was left there. 3. She looked down proudly. 4. _Unfortunately_, this
assistance came too late.
+Direction+._Construct on each of these subjects three sentences having modified subjects and modified
predicates_:
For punctuation, see Lesson 21.
+Model+. clouds . 1. _Dark, heavy, threatening clouds are slowly gathering above_. 2. _Those,
brilliant, crimson clouds will very soon dissolve_. 3. _Thin, fleecy clouds are scudding over_.
l. ocean . 2. breeze . 3. shadows . 4. rock . 5. leaves
.
+Direction+._Compose sentences in which these adverbs shall modify verbs_:
Heretofore, hereafter, annually, tenderly, inaudibly, legibly, evasively, everywhere, aloof, forth.
+Direction+._Compose sentences in which five of these adverbs shall modify adjectives, and five shall
modify adverbs_:
Far, unusually, quite, altogether, slightly, somewhat, much, almost, too, rather.
*****
LESSON 16.
22
REVIEW.
TO THE TEACHER.In all school work, but especially here, where the philosophy of the sentence and the
principles of construction are developed in progressive steps, success depends largely on the character of the
reviews.
Let reviews be, so far as possible, topical. Require frequent outlines of the work passed over, especially of
what is taught in the "Introductory Hints." The language, except that of Rules and Definitions, should be the
pupil's own, and the illustrative sentences should be original.
+Direction+._Review from Lesson 8 to Lesson 15, inclusive_.
Give the substance of the "Introductory Hints" (tell, for example, what three things such words as _tick, are,_
and remain do in the sentence, what office they have in common, what such words are called, and why; what
common office such words as _ripe, the,_ and eight have, in what three ways they perform it, what such
words are called, and why, etc.). Repeat and illustrate definitions and rules; illustrate what is taught of the
capitalization and the abbreviation of names, and of the position of adjectives and adverbs.
Exercises on the Composition of the Sentence and the Paragraph.
(SEE PAGES 150153.)
TO THE TEACHER.After the pupil has learned a few principles of analysis and construction through the
aid of short detached sentences that exclude everything unfamiliar, he may be led to recognize these same
principles in longer related sentences grouped into paragraphs. The study of paragraphs selected for this
purpose may well be extended as an informal preparation for what is afterwards formally presented in the
regular lessons of the textbook.
These "Exercises" are offered only as suggestions. The teacher must, of course, determine where and how
often this composition should be introduced.
We invite special attention to the study of the paragraph.
*****
LESSON 17.
PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES AND PREPOSITIONS.
+Introductory Hints+.To express our thoughts with greater exactness we may need to expand a word
modifier into several words; as, A long ride brought us there = A ride of one hundred miles brought us to
Chicago. These groups of words, of one hundred miles and _to Chicago_the one substituted for the
adjective _long_, the other for the adverb _there_we call +Phrases+. A phrase that does the work of an
adjective is called an +Adjective Phrase+. A phrase that does the work of an adverb is called an +Adverb
Phrase+.
As adverbs modify adjectives and adverbs, they may modify their equivalent phrases; as, The train stops only
at the station. They sometimes modify only the introductory word of the phrasethis introductory word
being adverbial in its nature; as, He sailed nearly around the globe.
That we may learn the office of such words as _of, to_, and _at_, used to introduce these phrases, let us see
how the relation of one idea to another may be expressed. Wealthy men. These two words express two ideas as
23
related. We have learned to know this relation by the form and position of the words. Change these, and the
relation is lostmen wealth. But by using of before wealth the relation is restoredmen of wealth. The
word _of_, then, shows the relation between the ideas expressed by the words men and wealth.
All such relation words are called +Prepositions+ (Lat. _prae_, before, and _positus_, placedtheir usual
position being before the noun with which they form a phrase).
A phrase introduced by a preposition is called a +Prepositional Phrase+. This, however, is not the only kind of
phrase.
+DEFINITION.A Phrase is a group of words denoting related ideas, and having a distinct office, but not
expressing a thought+.
+DEFINITION.A Preposition is a word that introduces a phrase modifier, and shows the relation, in sense,
of its principal word to the word modified.+
Analysis and Parsing.
1. The pitch of the musical note depends upon the rapidity of vibration.
TO THE TEACHER.See suggestions in Lesson 12, concerning the use of diagrams.
pitch depends ==========|================= \The \of \upon \ \ \ note \ rapidity \
\ \the \musical \the \of \ \vibration \
+Explanation+.The diagram of the phrase is made up of a slanting line standing for the introductory word,
and a horizontal line representing the principal word. Under the latter are drawn the lines which represent the
modifiers of the principal word.
+Oral Analysis+.The and the adjective phrase of the musical note are modifiers of the subject; the adverb
phrase upon the rapidity of vibration is a modifier of the predicate. Of introduces the first phrase, and note is
the principal word; the and musical are modifiers of _note_; upon introduces the second phrase, and rapidity
is the principal word; the and the adjective phrase of vibration are modifiers of _rapidity_; of introduces this
phrase, and vibration is the principal word.
TO THE TEACHER.See suggestions in Lesson 12, concerning oral analysis.
+Parsing+.Of is a preposition showing the relation, in sense, of note to _pitch_; etc., etc.
TO THE TEACHER.Insist that, in parsing, the pupils shall give specific reasons instead of general
definitions.
2. The Gulf Stream can be traced along the shores of the United States by the blueness of the water. 3. The
North Pole has been approached in three principal directions. 4. In 1607, Hudson penetrated within six
hundred miles of the North Pole. [Footnote: "1607" may be treated as a noun, and "six hundred" as one
adjective.] 5. The breezy morning died into silent noon. 6. The Delta of the Mississippi was once at St. Louis.
7. Coal of all kinds has originated from the decay of plants. 8. Genius can breathe freely only in the
atmosphere of freedom.
\in \ \ _____\below \atmosphere \just \ \___________ \Falls \ \______ \only \ \the
+Explanation+.Only modifies the whole phrase, and just modifies the preposition.
24
9. The Suspension Bridge is stretched across the Niagara river just below the Falls. 10. In Mother Goose the
cow jumps clear over the moon. 11. The first standing army was formed in the middle of the fifteenth century.
12. The first astronomical observatory in Europe was erected at Seville by the Saracens. 13. The tails of some
comets stretch to the distance of 100,000,000 miles. 14. The body of the great Napoleon was carried back
from St. Helena to France.
*****
LESSON 18.
COMPOSITIONPREPOSITIONAL PHRASES.
+COMMARULE.Phrases that are placed out of their usual order [Footnote: For the usual order of words
and phrases, see Lesson 51.] and made emphatic, or that are loosely connected with the rest of the sentence,
should be set off by the comma.+ [Footnote: An expression in the body of a sentence is set off by two
commas; at the beginning or at the end, by one comma.]
+Remark.+This rule must be applied with caution. Unless it is desired to make the phrase emphatic, or to
break the continuity of the thought, the growing usage among writers is not to set it off.
+Direction.+_Tell why the comma is, or is not, used in these sentences_:
1. Between the two mountains lies a fertile valley. 2. Of the scenery along the Rhine, many travelers speak
with enthusiasm. 3. He went, at the urgent request of the stranger, for the doctor. 4. He went from New York
to Philadelphia on Monday. 5. In the dead of night, with a chosen band, under the cover of a truce, he
approached.
+Direction+._Punctuate such of these sentences as need punctuation_:
1. England in the eleventh century was conquered by the Normans. 2. Amid the angry yells of the spectators
he died. 3. For the sake of emphasis a word or a phrase may be placed out of its natural order. 4. In the
Pickwick Papers the conversation of Sam Weller is spiced with wit. 5. New York on the contrary abounds in
men of wealth. 6. It has come down by uninterrupted tradition from the earliest times to the present day.
+Direction+._See in how many places the phrases in the sentences above may stand without obscuring the
thought._
+Caution+.So place phrase modifiers that there can be no doubt as to what yon intend them to modify.
Have regard to the sound also.
+Direction+._Correct these errors in position, and use the comma when needed_:
1. The honorable member was reproved for being intoxicated by the president. 2. That small man is speaking
with red whiskers. 3. A message was read from the President in the Senate. 4. With his gun toward the woods
he started in the morning. 5. On Monday evening on temperance by Mr. Gough a lecture at the old brick
church was delivered.
+Direction+._Form a sentence out of each of these groups of words_:
(Look sharply to the arrangement and the punctuation.)
1. Of mind of splendor under the garb often is concealed poverty. 2. Of affectation of the young fop in the
25
face impertinent an was seen smile. 3. Has been scattered Bible English the of millions by hundreds of the
earth over the face. 4. To the end with no small difficulty of the journey at last through deep roads we after
much fatigue came. 5. At the distance a flood of flame from the line from thirty iron mouths of twelve
hundred yards of the enemy poured forth.
+Direction+._See into how many good, clear sentences you can convert these by transposing the
phrases_:
1. He went over the mountains on a certain day in early boyhood. 2. Ticonderoga was taken from the British
by Ethan Allen on the tenth of May in 1775.
*****
LESSON 19.
COMPOSITIONPREPOSITIONAL PHRASES.
+Direction+._Rewrite these sentences, changing the italicized words into equivalent phrases_:
+Model+.The sentence was carefully written. The sentence was written with care.
1. A brazen image was then set up. 2. Those homeless children were kindly treated. 3. Much has been said
about the Swiss scenery. 4. An aerial trip to Europe was rashly planned. 5. The American Continent was
probably discovered by Cabot.
+Direction+._Change these adjectives and adverbs into equivalent phrases; and then, attending carefully to
the punctuation, use these phrases in sentences of your own_:
1. Bostonian 2. why 3. incautiously 4. nowhere 5. there 6. hence 7. northerly 8. national 9. whence 10. here
11. Arabian 12. lengthy 13. historical 14. lucidly 15. earthward
+Direction+._Compose sentences, using these phrases as modifiers_:
Of copper; in Pennsylvania; from the West Indies; around the world; between the tropics; toward the Pacific;
on the 22d of February; during the reign of Elizabeth; before the application of steam to machinery; at the
Centennial Exposition of 1876.
*****
LESSON 20.
COMPOUND SUBJECT AND COMPOUND PREDICATE.
CONJUNCTIONS AND INTERJECTIONS.
+Introductory Hints.+_Edward, Mary, and Elizabeth reigned in England._ The three words _Edward,
Mary,_ and Elizabeth have the same predicatethe same act being asserted of the king and the two queens.
_Edward, Mary_, and Elizabeth are connected by _and_, and being understood between Edward and Mary.
Connected subjects having the same predicate form a +Compound Subject+.
_Charles I. was seized, was tried, and was beheaded._ The three predicates _was seized, was tried_, and was
beheaded have the same subjectthe three acts being asserted of the same king. Connected predicates having
26
27
28
29
30
LESSON 24.
REVIEW.
CAPITAL LETTERS AND PUNCTUATION.
Direction.+_Give the reason for every capital letter and for every mark of punctuation used below:_
1. The sensitive parts of the body are covered by the cuticle, or skin. 2. The degrees of A.B., A.M., D.D., and
LL.D. are conferred by the colleges and the universities of the country. 3. Oh, I am so happy! 4. Fathers and
mothers, sons and daughters rejoice at the news. 5. Plants are nourished by the earth, and the carbon of the air.
6. A tide of American travelers is constantly flooding Europe. 7. The tireless, sleepless sun rises above the
horizon, and climbs slowly and steadily to the zenith. 8. He retired to private life on half pay, and on the
income of a large estate in the South.
+Direction.+_Write these expressions, using capital letters and marks of punctuation where they
belong:_
1. a fresh ruddy and beardless french youth replied 2. maj, cal, bu, p m, rev, no, hon, ft, w, e, oz, mr, n y, a b,
mon, bbl, st 3. o father o father i cannot breathe here 4. ha ha that sounds well 5. the edict of nantes was
established by henry the great of france 6. mrs, vs, co, esq, yd, pres, u s, prof, o, do, dr 7. hurrah good news
good news 8. the largest fortunes grow by the saving of cents and dimes and dollars 9. the baltic sea lies
between sweden and russia 10. the mississippi river pours into the gulf of mexico 11. supt, capt, qt, ph d, p, cr,
i e, doz 12. benjamin franklin was born in boston in 1706 and died in 1790
+Direction.+_Correct all these errors in capitalization and punctuation, and give your reasons:_
1 Oliver cromwell ruled, over the english People, 2. halloo. I must speak to You! 3. john Milton, went abroad
in Early Life, and, stayed, for some time, with the Scholars of Italy, 4. Most Fuel consists of Coal and Wood
from the Forests 5. books are read for Pleasure and the Instruction and improvement of the Intellect, 6. In
rainy weather the feet should be protected by overshoes or galoches 7. hark they are coming! 8. A, neat,
simple and manly style is pleasing to Us. 9. alas poor thing alas, 10. i fished on a, dark, and cool, and mossy,
trout stream.
*****
LESSON 25.
MISCELLANEOUS EXERCISES IN REVIEW.
ANALYSIS.
1. By the streets of Byandby, one arrives at the house of Never.Spanish Proverb [Footnote: Byandby
has no real streets, the London journals do not actually thunder, nor were the cheeks of William the Testy
literally scorched by his fiery gray eyes. _Streets, house, colored, thunder_, and scorched are not, then, used
here in their first and ordinary meaning, but in a secondary and figurative sense. These words we call
+Metaphors+. By what they denote and by what they only suggest they lend clearness, vividness, and force to
the thought they help to convey, and add beauty to the expression.
For further treatment of metaphors and other figures of speech, see pages 87, 136, 155, 156, 165, and Lesson
150.]
31
2. The winds and waves are always on the side of the ablest navigators.Gibbon. 3. The axis of the earth
sticks out visibly through the center of each and every town or city.Holmes. 4. The arrogant Spartan, with a
Frenchlike glorification, boasted forever of little Thermopylae.De Quincey. 5. The purest act of
knowledge is always colored by some feeling of pleasure or pain.Hamilton. 6. The thunder of the great
London journals reverberates through every clime.Marsh. 7. The cheeks of William the Testy were
scorched into a dusky red by two fiery little gray eyes.Irving. 8. The study of natural science goes hand in
hand with the culture of the imagination.Tyndall. [Footnote: Hand in hand may be treated as one adverb, or
with may be supplied.] 9. The whole substance of the winds is drenched and bathed and washed and
winnowed and sifted through and through by this baptism in the sea.Swain. 10. The Arabian Empire
stretched from the Atlantic to the Chinese Wall, and from the shores of the Caspian Sea to those of the Indian
Ocean.Draper. 11. One half of all known materials consists of oxygen.Cooke. 12. The range of thirty
pyramids, even in the time of Abraham, looked down on the plain of Memphis.Stanley.
*****
LESSON 26.
WRITTEN PARSING.
+Direction+._Parse the sentences of Lesson 25 according to this +Model for Written Parsing_.
| Nouns. | Pron. | Verbs.| Adj. | Adv. | Prep. | Conj.| Int.|
||||||||| 1st |streets,| | |the,the.| |By,of,
| | | sentence|Byand | one. |arives.| | |at,of | | | | by, | | | | | | | | |house, | | | | | | | | |Never. | | | | | | | |
||||||||| | | | | | | | | | 2d | | | |
| | | | | sentence| | | | | | | | |
TO THE TEACHER.Until the +Subdivisions+ and +Modifications+ of parts of speech are reached, +Oral
and Written Parsing+ can be only a classification of the words in the sentence. You must judge how
frequently a lesson like this is needed, and how much parsing should be done orally day by day. In their +Oral
Analysis+ let the pupils give at first the reasons for every statement, but guard against their doing this
mechanically and in set terms; and, when you think it can safely be done, let them drop it. But ask now and
then, whenever you think they have grown careless or are guessing, for the reason of this, that, or the other
step taken.
Here it may be well to emphasize the fact that the part of speech to which any word belongs is determined by
the use of the word, and not from its form. Such exercises as the following are suggested:
Use right words. Act right. Right the wrong. You are in the right.
Pupils will be interested in finding sentences that illustrate the different uses of the same word. It is hardly
necessary for us to make lists of words that have different uses. Any dictionary will furnish abundant
examples. It is an excellent practice to point out such words in the regular exercises for analysis.
*****
LESSON 27.
REVIEW.
TO THE TEACHER.See suggestions, Lesson 16.
32
33
9. The moon revolves, and keeps the same side toward us. 10. Hunger rings the bell, and orders up coals in the
shape of bread and butter, beef and bacon, pies and puddings. 11. The history of the Trojan war rests on the
authority of Homer, and forms the subject of the noblest poem of antiquity. 12. Every stalk, bud, flower, and
seed displays a figure, a proportion, a harmony, beyond the reach of art. 13. The natives of Ceylon build
houses of the trunk, and thatch roofs with the leaves, of the cocoanut palm. 14. Richelieu exiled the mother,
oppressed the wife, degraded the brother, and banished the confessor, of the king. 15. James and John study
and recite grammar and arithmetic.
James study grammar =========\ /===========\ /=============== ' \ | / ' \ | / ' 'and ==|== and' =====
and' John ' / | \ ' recite / \ ' arithmetic =========/ \===========/ \===============
*****
LESSON 29.
NOUNS AND ADJECTIVES AS ATTRIBUTE COMPLEMENTS.
+Introductory Hints+.The subject presents one idea; the predicate presents another, and asserts it of the
first. Corn is growing presents the idea of the thing, corn, and the idea of the act, growing, and asserts the act
of the thing. Corn growing lacks the asserting word, and Corn is lacks the word denoting the idea to be
asserted.
In logic, the asserting word is called the _copula_it shows that the two ideas are coupled into a
thoughtand the word expressing the idea asserted is called the predicate. But, as one word often performs
both offices, e. g., Corn _grows_, and, as it is disputed whether any word can assert without expressing
something of the idea asserted, we pass this distinction by as not essential in grammar, and call both that
which asserts and that which expresses the idea asserted, by one namethe predicate. [Footnote: We may
call the verb the predicate; but, when it is followed by a complement, it is an incomplete predicate.]
The maple leaves become. The verb become does not make a complete predicate; it does not fully express the
idea to be asserted. The idea may be completely expressed by adding the adjective _red_, denoting the quality
we wish to assert of leaves, or attribute to themThe maple leaves become red.
Lizards are reptiles. The noun _reptiles_, naming the class of the animals called lizards, performs a like office
for the asserting word are. _Rolfe's wife was Pocahontas_. Pocahontas completes the predicate by presenting
a second idea, which was asserts to be identical with that of the subject.
When the completing word expressing the idea to be attributed does not unite with the asserting word to make
a single verb, we distinguish it as the +Attribute Complement.+ [Footnote: Subjective Complement may, if
preferred, be used instead of Attribute Complement.] Connected attribute complements of the same verb form
a +Compound Attribute Complement+.
Most grammarians call the adjective and the noun, when so used, the +Predicate Adjective+ and the
+Predicate Noun+.
+DEFINITION.The Attribute Complement of a Sentence completes the predicate and belongs to the
subject.+
Analysis.
1. Slang is vulgar.
34
35
present an adjective.
9. This book is presented to you as a token of esteem and gratitude. 10. The warrior fell back upon the bed a
lifeless corpse. 11. The apple tastes and smells delicious. 12. Lord Darnley turned out a dissolute and insolent
husband. 13. In the fable of the Discontented Pendulum, the weights hung speechless. 14. The brightness and
freedom of the New Learning seemed incarnate in the young and scholarly Sir Thomas More. 15. Sir Philip
Sidney lived and died the darling of the Court, and the gentleman and idol of the time.
*****
LESSON 31.
OBJECTIVE COMPLEMENTS.
+Introductory Hints+._He made the wall white._ Here made does not fully express the act performed upon
the wall. We do not mean to say, He made the white _wall_, but, He _madewhite_ (_whitened_) the wall.
White helps made to express the act, and at the same time it denotes the quality attributed to the wall as the
result of the act.
They made Victoria queen. Here made does not fully express the act performed upon Victoria. They did not
make Victoria, but _madequeen_ (_crowned_) Victoria. Queen helps made to express the act, and at the
same time denotes the office to which the act raised Victoria.
A word that, like the adjective white or the noun _queen_, helps to complete the predicate and at the same
time belongs to the object complement, differs from an attribute complement by belonging not to the subject
but to the object complement, and so is called an +Objective Complement+.
As the objective complement generally denotes what the receiver of the act is made to be, in fact or in
thought, it is sometimes called the factitive complement or the factitive object (Lat. _facere_, to make).
[Footnote: See Lesson 37, last footnote.]
Some of the other verbs which are thus completed are _call_, _think_, _choose_, and name.
+DEFINITION.The Objective Complement completes the predicate and belongs to the object
complement.+
Analysis.
1. They made Victoria queen.
They | made / queen | Victoria ======|========================= |
+Explanation+.The line that separates made from queen slants toward the object complement to show that
queen belongs to the object.
+Oral Analysis+.Queen is an objective complement completing made and belonging to _Victoria_; made
Victoria queen is the complete predicate.
2. Some one has called the eye the window of the soul. 3. Destiny had made Mr. Churchill a schoolmaster. 4.
President Hayes chose the Hon. Wm. M. Evarts Secretary of State. 5. After a break of sixty years in the ducal
line of the English nobility, James I. created the worthless Villiers Duke of Buckingham. 6. We should
consider time as a sacred trust.
36
37
+Remark+.Notice that these forms of the pronouns_I, we, thou, he, she, ye, they_, and _who_are
never used as object complements or as principal words in prepositional phrases; and that _me, us, thee, him,
her, them_, and whom are never used as subjects or as attribute complements of sentences.
+Direction+._Compose sentences in which each of the following verbs shall have two complementsthe
one an object complement, the other an objective complement:_
Let some object complements be pronouns, and let some objective complements be introduced by as.
+Model+.They call me chief. We regard composition as very important.
Make, appoint, consider, choose, call.
*****
LESSON 33.
NOUNS AS ADJECTIVE MODIFIERS.
+Introductory Hints+._Solomon's temple was destroyed. Solomon's_ limits temple by telling what or
whose temple is spoken of, and is therefore a modifier of temple.
The relation of Solomon to the temple is expressed by the apostrophe and s ('_s_) added to the noun Solomon.
When s has been added to the noun to denote more than one, this relation of possession is expressed by the
apostrophe alone ('); as, _boys'_ hats. This same relation of possession may be expressed by the preposition
_of_; _Solomon's_ temple = the temple of Solomon.
_Dom Pedro, the emperor, was welcomed by the Americans_. The noun emperor modifies Dom Pedro by
telling what Dom Pedro is meant. Both words name the same person.
_Solomon's_ and _emperor_, like adjectives, modify nouns; but they are names of things, and are modified by
adjectives and not by adverbs; as, the wise Solomon's temple; Dom Pedro, the Brazilian emperor. These are
conclusive reasons for calling such words nouns.
They represent two kinds of +Noun Modifiers+the +Possessive+ and the +Explanatory+.
The Explanatory Modifier is often called an +Appositive+. It identifies or explains by adding another name of
the same thing.
Analysis.
1. Elizabeth's favorite, Raleigh, was beheaded by James I.
favorite (Raleigh) | was beheaded ====================|============== \Elizabeth's | \by \ James I
\
+Oral Analysts+._Elizabeth's_ and Raleigh are modifiers of the subject; the first word telling whose
favorite is meant, the second what favorite. _Elizabeth's favorite, Raleigh_ is the modified subject.
2. The best features of King James's translation of the Bible are derived from Tyndale's version. 3. St. Paul,
the apostle, was beheaded in the reign of Nero. 4. A fool's bolt is soon shot. 5. The tadpole, or polliwog,
becomes a frog. 6. An idle brain is the devil's workshop. 7. Mahomet, or Mohammed, was born in the year
38
569 and died in 632. 8. They scaled Mount Blanca daring feat.
They | scaled | Mount Blanc ( feat ) ======|===================== ======= | \a \daring
+Explanation+.Feat is explanatory of the sentence, _They scaled Mount Blanc_, and in the diagram it
stands, enclosed in curves, on a short line placed after the sentence line.
9. Bees communicate to each other the death of the queen, by a rapid interlacing of the antennae. [Footnote:
For uses of each other and _one another_, see Lesson 124.]
+Explanation+.Each other may be treated as one term, or each may be made explanatory of bees.
10. The lamp of a man's life has three wicksbrain, blood, and breath.
+Explanation.+Several words may together be explanatory of one.
11. The turtle's backbone and breastboneits shell and coat of armorare on the outside of its body.
backbone shell =============\ ========\ '\ /' \ | are and' \==========(======/ 'and \=)=|======= '
/ \turtle's \its \ ' / | breastbone '/ \The \' coat / =============/ ========/
12. Cromwell's rule as Protector began in the year 1653 and ended in 1658.
+Explanation+._As, namely, to wit, viz., i.e., e.g.,_ and that is may introduce explanatory modifiers, but
they do not seem to connect them to the words modified. In the diagram they stand like as in Lesson 30.
Protector is explanatory of _Cromwell's_.
13. In the latter half of the eighteenth century, three powerful nations, namely, Russia, Austria, and Prussia,
united for the dismemberment of Poland. 14. John, the beloved disciple, lay on his Master's breast. 15. The
petals of the daisy, _day'seye_, close at night and in rainy weather.
*****
LESSON 34.
COMPOSITIONNOUNS AS ADJECTIVE MODIFIERS.
+COMMARULE.An _Explanatory Modifier_, when it does not restrict the modified term or combine
closely with it, is set off by the comma.+ [Footnote: See footnote, Lesson 18]
+Explanation+.The words I and O should be written in capital letters. The phrase I and O restricts
_words_, that is, limits its application, and no comma is needed.
_Jacob's favorite sons, Joseph and Benjamin, were Rachel's children_. The phrase Joseph and Benjamin
explains sons without restricting, and therefore should be set off by the comma.
In each of these expressions, _I myself, we boys, William the Conqueror_, the explanatory term combines
closely with the word explained, and no comma is needed.
+Direction+._Give the reasons for the insertion or the omission of commas in these sentences_:
1. My brother Henry and my brother George belong to a boatclub. 2. The author of Pilgrim's Progress, John
39
Bunyan, was the son of a tinker. 3. Shakespeare, the great dramatist, was careless of his literary reputation. 4.
The conqueror of Mexico, Cortez, was cruel in his treatment of Montezuma. 5. Pizarro, the conqueror of Peru,
was a Spaniard. 6. The Emperors Napoleon and Alexander met and became fast friends on a raft at Tilsit.
+Direction+._Insert commas below, where they are needed, and give your reasons_:
1. The Franks a warlike people of Germany gave their name to France. 2. My son Joseph has entered college.
3. You blocks! You stones! 0 you hard hearts! 4. Mecca a city in Arabia is sacred in the eyes of
Mohammedans. 5. He himself could not go. 6. The poet Spenser lived in the reign of Elizabeth. 7. Elizabeth
Queen of England ruled from 1558 to 1603.
+Direction.+_Compose sentences containing these expressions as explanatory modifiers_:
The most useful metal; the capital of Turkey; the Imperial City; the great English poets; the hermit; a
distinguished American statesman.
+Direction.+_Punctuate these expressions, and employ each of them in a sentence_:
See Remark, Lesson 21. Omit _or_, and note the effect.
1. Palestine or the Holy Land . 2. New York or the Empire State . 3. New Orleans or the Crescent
City . 4. The five Books of Moses or the Pentateuch .
+Remember+ that (_'s_) and (_'_) are the possessive signs(_'_) being used when s has been added to denote
more than one, and (_'s_) in other cases.
+Direction.+_Copy the following, and note the use of the possessive sign_:
The lady's fan; the girl's bonnet; a dollar's worth; Burns's poems; Brown & Co.'s business; a day's work; men's
clothing; children's toys; those girls' dresses; ladies' calls; three years' interest; five dollars' worth.
+Direction.+_Make possessive modifiers of the following words, and join them to appropriate nouns_:
Woman, women; mouse, mice; buffalo, buffaloes; fairy, fairies; hero, heroes; baby, babies; calf, calves.
+Caution.+Do not use (_'s_) or (_'_) with the pronouns _its, his, ours, yours, hers, theirs_.
*****
LESSON 35.
NOUNS AS ADVERB MODIFIERS.
+Introductory Hints.+He gave me a book. Here we have what many grammarians call a double object.
_Book_, naming the thing acted upon, they call the direct object; and _me_, naming the person toward whom
the act is directed, they call the +indirect+, or _dative_, +object+.
You see that me and book do not, like Cornwallis and _army_, in _Washington captured Cornwallis and his
army_, form a compound object complement; they cannot be connected by a conjunction, for they do not
stand in the same relation to the verb gave. The meaning is not, He gave me and the book.
We treat these indirect objects, which generally denote the person to or for whom something is done, as
40
equivalent to phrase modifiers. If we change the order of the words, a preposition must be supplied; as, He
gave a book to me. He bought me a _book_; He bought a book for me. He asked me a _question_; He asked a
question of me. When the indirect object precedes the direct, no preposition is expressed or understood.
_Teach, tell, send, promise, permit_, and lend are other examples of verbs that take indirect objects.
Besides these indirect objects, +nouns denoting measure+, quantity, weight, time, value, distance, or direction
are often used adverbially, being equivalent to phrase modifiers. We walked four miles an _hour_; It weighs
one _pound_; It is worth a dollar a _yard_; I went home that _way_; The wall is ten feet six inches high.
The idiom of the language does not often admit a preposition before nouns denoting measure, direction, etc. In
your analysis you need not supply one.
+Analysis.+
1. They offered Caesar the crown three times.
They | offered | crown ========|========================== | \ \ times \the \ \ \three \ \
Caesar
+Oral Analysis.+Caesar and times are nouns used adverbially, being equivalent to adverb phrases
modifying the predicate offered.
2. We pay the President of the United States $50,000 a year. 3. He sent his daughter home that way. 4. I gave
him a dollar a bushel for his wheat, and ten cents a pound for his sugar. 5. Shakespeare was fiftytwo years
old the very day of his death. 6. Serpents cast their skin once a year. 7. The famous Charter Oak of Hartford,
Conn., fell Aug. 21, 1856. 8. Good land should yield its owner seventyfive bushels of corn an acre. 9. On the
fatal field of Zutphen, Sept. 22, 1586, his attendants brought the wounded Sir Philip Sidney a cup of cold
water. 10. He magnanimously gave a dying soldier the water. 11. The frog lives several weeks as a fish, and
breathes by means of gills. 12. Queen Esther asked King Ahasuerus a favor. 13. Aristotle taught Alexander
the Great philosophy. 14. The pure attar of roses is worth twenty or thirty dollars an ounce. 15. Puffballs
have grown six inches in diameter in a single night.
*****
LESSON 36.
REVIEW.
TO THE TEACHER.See suggestions, Lesson 16.
+Direction.+_Review from Lesson 28 to Lesson 35, inclusive_.
Give the substance of the "Introductory Hints" (for example, show clearly what two things are essential to a
complete predicate; explain what is meant by a complement; distinguish clearly the three kinds of
complements; show what parts of speech may be employed for each, and tell what general ideaaction,
quality, class, or identityis expressed by each attribute complement or objective complement in your
illustrations, etc.). Repeat and illustrate definitions and rules; explain and illustrate fully the distinction
between an adjective complement and an adverb modifier; illustrate what is taught of the forms _I, we,_ etc.,
_me, us,_ etc.; explain and illustrate the use of the possessive sign.
Exercises on the Composition of the Sentence and the Paragraph.
41
42
purpose, and always preceded by the preposition to. To call these words in question gerunds is to stretch the
term gerund immensely beyond its meaning in AngloSaxon, and make it cover words which sometimes (1)
are highly compounded; sometimes (2) are used in the passive voice; sometimes (3) follow other prepositions
than _to_; sometimes (4) do not follow any preposition; sometimes (5) are objects of verbs; sometimes (6) are
subjects of verbs; sometimes (7) are modified by _the_; sometimes (8) are modified by a noun or pronoun in
the possessive; and generally (9) do not indicate purpose. We submit that the extension of a class term so as to
include words having these relations that the AngloSaxon gerund never had, is not warranted by any
precedent except that furnished above in the extension of the term infinitive or of the term _verbal noun_!
Still others call some of these words _Infinitives_; some of them _Verbal Nouns_; and some of them
Gerunds.
The forms in question_seeing, having seen, being seen, having been seen_, and _having been seeing_, for
instanceare now made from the verb in precisely the same way when partaking the nature of the noun as
when partaking the nature of the adjective. What can they possibly be but the forms that all grammarians call
participles extended to new uses? If the uses of the original participles have been extended, why may we not
carry over the name? The name participle is as true to its etymology when applied to the nounal use of the
verb as when applied to the adjectival use. For convenience of classification we call these disputed forms
_participles_, as good grammarians long ago called them and still call them, though some of them may be
traced back to the Saxon verbal noun or to the infinitive, and though the Saxon participle was adjectival. The
name participle neither confounds terms nor misleads the student. The nounal and the adjectival uses of
participial forms we distinguish very sharply.] one sharing the nature of the verb and that of the adjective; the
other, the nature of the verb and that of the noun. Participles commonly end in _ing_, _ed_, or en.
The participle, like other forms of the verb, may be followed by an object complement or an attribute
complement.
Analysis and Parsing.
The +participle+ may be used as an +adjective modifier+.
1. Hearing a step, I turned.
I | turned ===|========= \ | \ hea \ ring | step | \a
+Explanation+.The line standing for the participle is broken; one part slants to represent the adjective
nature of the participle, and the other is horizontal to represent its verbal nature.
+Oral Analysis+.The phrase hearing a step is a modifier of the subject; [Footnote: Logically, or in sense,
hearing a step modifies the predicate also. I turned when or because I heard a step. See Lesson 79.] the
principal word is _hearing_, which is completed by the noun _step_; step is modified by a.
+Parsing+.Hearing is a form of the verb called participle because the act expressed by it is merely
assumed, and it shares the nature of an adjective and that of a verb.
2. The fat of the body is fuel laid away for use.
+Explanation+.The complement is here modified by a participle phrase.
3. The spinal marrow, proceeding from the brain, extends downward through the backbone. 4. Van Twiller
sat in a huge chair of solid oak, hewn in the celebrated forest of the Hague.
43
44
45
7. We should avoid injuring the feelings of others. 8. My going there will depend upon my father's giving his
consent. 9. Good reading aloud is a rare accomplishment.
The +participial form+ may be used as a +mere noun+ or a +mere adjective+.
10. The cackling of geese saved Rome.
11. Such was the exciting campaign, celebrated in many a longforgotten song. [Footnote: "Manig man in
AngloSaxon was used like German _mancher mann_, Latin _multus vir_, and the like, until the thirteenth
century; when the article was inserted to emphasize the distribution before indicated by the singular
number."_Prof. F. A. March._]
+Explanation+.Many modifies song after song has been limited by a and _longforgotten_.
12. All silencing of discussion is an assumption of infallibility. 13. He was a squeezing, grasping, hardened
old sinner.
The +participle+ may be used in +independent+ or +absolute phrases+.
14. The bridge at Ashtabula giving way, the train fell into the river.
+Explanation+.The diagram of the absolute phrase, which consists of a noun used independently with a
participle, stands by itself. See lesson 44.
15. Talking of exercise, you have heard, of course, of Dickens's "constitutionals."
*****
LESSON 39.
COMPOSITIONPARTICIPLES.
+COMMARULE.The Participle used as an adjective modifier, with the words belonging to it, is set off+
[Footnote: An expression in the body of a sentence is set off by two commas; at the beginning or at the end,
by one comma.] +by the comma unless restrictive+.
+Explanation+._A bird, lighting near my window, greeted me with a song. The bird sitting on the wall is a
wren. Lighting_ describes without restricting; sitting restrictslimits the application of bird to a particular
bird.
+Direction+.Justify the punctuation of the participle phrases in Lesson 37.
+Caution+.In using a participle, be careful to leave no doubt as to what you intend it to modify.
+Direction+._Correct these errors in arrangement, and punctuate, giving your reasons:_
1. A gentleman will let his house going abroad for the summer to a small family containing all the
improvements. 2. The town contains fifty houses and one hundred inhabitants built of brick. 3. Suits ready
made of material cut by an experienced tailor handsomely trimmed and bought at a bargain are offered cheap.
4. Seated on the topmost branch of a tall tree busily engaged in gnawing an acorn we espied a squirrel. 5. A
poor child was found in the streets by a wealthy and benevolent gentleman suffering from cold and hunger.
46
+Direction+._Recast these sentences, making the reference of the participle clear, and punctuating
correctly_:
+Model+._Climbing to the top of the hill the Atlantic ocean was seen._ Incorrect because it appears that
the ocean did the climbing.
_Climbing to the top of the hill, we saw the Atlantic ocean_.
1. Entering the next room was seen a marble statue of Apollo. 2. By giving him a few hints he was prepared to
do the work well. 3. Desiring an early start the horse was saddled by five o'clock.
+Direction+._Compose sentences in which each of these three participles shall be used as an adjective
modifier, as the principal word in a prepositional phrase, as the principal word in a phrase used as a subject or
as an object complement, as a mere adjective, as a mere noun, and in an absolute phrase_:
Buzzing, leaping, waving.
*****
LESSON 40.
VERBS AS NOUNSINFINITIVES.
+Introductory Hints+.I came to see you. Here the verb _see_, like the participle, lacks asserting powerI
to see asserts nothing. _See_, following the preposition _to_, [Footnote: For the discussion of to with the
infinitive, see Lesson 134.] names the act and is completed by _you_, and so does duty as a noun and as a
verb. In office it is like the second kind of participles, described in Lesson 37, and from many grammarians
has received the same namesome calling both _gerunds_, and others calling both infinitives. It differs from
this participle in form, and in following only the preposition to. Came _to see_=came for seeing.
This form of the verb is frequently the principal word of a phrase used as a subject or as an object,
complement; as, To read good books is profitable; I like to read good books. Here also the form with to is
equivalent to the participle form reading. Reading good books is profitable.
As this form of the verb names the action in an indefinite way, without limiting it to a subject, we call it the
+Infinitive+ (Lat. _infinitus_, without limit). For definition, see Lesson 131. The infinitive, like the participle,
may have what is called an assumed subject. The assumed subject denotes that to which the action or being
expressed by the participle or the infinitive belongs.
Frequently the infinitive phrase expresses purpose, as in the first example given above, and in such cases to
expresses relation, and performs its full function as a preposition; but, when the infinitive phrase is used as
subject or as object complement, the to expresses no relation. It serves only to introduce the phrase, and in no
way affects the meaning of the verb.
The infinitive, like other forms of the verb, may be followed by the different complements.
Analysis and Parsing.
The +infinitive phrase+ may be used as an +adjective modifier+ or an +adverb modifier+.
1. The hothouse is a trap to catch sunbeams.
47
48
LESSON 41.
INFINITIVESCONTINUED.
Analysis.
The +infinitive phrase+ may be used +after a preposition+ as the +principal term+ of another phrase.
1. My friend is about to leave me.
\to \ leave | me \' \ about | \ / \ \ | friend | is \ / \
========|===================== \My |
+Explanation+.The preposition about introduces the phrase used as attribute complement; the principal part
is the infinitive phrase to leave me.
2. Paul was now about to open his mouth. 3. No way remains but to go on.
+Explanation+.But is here a preposition.
The +infinitive+ and its +assumed subject+ may form the +principal term+ in a phrase introduced by the
preposition +for+.
4. For us to know our faults is profitable.
us | \to \ | \ know | faults \For | \' \ / \ \our \ | / \ | is \ profitable
=============|====================== |
+Explanation+.For introduces the subject phrase; the principal part of the entire phrase is _us to know our
faults;_ the principal word is _us_, which is modified by the phrase to know our faults.
5. God never made his work for man to mend.
+Explanation+.The principal term of the phrase for man to mend is not _man_, but man to mend.
6. For a man to be proud of his learning is the greatest ignorance.
The +infinitive phrase+ may be used as an +explanatory modifier.+
7. It is easy to find fault.
\to \ find | fault \' | It (/ \) | is \ easy =========|=========== |
+Explanation+.The infinitive phrase to find fault explains the subject it. Read the sentence without _it_,
and you will see the real nature of the phrase. This use of it as a substitute for the real subject is a very
common idiom of our language. It allows the real subject to follow the verb, and thus gives the sentence
balance of parts.
8. It is not the way to argue down a vice to tell lies about it. 9. It is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of
hope. 10. It is not all of life to live. 11. This task, to teach the young, may become delightful.
The +infinitive phrase+ may be used as +objective complement.+
49
50
1. England's debt, to put it in round numbers, is $4,000,000,000. 2. Every object has several faces, so to speak.
3. To make a long story short, Louis XVI. and Marie Antoinette were executed.
Infinitives and Participles.
MISCELLANEOUS.
4. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord. 5. We require clothing in the summer to protect the body
from the heat of the sun. 6. Rip Van Winkle could not account for everything's having changed so. 7. This
sentence is not too difficult for me to analyze. 8. The fog came pouring in at every chink and keyhole, 9.
Conscience, her first law broken, wounded lies. 10. To be, or not to be,that is the question. 11. I supposed
him to be a gentleman. 12. Food, keeping the body in health by making it warm and repairing its waste, is a
necessity. 13. I will teach you the trick to prevent your being cheated another time. 14. She threatened to go
beyond the sea, to throw herself out of the window, to drown herself. 15. Busied with public affairs, the
council would sit for hours smoking and watching the smoke curl from their pipes to the ceiling.
*****
LESSON 43.
COMPOSITIONTHE INFINITIVE.
+Direction+._Change the infinitives in these sentences into participles, and the participles into
infinitives_:
Notice that _to_, the only preposition used with the infinitive, is changed to _toward, for, of, at, in,_ or _on_,
when the infinitive is changed to a participle.
1. I am inclined to believe it. 2. I am ashamed to be seen there. 3. She will be grieved to hear it. 4. They
trembled to hear such words. 5. It will serve for amusing the children. 6. There is a time to laugh. 7. I rejoice
to hear it. 8. You are prompt to obey. 9. They delight to do it. 10. I am surprised at seeing you. 11. Stones are
used in ballasting vessels.
+Direction+._Improve these sentences by changing the participles into infinitives, and the infinitives into
participles_:
1. We began ascending the mountain. 2. He did not recollect to have paid it. 3. I commenced to write a letter.
4. It is inconvenient being poor. 5. It is not wise complaining.
+Direction+._Vary these sentences as in the model_:
+Model+.Rising early is healthful; To rise early is healthful; It is healthful to rise early; For one to rise
early is healthful.
(Notice that the explanatory phrase after it is not set off by the comma.)
1. Reading good books is profitable. 2. Equivocating is disgraceful. 3. Slandering is base. 4. Indorsing
another's paper is dangerous. 5. Swearing is sinful.
+Direction.+_Write nine sentences, in three of which the infinitive phrase shall be used as an adjective, in
three as an adverb, and in three as a noun_.
51
+Direction.+_Write eight sentences in which these verbs shall be followed by an infinitive without the
to_:
+Model.+We saw the sun sink behind the mountain.
Bid, dare, feel, hear, let, make, need, and see.
*****
LESSON 44.
WORDS AND PHRASES USED INDEPENDENTLY.
+Introductory Hints.+In this Lesson we wish to notice words and phrases that in certain uses have no
grammatical connection with the rest of the sentence.
_The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars. Dear Brutus_ serves only to arrest attention, and is independent by
address.
_Poor man! he never came back again. Poor man_ is independent by exclamation.
_Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me_. Rod and staff simply call attention to the objects before anything is
said of them, and are independent by pleonasma construction used sometimes for rhetorical effect, but out
of place in ordinary speech.
_His master being absent, the business was neglected. His master being absent_ logically modifies the verb
was neglected by assigning the cause, but the phrase has no connective expressed or understood, and is
therefore grammatically independent. This is called the absolute phrase. An absolute phrase consists of a
noun or a pronoun used independently with a modifying participle.
_His conduct, generally speaking, was honorable. Speaking_ is a participle without connection, and with the
adverb generally forms an independent phrase.
_To confess the truth, I was wrong._ The infinitive phrase is independent.
The adverbs _well, now, why, there_ are sometimes independent; as, _Well_, life is an enigma; _Now_, that
is strange; _Why_, it is already noon; There are pitchpine Yankees and whitepine Yankees.
Interjections are without grammatical connection, as you have learned, and hence are independent.
Whatever is enclosed within marks of parenthesis is also independent of the rest of the sentence; as, I stake
my fame (_and I had fame_), my heart, my hope, my soul, upon this cast.
+Analysis+.
1. The loveliest things in life, Tom, are but shadows.
+Explanation.+Tom is independent by address. But is an adjective modifying shadows.
2. There are onestory intellects, twostory intellects, and threestory intellects with skylights.
+Explanation+.Often, as in this sentence, there is used idiomatically, merely to throw the subject after the
52
verb, the idea of place having faded out of the word. To express place, another there may follow the predicate;
as, There is gold there.
3. Ah! then and there was hurrying to and fro. 4. Hope lost, all is lost. 5. The smith, a mighty man is he. 6.
Why, this is not revenge. 7. Well, this is the forest of Arden. 8. Now, there is at Jerusalem, by the
sheepmarket, a pool. 9. To speak plainly, your habits are your worst enemies. 10. No accident occurring, we
shall arrive tomorrow. 11. The teacher being sick, there was no school Friday. 12. Mr. President, I shall enter
on no encomium upon Massachusetts. 13. Properly speaking, there can be no chance in our affairs. 14. But the
enemies of tyrannytheir path leads to the scaffold. 15. She (oh, the artfulness of the woman!) managed the
matter extremely well.
retreat | began =========|======= \later \\ \ day \ \A
16. A day later (Oct. 19, 1812) began the fatal retreat of the Grand Army, from Moscow.
See Lesson 35.
*****
LESSON 45.
COMPOSITIONINDEPENDENT WORDS AND PHRASES.
+COMMARULE.Words and phrases independent or nearly so are set off by the comma.+
+Remark+.Interjections, as you have seen, are usually followed by the exclamation point; and _there_,
used merely to introduce, is never set off by the comma. When the break after pleonastic expressions is slight,
as in (5), Lesson 44, the comma is used; but, if it is more abrupt, as in (14), the dash is required. If the
independent expression can be omitted without affecting the sense, it may be enclosed within marks of
parenthesis, as in (15) and (16). (For the uses of the dash and the marks of parenthesis, see Lesson 148.)
Words and phrases nearly independent are those which, like _however, of course, indeed, in short, by the bye,
for instance_, and _accordingly_, do not modify a word or a phrase alone, but rather the sentence as a whole;
as, Lee did not, _however_, follow Washington's orders.
+Direction.+_Write sentences illustrating the several kinds of independent expressions, and punctuate
according to the Rule as explained_.
+Direction.+_Write short sentences in which these words and phrases, used in a manner nearly
independent, shall occur, and punctuate them properly_:
In short, indeed, now and then, for instance, accordingly, moreover, however, at least, in general, no doubt, by
the bye, by the way, then, too, of course, in fine, namely, above all, therefore.
+Direction.+_Write short sentences in which these words shall modify same particular word or phrase so
closely as not to be set off by the comma_:
Indeed, surely, too, then, now, further, why, again, still.
+Exercises on the Composition of the Sentence and the Paragraph.+
(SEE PAGES 160162.)
53
54
4. How wonderful is the advent of spring! 5. Oh! a dainty plant is the ivy green! 6. Six days shalt thou labor
and do all thy work. 7. Alexander the Great died at Babylon in the thirtythird year of his age. 8. How
sickness enlarges the dimensions of a man's self to himself! 9. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy
God in vain. 10. Lend me your ears. 11. What brilliant rings the planet Saturn has! 12. What power shall
blanch the sullied snow of character? 13. The laws of nature are the thoughts of God. 14. How beautiful was
the snow, falling all day long, all night long, on the roofs of the living, on the graves of the dead! 15. Who, in
the darkest days of our Revolution, carried your flag into the very chops of the British Channel, bearded the
lion in his den, and woke the echoes of old Albion's hills by the thunders of his cannon and the shouts of his
triumph?
*****
LESSON 47.
MISCELLANEOUS EXERCISES IN REVIEW
Analysis.
1. Poetry is only the eloquence and enthusiasm of religion.Wordsworth. 2. Refusing to bare his head to any
earthly potentate, Richelieu would permit no eminent author to stand bareheaded in his presence. Stephen.
3. The Queen of England is simply a piece of historic heraldry; a flag, floating grandly over a Liberal ministry
yesterday, over a Tory ministry today.Conway. 4. The vulgar intellectual palate hankers after the
titillation of foaming phrase.Lowell. 5. Two mighty vortices, Pericles and Alexander the Great, drew into
strong eddies about themselves all the glory and the pomp of Greek literature, Greek eloquence, Greek
wisdom, Greek art.De Quincey. 6. Reason's whole pleasure, all the joys of sense, lie in three words
health, peace, and competence.Pope. 7. Extreme admiration puts out the critic's eye.Tyler. [Footnote:
Weighty thoughts tersely expressed, like (7), (8), and (10) in this Lesson, are called Epigrams. What quality
do you think they impart to one's style?] 8. The setting of a great hope is like the setting of the sun.
Longfellow. 9. Things mean, the Thistle, the Leek, the Broom of the Plantagenets, become noble by
association._F. W. Robertson_. 10. Prayer is the key of the morning and the bolt of the night. Beecher.
11. In that calm Syrian afternoon, memory, a pensive Ruth, went gleaning the silent fields of childhood, and
found the scattered grain still golden, and the morning sunlight fresh and fair.Curtis. [Footnote: In Ruth of
this sentence, we have a type of the metaphor called +Personification+a figure in which things are raised
above their proper plane, taken up toward or to that of persons. Things take on dignity and importance as they
rise in the scale of being.
Note, moreover, that in this instance of the figure we have an +Allusion+. All the interest that the Ruth of the
Bible awakens in us this allusion gathers about so common a thing as memory.]
*****
LESSON 48.
MISCELLANEOUS EXERCISES IN REVIEW.
Analysis.
1. By means of steam man realizes the fable of Aeolus's bag, and carries the twoandthirty winds in the
boiler of his boat.Emerson. 2. The Angel of Life winds our brains up once for all, then closes the case, and
gives the key into the hands of the Angel of Resurrection.Holmes. 3. I called the New World into existence
to redress the balance of the Old.Canning. 4. The prominent nose of the New Englander is evidence of the
constant linguistic exercise of that organ.Warner. 5. Every Latin word has its function as noun or verb or
55
adverb ticketed upon it.Earle. 6. The Alps, piled in cold and still sublimity, are an image of
despotism.Phillips. 7. I want my husband to be submissive without looking so.Gail Hamilton. 8. I love
to lose myself in other men's minds.Lamb. 9. Cheerfulness banishes all anxious care and discontent,
soothes and composes the passions, and keeps the soul in a perpetual calm.Addison. 10. To discover the
true nature of comets has hitherto proved beyond the power of science.
+Explanation+._Beyond the power of science = impossible_, and is therefore an attribute complement. The
preposition beyond shows the relation, in sense, of power to the subject phrase.
11. Authors must not, like Chinese soldiers, expect to win victories by turning somersets in the
air.Longfellow.
*****
LESSON 49.
REVIEW OF PUNCTUATION.
+Direction+._Give the reasons, so far as you have been taught, for the marks of punctuation used in
Lessons_ 44, 46, 47, and 48.
*****
LESSON 50.
REVIEW.
TO THE TEACHER.See suggestions, Lesson 16.
+Direction+.Review from Lesson 37 to Lesson 46, inclusive.
Give, in some such way as we have outlined in preceding Review Lessons, the substance of the "Introductory
Hints;" repeat and illustrate definitions and rules; illustrate the different uses of the participle and the
infinitive, and illustrate the Caution regarding the use of the participle; illustrate the different ways in which
words and phrases may be grammatically independent, and the punctuation of these independent elements.
*****
LESSON 51.
ARRANGEMENTUSUAL ORDER.
TO THE TEACHER.If, from lack of time or from the necessity of conforming to a prescribed course of
study, it is found desirable to abridge these Lessons on Arrangement and Contraction, the exercises to be
written may be omitted, and the pupil may be required to illustrate the positions of the different parts, in both
the Usual and the Transposed order, and then to read the examples given, making the required changes orally.
The eight following Lessons may thus be reduced to two or three.
Let us recall the +Usual Order+ of words and phrases in a simple declarative sentence.
The verb follows the subject, and the object complement follows the verb.
56
57
+Introductory Hints+.The usual order of words, spoken of in the preceding Lesson, is not the only order
admissible in an English sentence; on the contrary, great freedom in the placing of words and phrases is
sometimes allowable. Let the relation of the words be kept obvious and, consequently, the thought clear, and
in poetry, in impassioned oratory, in excited speech of any kind, one may deviate widely from this order.
A writer's meaning is never distributed evenly among his words; more of it lies in some words than in others.
Under the influence of strong feeling, one may move words out of their accustomed place, and, by thus
attracting attention to them, give them additional importance to the reader or hearer.
When any word or phrase in the predicate stands out of its usual place, appearing either at the front of the
sentence or at the end, we have what we may call the +Transposed Order+. _I dare not venture to go down
into the cabinVenture to go down into the cabin I dare not. You shall dieDie you shall. Their names will
forever live on the lips of the peopleTheir names will, on the lips of the people, forever live_.
When the word or phrase moved to the front carries the verb, or the principal word of it, before the subject, we
have the extreme example of the transposed order; as, _A yeoman had he. Strange is the magic of a turban._
The whole of a verb is not placed at the beginning of a declarative sentence except in poetry; as, Flashed all
their sabers bare.
TO THE TEACHER.Where, in our directions in these Lessons on Arrangement and Contraction, we say
_change, transpose_, or _restore_, the pupils need not write the sentences. They should study them and be
able to read them. Require them to show what the sentence has lost or gained in the change.
+Direction+._Change these sentences from the usual to the transposed order by moving words or phrases to
the front, and explain the effect_:
1. He could not avoid it. 2. They were pretty lads. 3. The great Queen died in the year 1603. 4. He would not
escape. 5. I must go. 6. She seemed young and sad. 7. He cried, "My son, my son!" 8. He ended his tale here.
9. The moon shone bright. 10. A frozen continent lies beyond the sea. 11. He was a contentious man. 12. It
was quoted so. 13. Monmouth had never been accused of cowardice.
+Direction+._Change these sentences from the transposed order to the usual, and explain the effect_:
1. Him, the Almighty Power hurled headlong. 2. Volatile he was. 3. Victories, indeed, they were. 4. Of noble
race the lady came. 5. Slowly and sadly we laid him down. 6. Once again we'll sleep secure. 7. This double
office the participle performs. 8. That gale I well remember. 9. Churlish he often seemed. 10. One strong thing
I find here below. 11. Overhead I heard a murmur. 12. To their will we must succumb. 13. Him they hanged.
14. Freely ye have received.
+Direction+._Write five sentences, each with one of the following nouns or adjectives as a complement;
and five, each with one of the adverbs or phrases as predicate modifier; then transpose the ten with these same
words moved to the front, and explain the effect_:
Giant, character, happy, him, serene, often, in the market, long and deeply, then, under foot.
+Direction+._Transpose these sentences by placing the italicized words last, and note the effect_:
1. The clouds lowering upon our house are buried in the deep bosom of the ocean. 2. Aeneas did bear from
the flames of Troy upon his shoulder the old Anchises. 3. Such a heart beats in the breast of my people. 4. The
great fire roared up the deep and wide chimney.
+Direction+._Change these to the usual order_:
58
1. No woman was ever in this wild humor wooed and won. 2. Let a shroud, stripped from some privileged
corpse, be, for its proper price, displayed. 3. An old clock, early one summer's morning, before the stirring of
the family, suddenly stopped. 4. Treasures of gold and of silver are, in the deep bosom of the earth, concealed.
5. Ease and grace in writing are, of all the acquisitions made in school, the most difficult and valuable.
+Direction+._Write three sentences, each with the following noun or adjective or phrase in its usual place
in the predicate, and then transpose, placing these words wherever they can properly go_:
Mountains, glad, by and by.
*****
LESSON 53.
ARRANGEMENTTRANSPOSED ORDER.
+Direction+._Restore these sentences to their usual order by moving the object complement and the verb to
their customary places, and tell what is lost by the change_:
1. Thorns and thistles shall the earth bring forth. 2. "Exactly so," replied the pendulum. 3. Me restored he to
mine office. 4. A changed France have we. 5. These evils hath sin wrought.
+Direction+._Transpose these sentences by moving the object complement and the verb, and tell what is
gained by the change_:
1. The dialplate exclaimed, "Lazy wire!" 2. The maiden has such charms. 3. The English character has faults
and plenty of them. 4. I will make one effort more to save you. 5. The king does possess great power. 6. You
have learned much in this short journey.
+Direction+._Write six transposed sentences with these nouns as object complements, and then restore
them to their usual order_:
Pause, cry, peace, horse, words, gift.
+Direction+._Restore these sentences to their usual order by moving the attribute complement and the verb
to their usual places, and tell what is lost by the change_:
1. A dainty plant is the ivy green. 2. Feet was I to the lame. 3. A mighty man is he. 4. As a mark of respect
was the present given. 5. A giant towered he among men.
+Direction+._Transpose these sentences by moving the attribute complement and the verb, and tell what is
gained by the change_:
1. We are merry brides. 2. Washington is styled the "Father of his Country." 3. He was a stark mosstrooping
Scot. 4. The man seemed an incarnate demon. 5. Henry VIII. had become a despot.
+Direction+._Using these nouns as attribute complements, write three sentences in the usual order, and
then transpose them_:
Rock, desert, fortress.
+Direction+._Restore these sentences to their usual order by moving the adjective complement and the
59
60
61
If there is no interrogative word, the subject stands after the verb when this is simple; after the first word of it
when it is compound.
+Examples+.Have you your lesson? Has the gentleman finished?
+Direction+._Write six interrogative sentences, using these words_:
Is, has, can learn, might have gone, could have been found, must see.
+Direction+.Change the sentences you have written in this Lesson into declarative sentences.
*****
LESSON 56.
ARRANGEMENTIMPERATIVE AND EXCLAMATORY SENTENCES.
The subject is usually omitted in the imperative sentence; but, when it is expressed, the sentence is in the
transposed order.
+Examples+.Praise ye the Lord. Give (_thou_) me three grains of corn.
+Direction+._Using these verbs, write ten sentences, in five of which the subject shall be omitted; and in
five, expressed_:
Remember, listen, lend, love, live, choose, use, obey, strive, devote.
Although any sentence may without change of order become exclamatory (Lesson 46), yet exclamatory
sentences ordinarily begin with how or _what_, and are usually in the transposed order.
+Examples+.How quietly the child sleeps! How excellent is thy lovingkindness! What visions have I seen!
What a life his was!
+Direction+._Write six exclamatory sentences with the word how modifying (1) an adjective, (2) a verb,
and (3) an adverbin three sentences let the verb follow, and in three precede, the subject. Write four
sentences with the word what modifying (1) an object complement and (2) an attribute complementin two
sentences let the verb follow, and in two precede, the subject_.
*****
LESSON 57.
CONTRACTION OF SENTENCES.
+Direction+._Contract these sentences by omitting the repeated modifiers and prepositions, and all the
conjunctions except the last_:
1. Webster was a great lawyer, a great statesman, a great debater, and a great writer. 2. By their valor, by their
policy, and by their matrimonial alliances, they became powerful. 3. Samuel Adams's habits were simple and
frugal and unostentatious. 4. Flowers are so fragile, so delicate, and so ornamental! 5. They are truly
prosperous and truly happy. 6. The means used were persuasions and petitions and remonstrances and
resolutions and defiance. 7. Carthage was the mistress of oceans, of kingdoms, and of nations.
62
+Direction+._Expand these by repeating the adjective, the adverb, the preposition, and the conjunction_:
1. He was a good son, father, brother, friend. 2. The tourist traveled in Spain, Greece, Egypt, and Palestine. 3.
Bayard was very brave, truthful, and chivalrous. 4. Honor, revenge, shame, and contempt inflamed his heart.
+Direction+._Write six sentences, each with one of these words used four times; and then contract them as
above, and note the effect of the repetition and of the omission_:
Poor, how, with, through, or, and.
+Direction+.Expand these sentences by supplying subjects:
1. Give us this day our daily bread. 2. Why dost stare so? 3. Thank you, sir. 4. Hear me for my cause. 5.
Where hast been these six months? 6. Bless me! 7. Save us.
+Direction+._Expand these by supplying the verb or some part of it_:
1. Nobody there. 2. Death to the tyrant. 3. All aboard! 4. All hands to the pumps! 5. What to me fame? 6.
Short, indeed, his career. 7. When Adam thus to Eve. 8. I must after him. 9. Thou shalt back to France. 10.
Whose footsteps these?
+Direction+._Expand these by supplying both subject and verb, and note the loss in vivacity_:
1. Upon them with the lance. 2. At your service, sir. 3. Why so unkind? 4. Forward, the light brigade! 5.
Halfpast nine. 6. Off with you. 7. My kingdom for a horse! 8. Hence, you idle creatures! 9. Coffee for two.
10. Shine, sir? 11. Back to thy punishment, false fugitive. 12. On with the dance. 13. Strange, strange! 14.
Once more unto the breach. 15. Away, away! 16. Impossible!
+Direction+._Contract these by omitting the subject or the verb_:
1. Art thou gone? 2. Will you take your chance? 3. His career was ably run. 4. Are you a captain? 5. May long
life be to the republic. 6. How great is the mystery! 7. Canst thou wonder? 8. May a prosperous voyage be to
you. 9. Are you here?
+Direction+._Contract these by omitting both subject and verb, and note the gain in force and
animation_:
1. I offer a world for sale. 2. Now, then, go you to breakfast. 3. Sit you down, soothless insulter. 4. I want a
word with you, wife. 5. Those are my sentiments, madam. 6. Bring ye lights there. 7. It is true, sir. 8. We will
drink a health to Preciosa. 9. I offer a penny for your thoughts. 10. Whither are you going so early?
+Direction+._Construct ten full sentences, using in each, one of these adverbs or phrases or nouns, and
then contract the sentences by omitting both subject and verb_:
Why, hence, to arms, silence, out, to your tents, peaches, room, for the guns, water.
*****
LESSON 58.
REVIEW.
63
64
TO THE TEACHER.Illustrate the connecting force of _who, which_, and that by substituting for them the
words for which they stand, and noting the loss of connection.
2. The lever which moves the world of mind is the printingpress. 3. Wine makes the face of him who drinks
it to excess blush for his habits.
+Explanation+.The adjective clause does not always modify the subject.
4. Photography is the art which enables commonplace mediocrity to look like genius. 5. In 1685 Louis XIV.
signed the ordinance that revoked the Edict of Nantes. 6. The thirteen colonies were welded together by the
measures which Samuel Adams framed.
+Explanation+.The pronoun connecting an adjective clause is not always a subject.
7. The guilt of the slavetrade, [Footnote: See Lesson 61, footnote.] which sprang out of the traffic with
Guinea, rests with John Hawkins. 8. I found the place to which you referred.
I | found | place ====|================== | \the ` ` you | referred ` | ` | \to ` \ which
` \
9. The spirit in which we act is the highest matter. 10. It was the same book that I referred to.
+Explanation+.The phrase to that modifies referred. That connects the adjective clause. When the pronoun
that connects an adjective clause, the preposition never precedes. The diagram is similar to that of (8).
11. She that I spoke to was blind. 12. Grouchy did not arrive at the time that Napoleon most needed him.
+Explanation+.A preposition is wanting. _That = in which_. (Can you find a word that would here sound
better than _that_?)
13. Attention is the stuff that memory is made of. 14. It is to you that I speak.
+Explanation+.Here the preposition, which usually would stand last in the sentence, is found before the
complement of the independent clause. In analysis restore the preposition to its usual placeIt is you that I
speak to. That I speak to modifies the subject.
15. It was from me that he received the information.
(Me must be changed to I when from is restored to its usual position.)
16. Islands are the tops of mountains whose base is in the bed of the ocean.
mountains ` ` base | is ` | ` \ `.....\whose
+Explanation+.The connecting pronoun is here a possessive modifier of base.
17. Unhappy is the man whose mother does not make all mothers interesting.
*****
LESSON 60.
65
ADJECTIVE CLAUSESCONTINUED.
Analysis.
1. Trillions of waves of ether enter the eye and hit the retina in the time you take to breathe.
+Explanation+.The connecting pronoun that [Footnote: When _whom_, _which_, and that would, if used,
be object complements, they are often omitted. Macaulay is the only writer we have found who seldom or
never omits them.] is omitted.
2. The smith takes his name from his smoothing the metals he works on. 3. Socrates was one of the greatest
sages the world ever saw. 4. Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth.
+Explanation+.The adjective clause modifies the omitted antecedent of whom. Supply him.
5. He did what was right.
He | did | x ====|====================== | ` ` what ` | was \ right |
+Explanation+.The adjective clause modifies the omitted word _thing_, or some word whose meaning is
general or indefinite. [Footnote: Many grammarians prefer to treat what was right as a noun clause (see
Lesson 71), the object of did. They would treat in the same way clauses introduced by _whoever_,
_whatever_, whichever.
"What was originally an interrogative and introduced substantive clauses. Its use as a compound relative is an
extension of its use as an indirect interrogative; it is confined to clauses which may be parsed as substantives,
and before which no antecedent is needed, or permitted to be expressed. Its possessive whose has, however,
attained the full construction of a relative."_Prof. F. A. March_.]
6. What is false in this world below betrays itself in a love of show. 7. The swan achieved what the goose
conceived. 8. What men he had were true.
The relative pronoun what here precedes its noun like an adjective. Analyze as if arranged thus: The men what
(= that or _whom_) he had were true.
9. Whoever does a good deed is instantly ennobled.
+Explanation+.The adjective clause modifies the omitted subject (man or _he_) of the independent clause.
10. I told him to bring whichever was the lightest. 11. Whatever crushes individuality is despotism. 12. A
depot is a place where stores are deposited.
depot | is \ place =======|============== \A | \a ` \where stores | ` are deposited
| |
+Explanation+.The line representing where is made up of two parts. The upper part represents where as a
conjunction connecting the adjective clause to _place_, and the lower part represents it as an adverb
modifying are deposited. As where performs these two offices, it may be called a conjunctive adverb. By
changing where to the equivalent phrase _in which_, and using a diagram similar to (8), Lesson 59, the double
nature of the conjunctive adverb will be seen.
13. He raised the maid from where she knelt. (Supply the place before where.) 14. Youth is the time when the
66
seeds of character are sown. 15. Shylock would give the duke no reason why he followed a losing suit against
Antonio. 16. Mark the majestic simplicity of those laws whereby the operations of the universe are conducted.
*****
LESSON 61.
COMPOSITIONADJECTIVE CLAUSE.
+COMMARULE.The _Adjective Clause_, when not restrictive, is set off by the comma.+
+Explanation+.I picked the apple that was ripe. I picked the apple, which was ripe. In the first sentence the
adjective clause restricts or limits _apple_, telling which one was picked; in the second the adjective clause is
added merely to describe the apple picked, the sentence being nearly equivalent to, I picked the apple, and it
was ripe. This difference in meaning is shown by the punctuation.[Footnote: There are other constructions in
which the relative is more nearly equivalent to and he or _and it_; as, I gave the letter to my friend, who will
return it to you.
Those who prefer to let their classification be governed by the logical relation rather than by the grammatical
construction call such a sentence compound, making the relative clause independent, or coordinate with its
antecedent clause.
Such classification will often require very careful discrimination; as, for instance, between the preceding
sentence and the following: I gave the letter to my friend, who can be trusted.
But we know of no author who, in every case, governs his classification of phrases and clauses strictly by
their logical relations. Let us examine the following sentences:
John, _who did not know the law_, is innocent. John is innocent; he did not know the law. John is innocent
because he did not know the law.
No grammarian, we think, would class each of these three italicized clauses as an adverb clause of cause. Do
they differ in logical force? The student should carefully note all those constructions in which the grammatical
form and the logical force differ. (See pages 119, 121, 138, 139, 142, 143.)]
+Caution+.The adjective clause should be placed as near as possible to the word it modifies.
+Direction+._Correct the following errors of position, and insert the comma when needed_:
1. The Knights of the Round Table flourished in the reign of King Arthur who vied with their chief in
chivalrous exploits. 2. Solomon was the son of David who built the Temple. 3. My brother caught the fish on
a small hook baited with a worm which we had for breakfast. 4. I have no right to decide who am interested.
+Direction+._Construct five complex sentences, each containing an adjective clause equivalent to one of
the following adjectives_: Ambitious, respectful, quickwitted, talkative, lovable.
+Direction+._Change the following simple sentences to complex sentences by expanding the participle
phrases into adjective clauses_:
1. Those fighting custom with grammar are foolish. 2. The Constitution framed by our fathers is the
sheetanchor of our liberties. 3. I am thy father's spirit, doomed for a certain term to walk the night. 4. Some
people, having lived abroad, undervalue the advantages of their native land. 5. A wife and children, threatened
67
with widowhood and orphanage, have knelt at your feet on the very threshold of the Senate Chamber.
+Direction+._Change these simple sentences to complex sentences by expanding the infinitive phrases into
adjective clauses_:
1. I have many things to tell you. 2. There were none to deliver. 3. He had an ax to grind. 4. It was a sight to
gladden the heart. 5. It was a din to fright a monster's ear.
+Direction+._Form complex sentences in which these pronouns and conjunctive adverbs shall be used to
connect adjective clauses_:
Who, which, that, what, whoever, and whatever.
When, where, and why.
+Direction+._Change "that which", in the following sentences to "what", and "what" to "that which";
"whoever" to "he who", and "whatever" to "anything" or "everything which"; "where" and "when" to "at",
"on", or "in which"; "wherein" to "in which"; and "whereby" to "by which"_:
1. That which is seen is temporal. 2. What God hath joined together let not man put asunder. 3. Whoever lives
a pious life blesses his race. 4. Whatever we do has an influence. 5. Scholars have grown old and blind,
striving to put their hands on the very spot where brave men died. 6. The year when Chaucer was born is
uncertain. 7. The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king. 8. You take my life in taking
the means whereby I live.
+Direction+._Expand these possessive and explanatory modifiers into adjective clauses_:
1. A man's heart deviseth his way. 2. _Reason's_ whole pleasure, all the joys of sense, Lie in three
words_health, peace_, and competence.
*****
LESSON 62.
+Direction+._Analyze the first nine sentences in the preceding Lesson, and write illustrative sentences as
here directed_:
Give an example of an adjective clause modifying a subject; one modifying a complement; one modifying the
principal word of a phrase; one modifying some word omitted; one whose connective is a subject; one whose
connective is a complement; one whose connective is the principal word of a phrase; one whose connective is
a possessive modifier; one whose connective is omitted; one whose connective is an adverb.
*****
LESSON 63.
COMPLEX SENTENCEADVERB CLAUSE.
+Introductory Hints+.He arrived late. You have learned that you can expand the adverb late into a phrase,
and say, He arrived at midnight. You are now to learn that you can expand it into a clause of +Time+, and say,
He arrived when the clock struck twelve.
68
He stood where I am. The clause introduced by where expresses +Place+, and is equivalent to the adverb here
or to the phrase in this place.
This exercise is as profitable as it is pleasant. The clause introduced by _as ... as_ modifies _profitable_,
telling the +Degree+ of the quality expressed by it.
A clause that does the work of an adverb is an +Adverb Clause+.
Analysis.
The +adverb clause+ may express +time+.
1. When pleasure calls, we listen.
we | listen ===|========= | \ `When ` pleasure | \ calls |\ |
+Explanation+.When modifies both listen and _calls_, denoting that the two acts take place at the same
time. It also connects _pleasure calls_, as an adverb modifier, to listen. The offices of the conjunctive adverb
when may be better understood by expanding it into two phrases thus: We listen at the time at which pleasure
calls. At the time modifies _listen_, at which modifies _calls_, and which connects.
The line representing when is made up of three parts to picture these three offices. The part representing when
as a modifier of calls is, for convenience, placed above its principal line instead of below it.
2. While Louis XIV. reigned, Europe was at war. 3. When my father and my mother forsake me, then ths Lord
will take me up.
Lord | will take | me ======|===================== \The | \up \ ..\ then ` \ ` `When father \
'\ \ \my ' \ \ ' \ \ ' \ | \ forsake | me 'and \| ' / | ' / mother ' /
'/ \my
+Explanation+.By changing then into _at the time_, and when into _at which_, the offices of these two
words will be clearly seen. For explanation of the line representing _when_, see Lesson 14 and (1) above.
4. Cato, before he durst give himself the fatal stroke, spent the night in reading Plato's "Immortality."
[Footnote: Some prefer, in constructions like this, to treat _before_, _ere_, _after_, _till_, _until_, and since as
prepositions followed by noun clauses.] 5. Many a year is in its grave since I crossed this restless wave.
[Footnote: See (11), Lesson 38, and footnote.]
+Explanation+.Many here modifies _year_, or, rather, year as modified by a.
6. Blucher arrived on the field of Waterloo just as Wellington was meeting the last onslaught of Napoleon.
Blucher | arrived ===========|=========== | \ \\ \ `as \ just ` \ ` \ Wellington | \ was meeting |
onslaught |\ |
+Explanation+.Just may be treated as a modifier of the dependent clause. A closer analysis, however would
make it a modifier of as. _Just as_=just at the time at which. Just here modifies at the time. At the time is
represented in the diagram by the first element of the as line.
The +adverb clause+ may express +place+.
69
7. Where the snow falls, there is freedom. 8. Pope skimmed the cream of good sense and expression wherever
he could find it. 9. The wind bloweth where it listeth.
The +adverb clause+ may express +degree+.
10. Washington was as good as he was great.
+Explanation+.The adverb clause as he was great modifies the first _as_, which is an adverb modifying
good. The first _as_, modified by the adverb clause, answers the question, Good to what extent or degree? The
second as modifies great and performs the office of a conjunction, and is therefore a conjunctive adverb.
Transposing, and expanding _as ... as_ into two phrases, we have, Washington was good in the degree in
which he was great. See diagram of (3) and of (20).
11. The wiser he grew, the humbler he became. [Footnote: _The_, here, is not the ordinary adjective the. It is
the AngloSaxon demonstrative pronoun used in an instrumental sense. It is here an adverb. The first the =
_by how much_, and modifies _wiser_; the second the = _by so much_, and modifies humbler.]
+Explanation+.The words _the ... the_ are similar in office to _as ... as_He became humbler in that
degree in which he became wiser.
12. Gold is heavier than iron.
Gold | is \ heavier =======|============== | \ ` than ` iron | x \ \ x |
+Explanation+.Heavier = _heavy beyond the degree_, and than = in which. The sentence = Gold is heavy
beyond the degree in which iron is heavy. Is and heavy are omitted. Frequently words are omitted after than
and as. Than modifies heavy (understood) and connects the clause expressing degree to _heavier_, and is
therefore a conjunctive adverb.
13. To be right is better than to be president.
+Explanation+.To be right is better (good in a greater degree) than to be president (would be good).
14. It was so cold that the mercury froze. [Footnote: In this sentence, also in (15) and (17), the dependent
clause is sometimes termed a clause of Result or Consequence. Clauses of Result express different logical
relations, and cannot always be classed under Degree.]
+Explanation+.The degree of the cold is here shown by the effect it produced. The adverb _so_, modified
by the adverb clause _that the mercury froze_, answers the question, Cold to what degree? The sentence = It
was cold to that degree in which the mercury froze. _That_, as you see, modifies froze and connects the
clauses; it is therefore a conjunctive adverb.
15. It was so cold as to freeze the mercury.
+Explanation+.It was so cold as to freeze the mercury (would indicate or require).
16. Dying for a principle is a higher degree of virtue than scolding for it. 17. He called so loud that all the
hollow deep of hell resounded. 18. To preach is easier than to practice. 19. One's breeding shows itself
nowhere more than in his religion. [Footnote: For the use of he instead of the indefinite pronoun one repeated,
see Lesson 124.] 20. The oftener I see it, the better I like it.
I | like | it =====|=========== | \ \\ better \the \ ...\ ` \ ` I | ` see | it |` ` \
70
`The \ `.....\oftener \
*****
LESSON 64.
ADVERB CLAUSECONTINUED.
+Introductory Hints+.He lived as the fool lives. The adverb clause, introduced by _as_, is a clause of
+Manner+, and is equivalent to the adverb foolishly or to the phrase in a foolish manner.
The ground is wet because it has rained. The adverb clause, introduced by _because_, assigns the +Real
Cause+ of the ground's being wet.
_It has rained, for the ground is wet_. The adverb clause, introduced by _for_, does not assign the cause of the
raining, but the cause of our believing that it has rained; it gives the +Evidence+ of what is asserted.
[Footnote: Evidence should be carefully distinguished from Cause. Cause produces an effect; Evidence
produces knowledge of an effect.
Clauses of Evidence are sometimes treated as independent.]
Analysis.
The +adverb clause+ may express +manner+.
1. He died as he lived.
+Explanation+.He died in the manner in which he lived. For diagram, see (1), Lesson 63.
2. The upright man speaks as he thinks. 3. As the upright man thinks so he speaks.
(For diagram of as ... _so_, see when ... then (3), Lesson 63.)
4. As is the boy so will be the man. 5. The waves of conversation roll and shape our thoughts as the surf rolls
and shapes the pebbles on the shore.
The +adverb clause+ may express +real cause+.
6. The ground is wet because it has rained.
ground | is \ wet ==========|============= \The | ` ` ` because ` it | ` has rained
|
+Explanation+._Because_, being a mere conjunction, stands on a line wholly dotted.
7. Slang is always vulgar, as it is an affected way of talking. 8. We keep the pores of the skin open, for
through them the blood throws off its impurities. 9. Since the breath contains poisonous carbonic acid, wise
people ventilate their sleeping rooms. 10. Seabathing is the most healthful kind of washing, as it combines
fresh air and vigorous exercise with its other benefits. 11. Wheat is the most valuable of grains because bread
is made from its flour.
The +adverb clause+ may express +evidence+.
71
12. God was angry with the children of Israel, for he overthrew them in the wilderness. 13. Tobacco and the
potato are American products, since Raleigh found them here. 14. It rained last night, because the ground is
wet this morning. 15. We Americans must all be cuckoos, for we build our homes in the nests of other birds.
*****
LESSON 65.
ADVERB CLAUSECONTINUED.
+Introductory Hints+._If it rains, the ground will be wet_. The adverb clause, introduced by _if_, assigns
what, if it occurs, will be the cause of the ground's being wet, but, as here expressed, is only a +Condition+
ready to become a cause.
He takes exercise that he may get well. The adverb clause, introduced by _that_, assigns the cause or the
motive or the +Purpose+ of his exercising.
_The ground is dry, although it has rained_. The adverb clause, introduced by _although_, expresses a
+Concession+. It is conceded that a cause for the ground's not being dry exists; but, in spite of this opposing
cause, it is asserted that the ground is dry.
All these dependent clauses of real cause, evidence, condition, purpose, and concession come, as you see,
under the general head of +Cause+, although only the first kind assigns the cause proper.
Analysis.
The +adverb clause+ may express +condition+.
1. If the air is quickly compressed, enough heat is evolved to produce combustion. 2. Unless your thought
packs easily and neatly in verse, always use prose. (Unless = if not.) 3. If ever you saw a crow with a
kingbird after him, you have an image of a dull speaker and a lively listener. 4. Were it not for the warm
waters of the Gulf Stream, the harbors and the rivers of Britain would be blocked up with ice for a great part
of the year.
+Explanation+.The relative position of the subject and the verb renders the if unnecessary. This omission
of if is a common idiom.
5. Should the calls of hunger be neglected, the fat of the body is thrown into the grate to keep the furnace in
play.
The +adverb clause+ may express +purpose+.
6. Language was given us that we might say pleasant things to each other.
+Explanation+._That_, introducing a clause of purpose, is a mere conjunction.
7. Spiders have many eyes in order that they may see in many directions at one time.
+Explanation+.The phrases _in order that_, so that = that.
8. The shipcanal across the Isthmus of Suez was dug so that European vessels need not sail around the Cape
of Good Hope to reach the Orient. 9. The air draws up vapors from the sea and the land, and retains them
72
dissolved in itself or suspended in cisterns of clouds, that it may drop them as rain or dew upon the thirsty
earth.
The +adverb clause+ may express +concession+.
10. Although the brain is only onefortieth of the body, about onesixth of the blood is sent to it. 11. Though
the atmosphere presses on us with a load of fifteen pounds on every square inch of surface, still we do not feel
its weight. 12. Though thou shouldst bray a fool in a mortar, yet will not his foolishness depart from him. 13.
If the War of the Roses did not utterly destroy English freedom, it arrested its progress for a hundred years.
+Explanation+.If here = even if = though.
14. Though many rivers flow into the Mediterranean, they are not sufficient to make up the loss caused by
evaporation.
*****
LESSON 66.
COMPOSITIONADVERB CLAUSES.
+COMMARULE.An Adverb Clause is set off by the comma unless it closely follows and restricts the
word it modifies+.
+Explanation+.I met him in Paris, when I was last abroad. I will not call him villain, because it would be
unparliamentary. Paper was invented in China, if the Chinese tell the truth. In these sentences the adverb
clauses are not restrictive, but are supplementary, and are added almost as afterthoughts.
Glass bends easily _when it is redhot_. Leaves do not turn red because the frost colors them. It will break if
you touch it. Here the adverb clauses are restrictive; each is very closely related in thought to the independent
clause, and may almost be said to be the essential part of the sentence.
When the adverb clause precedes, it is set off.
+Direction+.Tell why the adverb clauses are or are not set off in Lessons 63 and 64.
+Direction+._Write, after these independent clauses, adverb clauses of time, place, degree, etc. (for
connectives, see Lesson _100_), and punctuate according to the Rule_:
1. The leaves of the watermaple turn redtime. 2. Our eyes cannot bear the lighttime. 3. Millions of
soldiers sleepplace. 4. The Bunker Hill Monument standsplace. 5. Every spire of grass was so edged and
tipped with dewdegree. 6. Vesuvius threw its lava so fardegree. 7. The tree is inclinedmanner. 8. The
lion springs upon his preymanner. 9. Many persons died in the Black Hole of Calcuttacause. 10. Dew
does not form in a cloudy nightcause. 11. That thunderbolt fell a mile awayevidence. 12. We dream in
our sleepevidence. 13. Peter the Great worked in Holland in disguisepurpose. 14. We put salt into butter
and upon meatpurpose. 15. Iron bends and molds easilycondition. 16. Apples would not fall to the
groundcondition. 17. Europe conquered Napoleon at lastconcession. 18. Punishment follows every
violation of nature's lawsconcession.
*****
LESSON 67.
73
+COMPOSITIONADVERB CLASSES+.
ARRANGEMENT.
The adverb clause may stand before the independent clause, between the parts of it, or after it.
+Direction+._Think, if you can, of another adverb clause to follow each independent clause in the
preceding Lesson, and by means of a caret (^) indicate where this adverb clause may properly stand in the
sentence. Note its force in its several positions, and attend to the punctuation. Some of these adverb clauses
can stand only at the end_.
*****
LESSON 68.
COMPOSITIONADVERB CLAUSES.
An adverb clause may be contracted into a participle or a participle phrase.
+Example+._When he saw me_, he stopped = _Seeing me_, he stopped.
+Direction+._Contract these complex sentences to simple ones_:
1. Coral animals, when they die, form vast islands with their bodies. 2. The water will freeze, for it has cooled
to 32 deg. 3. Truth, though she may be crushed to earth, will rise again. 4. Error, if he is wounded, writhes
with pain, and dies among his worshipers. 5. Black clothes are too warm in summer, because they absorb heat.
An adverb clause may be contracted to an absolute phrase.
+Example+.When night came on, we gave up the chase = Night coming on, we gave up the chase.
+Direction+._Contract these complex sentences to simple ones_:
1. When oxygen and carbon unite in the minute bloodvessels, heat is produced. 2. It will rain tomorrow, for
"Probabilities" predicts it. 3. Washington retreated from Long Island because his army was outnumbered. 4. If
Chaucer is called the father of our later English poetry, Wycliffe should be called the father of our later
English prose.
An adverb clause may be contracted to a prepositional phrase having for its principal word (1) a participle, (2)
an infinitive, or (3) a noun.
+Direction+._Contract each of these adverb clauses to a prepositional phrase having a participle for its
principal word_:
+Model+.They will call before they leave the city = They will call before leaving the city.
1. The Gulf Stream reaches Newfoundland before it crosses the Atlantic. 2. If we use household words, we
shall be better understood. 3. He grew rich because he attended to his business. 4. Though they persecuted the
Christians, they did not exterminate them.
+Direction+._Contract each of these adverb clauses to an infinitive phrase_:
74
75
ANALYSIS.
+Direction.+_Tell the kind of adverb clause in each of the sentences in Lesson 68, and note the different
positions in which these clauses stand.
Select two sentences containing time clauses; one, a place clause; two, degree; one, manner; two, real cause;
two, evidence; two, purpose; two, condition; and two, concession, and analyze them_.
*****
LESSON 70.
REVIEW.
+Direction.+_Compose sentences illustrating the different kinds of adverb clauses named in Lessons 63,
64, 65, and explain fully the office of each. For connectives, see Lesson 100. Tell why the adverb clauses in
Lesson 68 are or are not set off by the comma. Compose sentences illustrating the different ways of
contracting adverb clauses_.
+Exercises on the Composition of the Sentence and the Paragraph.+
(SEE PAGES 165168.)
TO THE TEACHER.See suggestions to the teacher, pages 30, 150.
*****
LESSON 71.
THE COMPLEX SENTENCENOUN CLAUSE.
+Introductory Hints.+In Lessons 40 and 41 you learned that an infinitive phrase may perform many of the
offices of a noun. You are now to learn that a clause may do the same.
Obedience is better than sacrifice = To obey is better than sacrifice = That men should obey is better than
sacrifice. The dependent clause that men should obey is equivalent to a noun, and is the +Subject+ of is.
Many people believe that the beech tree is never struck by lightning. The dependent clause, introduced by
_that_, is equivalent to a noun, and is the +Object Complement+ of believe.
_The fact that mold, mildew, and yeast are plants is wonderful_. The clause introduced by that is equivalent to
a noun, and is +Explanatory+ of fact.
_A peculiarity of English is, that it has so many borrowed words_. The clause introduced by that is equivalent
to a noun, and is an +Attribute Complement+ relating to peculiarity.
Your future depends very much on who your companions are. The clause who your companions are is
equivalent to a noun, and is the +Principal Term+ of a +Phrase+ introduced by the preposition on.
A clause that does the work of a noun is a +Noun Clause+.
Analysis.
76
77
NOUN CLAUSECONTINUED.
Analysis.
The +noun clause+ may be used as +attribute complement+.
1. A peculiarity of English is, that it has so many borrowed words. 2. Tweed's defiant question was, "What are
you going to do about it?" 3. The question ever asked and never answered is, "Where and how am I to exist in
the Hereafter?" 4. Hamlet's exclamation was, "What a piece of work is man!" 5. The myth concerning
Achilles is, that he was invulnerable in every part except the heel.
The +noun clause+ may be used as +explanatory modifier+.
6. It has been proved that the earth is round.
that ' earth | is ' \ round | \the | | It (/ \) | has been proved
==========|================== |
+Explanation+.The grammatical subject it has no meaning till explained by the noun clause.
7. It is believed that sleep is caused by a diminution in the supply of blood to the brain. 8. The fact that mold,
mildew, and yeast are plants is wonderful. 9. Napoleon turned his Simplon road aside in order that he might
save a tree mentioned by Caesar.
+Explanation+.Unless in order that is taken as a conjunction connecting an adverb clause of purpose (see
(7), Lesson 65), the clause introduced by that is a noun clause explanatory of order. [Footnote: A similar
explanation may be made of _on condition that, in case that_, introducing adverb clauses expressing
condition.]
10. Shakespeare's metaphor, "Night's candles are burnt out," is one of the finest in literature. 11. The advice
that St. Ambrose gave St. Augustine in regard to conformity to local custom was in substance this: "When in
Rome, do as the Romans do." 12. This we know, that our future depends on our present.
The +noun clause+ may be used as +principal term+ of a +prepositional phrase+.
13. Have birds any sense of why they sing?
birds | Have | sense =======|================ they | sing | \any \ | \ of | \why \ / \
\
+Explanation+.Why they sing is an indirect question, here used as the principal term of a prepositional
phrase.
14. There has been some dispute about who wrote "Shakespeare's Plays." 15. We are not certain that an open
sea surrounds the Pole.
+Explanation+.By supposing of to stand before _that_, the noun clause may be treated as the principal term
of a prepositional phrase modifying the adjective certain. By supplying _of the fact_, the noun clause will
become explanatory.
16. We are all anxious that the future shall bring us success and triumph. 17. The Sandwich Islander is
confident that the strength and valor of his slain enemy pass into himself.
78
*****
LESSON 73.
COMPOSITIONNOUN CLAUSE.
+COMMARULE.The Noun Clause used as attribute complement is generally set off by the comma.+
+Remarks+.Present usage seems to favor the omission of the comma with the clause used as subject or as
object complement, except where the comma would contribute to clearness.
The punctuation of the explanatory clause is like that of other explanatory modifiers. See Lesson 34. But the
real subject made explanatory of it is seldom set off. See next Lesson for the punctuation of noun clauses that
are questions or quotations.
+Direction+.Give the reasons for the use or the omission of the comma with the noun clauses in the
preceding Lesson.
By using it as a substitute for the subject clause, this clause may be placed last.
+Example+.That the story of William Tell is a myth is now believed = It is now believed that the story of
William Tell is a myth.
+Direction+._By the aid of the expletive it, transpose five subject clauses in Lesson 71_.
Often the clause used as object complement may be placed first.
+Direction+._Transpose such of the clauses used as object complements, in the preceding Lessons, as
admit transposition. Punctuate them if they need punctuation_.
The noun clause may be made prominent by separating it and inserting the independent clause between its
parts,
+Example+.The story of William Tell, _it is now believed_, is a myth. (Notice that the principal clause,
used parenthetically, is set off by the comma.)
+Direction+._Write the following sentences, using the independent clauses parenthetically_:
1. We believe that the first printingpress in America was set up in Mexico in 1536. 2. I am aware that
refinement of mind and clearness of thinking usually result from grammatical studies. 3. It is true that the
glorious sun pours down his golden flood as cheerily on the poor man's cottage as on the rich man's palace.
+Direction+._Vary the following sentence so as to illustrate five different kinds of noun clauses_:
+Model+. 1. That stars are suns is the belief of astronomers. 2. Astronomers believe that stars are suns. 3.
The belief of astronomers is, that stars are suns. 4. The belief that stars are suns is held by astronomers. 5.
Astronomers are confident that stars are suns.
1. Our conclusion is, that different forms of government suit different stages of civilization.
The noun clause may be contracted by changing the predicate to a participle, and the subject to a possessive.
79
+Example+.That he was brave cannot be doubted = His being brave cannot be doubted.
+Direction+._Make the following complex sentences simple by changing the noun clauses to phrases_:
1. That the caterpillar changes to a butterfly is a curious fact. 2. Everybody admits that Cromwell was a great
leader. 3. A man's chief objection to a woman is, that she has no respect for the newspaper. 4. The thought
that we are spinning around the sun at the rate of twenty miles a second makes us dizzy. 5. She was aware that
I appreciated her situation.
The noun clause may be contracted by making the predicate, when changed to an infinitive phrase, the
objective complement, and the subject the object complement.
+Direction+._Make the following complex sentences simple by changing the predicates of the noun clauses
to objective complements, and the subjects to object complements_:
+Model+.King Ahasuerus commanded that Haman should be hanged = King Ahasuerus commanded
Haman to be hanged.
1. I believe that he is a foreigner. 2. The Governor ordered that the prisoner should be set free. 3. Many people
believe that Webster was the greatest of American statesmen. 4. How wide do you think that the Atlantic
ocean is? 5. They hold that taxation without representation is unjust.
+Direction+.Expand into complex sentences such of the sentences in Lesson 41 as contain an objective
complement and an object complement that together are equivalent to a clause.
A noun clause may be contracted to an infinitive phrase.
+Example+.That he should vote is the duty of every American citizen = To vote is the duty of every
American citizen.
+Direction+._Contract these noun clauses to infinitive phrases_:
1. That we guard our liberty with vigilance is a sacred duty. 2. Every one desires that he may live long and
happily. 3. The effect of looking upon the sun is, that the eye is blinded. 4. Caesar Augustus issued a decree
that all the world should be taxed. 5. We are all anxious that we may make a good impression. 6. He does not
know whom he should send. 7. He cannot find out how he is to go there.
*****
LESSON 74.
COMPOSITIONNOUN CLAUSECONTINUED.
+QUOTATION MARKSRULE.Quotation marks ("") inclose a copied word or passage+.
+Remarks+.Single marks (' ') inclose a quotation within a quotation. If, within the quotation having single
marks, still another quotation is made, the double marks are again used; as, "The incorrectness of the
dispatches led Bismarck to declare, 'It will soon come to be said, "He lies like the telegraph."'" This
introduction of a third quotation should generally be avoided, especially where the three marks come at the
end, as above.
When a quotation is divided by a parenthetical expression, each part of the quotation is inclosed; as, "I would
80
81
+Direction+.Analyze the sentences given for arrangement and contraction in Lesson 73.
*****
LESSON 76.
THE COMPOUND SENTENCE.
+Introductory Hints+._Cromwell made one revolution, and Monk made another_. The two clauses are
independent of each other. The second clause, added by the conjunction and to the first, continues the line of
thought begun by the first.
_Man has his will, but woman has her way_. Here the conjunction connects independent clauses whose
thoughts stand in contrast with each other.
_The Tudors were despotic, or history belies them_. The independent clauses, connected by _or_, present
thoughts between which you may choose, but either, accepted, excludes the other.
_The ground is wet, therefore it has rained_. Here the inferred fact, the raining, really stands to the other fact,
the wetness of the ground, as cause to effectthe raining made the ground wet. _It has rained_, hence the
ground is wet. Here the inferred fact, the wetness of the ground, really stands to the other fact, the raining, as
effect to causethe ground is made wet by the raining. But this the real, or logical relation between the facts
in either sentence is expressed in a sentence of the compound forman and may be placed before therefore
and hence. Unless the connecting word expresses the dependence of one of the clauses, the grammarian
regards them both as independent.
_Temperance promotes health, intemperance destroys it_. Here the independent clauses are joined to each
other by their very position in the sentenceconnected without any conjunction. This kind of connection is
common.
Sentences made up of independent clauses we call +Compound Sentences.
+DEFINITION.A Clause is a part of a sentence containing' a subject and its predicate.+
+DEFINITION.A Dependent Clause is one used as an adjective, an adverb, or a noun.+
+DEFINITION.An Independent Clause is one not dependent on another clause.+
SENTENCES CLASSIFIED WITH RESPECT TO FORM.
+DEFINITION.A Simple Sentence is a sentence that contains but one subject and one predicate, either or
both of which may be compound.+
+DEFINITION.A Complex Sentence is a sentence composed of an independent clause and one or more
dependent clauses.+
+DEFINITION.A Compound Sentence is a sentence composed of two or more independent clauses.+
Analysis.
+Independent Clauses+ in the +same line+ of thought.
82
83
LESSON 77.
COMPOSITIONCOMPOUND SENTENCE.
+COMMA and SEMICOLONRULE._Independent Clauses_, when short and closely connected, are
separated by the+ +comma; but, when the clauses are slightly connected, or when they are themselves divided
into parts by the comma, the semicolon is used+.
+Remark+.A parenthetical clause may be set oil by the comma or by the dash, or it may be inclosed within
marks of parenthesisthe marks of parenthesis showing the least degree of connection in sense. See the last
three sentences in the preceding Lesson.
+Examples+. 1. We must conquer our passions, or our passions will conquer us. 2. The prodigal robs his
heirs; the miser robs himself. 3. There is a fierce conflict between good and evil; but good is in the ascendant,
and must triumph at last.
(The rule above is another example.)
+Direction+._Punctuate the following sentences, and give your reasons_:
1. The wind and the rain are over the clouds are divided in heaven over the green hill flies the inconstant sun.
2. The epic poem recites the exploits of a hero tragedy represents a disastrous event comedy ridicules the
vices and follies of mankind pastoral poetry describes rural life and elegy displays the tender emotions of the
heart. 3. Wealth may seek us but wisdom must be sought. 4. The race is not to the swift nor the battle to the
strong. 5. Occidental manhood springs from selfrespect Oriental manhood finds its greatest satisfaction in
selfabasement. [Footnote: In this sentence we have a figure of speech called +Antithesis+, in which things
unlike in some particular are set over against each other. Each part shines with its own light and with the light
reflected from the other part. Antithesis gives great force to the thought expressed by it. Sentences containing
it furnish us our best examples of +Balanced Sentences+. You will find other antitheses in this Lesson and in
the preceding.] 6. The more discussion the better if passion and personality be avoided and discussion even if
stormy often winnows truth from error.
+Direction+.Assign reasons for the punctuation of the independent clauses in the preceding Lesson.
+Direction+._Using the copulative and, the adversative but, and the alternative or or nor, form compound
sentences out of the following simple sentences, and give the reasons for your choice of connectives_:
Read not that you may find material for argument and conversation. The rain descended. Read that you may
weigh and consider the thoughts of others. Can the Ethiopian change his skin? Righteousness exalteth a
nation. The floods came. Great was the fall of it. Language is not the dress of thought. Can the leopard change
his spots? The winds blew and beat upon that house. Sin is a reproach to any people. It is not simply its
vehicle. It fell.
Compound sentences may be contracted by using but once the parts common to all the clauses, and
compounding the remaining parts.
+Example+.Time waits for no man, and tide waits for no man = Time and tide wait for no man.
+Direction+._Contract these compound sentences, attending carefully to the punctuation_:
1. Lafayette fought for American independence, and Baron Steuben fought for American independence. 2.
The sweet but fading graces of inspiring autumn open the mind to benevolence, and the sweet but fading
84
graces of inspiring autumn dispose the mind for contemplation. 3. The spirit of the Almighty is within us, the
spirit of the Almighty is around us, and the spirit of the Almighty is above us.
A compound sentence may be contracted by simply omitting from one clause such words as may readily be
supplied from the other.
Example.He is witty, but he is vulgar = He is witty but vulgar.
+Direction+._Contract these sentences_:
1. Mirth should be the embroidery of conversation, but it should not be the web. 2. It is called so, but it is
improperly called so. 3. Was Cabot the discoverer of America, or was he not the discoverer of America? 4.
William the Silent has been likened to Washington, and he has justly been likened to him. 5. It was his
address that pleased me, and it was not his dress that pleased me.
A compound sentence may sometimes be changed to a complex sentence without materially changing the
sense.
+Example+._Take care of the minutes_, and the hours will take care of themselves = _If you take care of
the minutes_, the hours will take care of themselves. (Notice that the imperative form adds force.)
+Direction+._Change these compound sentences to complex sentences_:
1. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 2. Govern your passions, or they will govern you. 3. I heard that
you wished to see me, and I lost no time in coming. 4. He converses, and at the same time he plays a difficult
piece of music. 5. He was faithful, and he was rewarded.
+Direction+._Change one of the independent clauses in each of these sentences to a dependent clause, and
then change the dependent clause to a participle phrase_:
+Model+.The house was built upon a rock, and therefore it did not fall = The house did not fall, because it
was built upon a rock = The house, being built upon a rock, did not fall.
1. He found that he could not escape, and so he surrendered. 2. Our friends heard of our coming, and they
hastened to meet us.
+Direction+._Using and, but, and or as connectives, compose three compound sentences, each containing
three independent clauses_.
*****
LESSON 78.
COMPLEX AND COMPOUND CLAUSES.
+Introductory Hints+.Sun and moon and stars obey. Peter the Great went _to Holland, to England_, and to
France. _I came, I saw, I conquered_. Here we have coordinate words, coordinate phrases, and coordinate
clauses, that is, words, phrases, and clauses of equal rank, or order.
Leaves fall so very quietly. They ate of the fruit from the tree in the garden. Regulus would have paused if he
had been the man that he was before captivity had unstrung his sinews. Here just as the word modifier quietly
is itself modified by _very_, and very by _so_; and just as _fruit_, the principal word in a modifying phrase, is
85
modified by another phrase, and the principal word of that by another: so _man_, in the adverb clause which
modifies _would have paused_, is itself modified by the adjective clause _that he was_, and was by the adverb
clause before captivity had unstrung his sinews. These three dependent clauses in the complex clause
modifier, like the three words and the three phrases in the complex word modifier and the complex phrase
modifier, are not coordinate, or of equal rank.
_Mary married Philip; but Elizabeth would not marry, although Parliament frequently urged it, and the peace
of England demanded it_. This is a compound sentence, composed of the simple clause which precedes but
and the complex clause which follows itthe complex clause being composed of an independent clause and
two dependent clauses, one coordinate with the other, and the two connected by and.
Analysis.
The +clauses+ of +complex+ and +compound+ sentences may themselves be +complex+ or +compound+.
insects ` ` ` ` ` `which | are admired ` ` `=====|============= ` ` | ' ` ` ' x ` ` ..... ` ` ' `
`which | are decorated ` ======|=============== ` | ' ` 'and ` ........ ` ' ` which | soar ' `======|======= |
hour | had passed =========|============= \The |` ' ` ' and ` ....... ` ' opportunity | ` had escaped
============|==`============ \the | ` \ ` ' ` ' `' ` `while ` he | ` tarried | | that
' earth | ' is \ round =========|======'======== | ' that ' and ...... ' ' it | ' revolves '
===|='============'= | He | proved | / \ ====|============= |
+Explanation+.The first diagram illustrates the analysis of the compound adjective clause in (3) below.
Each adjective clause is connected to insects by which. And connects the coordinate clauses. The second
diagram shows that the clause while he tarried modifies both predicates of the independent clauses. While
modifies _had passed, had escaped_, and _tarried_, as illustrated by the short lines under the first two verbs
and the line over tarried. The office of while as connective is shown by the dotted lines. The third diagram
illustrates the analysis of a complex sentence containing a compound noun clause.
1. Sin has a great many tools, but a lie is a handle which fits them all. 2. Some one has said that the milkman's
favorite song should be, "Shall we gather at the river?" 3. Some of the insects which are most admired, which
are decorated with the most brilliant colors, and which soar on the most ethereal wings, have passed the
greater portion of their lives in the bowels of the earth. 4. Still the wonder grew, that one small head could
carry all he knew. 5. When a man becomes overheated by working, running, rowing, or making furious
speeches, the six or seven millions of perspiration tubes pour out their fluid, and the whole body is bathed and
cooled. 6. Milton said that he did not educate his daughters in the languages, because one tongue was enough
for a woman. [Footnote: In _tongue_, as here used, we have a +Pun+a witty expression in which a word
agreeing in sound with another word, but differing in meaning from it, is used in place of that other.] 7.
Glaciers, flowing down mountain gorges, obey the law of rivers; the upper surface flows faster than the lower,
and the center faster than the adjacent sides. 8. Not to wear one's best things every day is a maxim of New
England thrift, which is as little disputed as any verse in the catechism. 9. In Holland the stork is protected by
law, because it eats the frogs and worms that would injure the dikes. 10. It is one of the most marvelous facts
in the natural world that, though hydrogen is highly inflammable, and oxygen is a supporter of combustion,
both, combined, form an element, water, which is destructive to fire. 11. In your war of 1812, when your arms
on shore were covered by disaster, when Winchester had been defeated, when the Army of the Northwest had
surrendered, and when the gloom of despondency hung, like a cloud, over the land, who first relit the fires of
national glory, and made the welkin ring with the shouts of victory? [Footnote: The when clauses in (11), as
the which clauses in (3), are formed on the same plan, have their words in the same order. This principle of
+Parallel Construction+, requiring like ideas to be expressed alike, holds also in phrases, as in (10) and (14),
Lesson 28, and in (14) and (15), Lesson 46, and holds supremely with sentences in the paragraph, as is
explained on page 168. Parallel construction contributes to the clearness, and consequently to the force, of
86
expression.]
*****
LESSON 79.
EXPANSION.
+Participles+ may be expanded into different kinds of +clauses+.
+Direction+._Expand the participles in these sentences into the clauses indicated_:
1. Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it. (Adjective clause.) 2. Desiring to live long, no one would be old.
(Concession.) 3. They went to the temple, suing for pardon. (Purpose.) 4. White garments, reflecting the rays
of the sun, are cool in summer. (Cause.) 5. Loved by all, he must have a genial disposition. (Evidence.) 6.
Writing carefully, you will learn to write well. (Condition.) 7. Sitting there, I heard the cry of "Fire!" (Time.)
8. She regrets not having read it. (Noun clause.) 9. The icebergs floated down, cooling the air for miles
around, (Independent clause.)
+Absolute phrases+ may be expanded into different kinds of +clauses+.
+Direction+._Expand these absolute phrases into the clauses indicated_:
1. Troy being taken by the Greeks, Aeneas came into Italy. (Time.) 2. The bridges having been swept away,
we returned. (Cause.) 3. A cause not preceding, no effect is produced. (Condition.) 4. All things else being
destroyed, virtue could sustain itself. (Concession.) 5. There being no dew this morning, it must have been
cloudy or windy last night. (Evidence.) 6. The infantry advanced, the cavalry remaining in the rear.
(Independent clause.)
+Infinitive+ phrases may be expanded into different kinds of +clauses+.
+Direction+._Expand these infinitive phrases into the clauses indicated_:
1. They have nothing to wear. (Adjective clause.) 2. The weather is so warm as to dissolve the snow.
(Degree.) 3. Herod will seek the young child to destroy it. (Purpose.) 4. The adversative sentence faces, so to
speak, half way about on but. (Condition.) 5. He is a fool to waste his time so. (Cause.) 6. I shall be happy to
hear of your safe arrival. (Time.) 7. He does not know where to go. (Noun clause.)
+Direction+._Complete these elliptical expressions_:
1. And so shall Regulus, though dead, fight as he never fought before. 2. Oh, that I might have one more day!
3. He is braver than wise. 4. What if he is poor? 5. He handles it as if it were glass. 6. I regard him more as a
historian than as a poet. 7. He is not an Englishman, but a Frenchman. 8. Much as he loved his wealth, he
loved his children better. 9. I will go whether you go or not. 10. It happens with books as with mere
acquaintances. 11. No examples, however awful, sink into the heart.
*****
LESSON 80.
MISCELLANEOUS EXERCISES IN REVIEW.
87
Analysis.
1. Whenever the wandering demon of Drunkenness finds a ship adrift, he steps on board, takes the helm, and
steers straight for the Maelstrom.Holmes. 2. The energy which drives our locomotives and forces our
steamships through the waves comes from the sun.Cooke. 3. No scene is continually loved but one rich by
joyful human labor, smooth in field, fair in garden, full in orchard.Ruskin. 4. What is bolder than a miller's
neckcloth, which takes a thief by the throat every morning?German Proverb. 5. The setting sun stretched
his celestial rods of light across the level landscape, and smote the rivers and the brooks and the ponds, and
they became as blood.Longfellow. 6. Were the happiness of the next world as closely apprehended as the
felicities of this, it were a martyrdom to live._Sir T. Browne_. 7. There is a good deal of oratory in me, but
I don't do as well as I can, in any one place, out of respect to the memory of Patrick Henry.Nasby. 8. Van
Twiller's fullfed cheeks, which seemed to have taken toll of everything that went into his mouth, were
curiously mottled and streaked with dusky red, like a spitzenburg apple.Irving. 9. The evil of silencing the
expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the human race.Mill. 10. There is no getting along with
Johnson; if his pistol misses fire, he knocks you down with the butt of it.Goldsmith. 11. We think in words;
and, when we lack fit words, we lack fit thoughts.White. 12. To speak perfectly well one must feel that he
has got to the bottom of his subject.Whately. 13. Office confers no honor upon a man who is worthy of it,
and it will disgrace every man who is not.Holland. 14. The men whom men respect, the women whom
women approve, are the men and women who bless their species.Parton.
*****
LESSON 81.
MISCELLANEOUS EXERCISES IN REVIEW.
Analysis.
1. A ruler who appoints any man to an office when there is in his dominions another man better qualified for it
sins against God and against the state.Koran. 2. We wondered whether the saltness of the Dead Sea was not
Lot's wife in solution.Curtis. 3. There is a class among us so conservative that they are afraid the roof will
come down if you sweep off the cobwebs.Phillips. 4. Kind hearts are more than coronets; and simple faith,
than Norman blood.Tennyson. 5. All those things for which men plow, build, or sail obey virtue.Sallust.
6. The sea licks your feet, its huge flanks purr very pleasantly for you; but it will crack your bones and eat you
for all that.Holmes. 7. Of all sad words of tongue or pen the saddest are these: "It might have
been."Whittier. 8. I fear three newspapers more than a hundred thousand bayonets. Napoleon. 9. He that
allows himself to be a worm must not complain if he is trodden on.Kant. 10. It is better to write one word
upon the rock than a thousand on the water or the sand.Gladstone. 11. A breath of New England's air is
better than a sup of Old England's ale.Higginson. 12. We are as near to heaven by sea as by land._Sir H.
Gilbert_. 13. No language that cannot suck up the feeding juices secreted for it in the rich motherearth of
common folk can bring forth a sound and lusty book.Lowell. 14. Commend me to the preacher who has
learned by experience what are human ills and what is human wrong.Boyd. 15. He prayeth best who loveth
best all things both [Footnote: See Lesson 20.] great and small; for the dear God, who loveth us, he made and
loveth all.Coleridge.
*****
LESSON 82.
REVIEW.
Show that an adjective may be expanded into an equivalent phrase or clause. Give examples of adjective
88
clauses connected by _who, whose, which, what, that, whichever, when, where, why_, and show that each
connective performs also the office of a pronoun or that of an adverb. Give and illustrate fully the Rule for
punctuating the adjective clause, and the Caution regarding the position of the adjective clause. Show that an
adjective clause may be equivalent to an Infinitive phrase or a participle phrase.
Show that an adverb may be expanded into an equivalent phrase or clause. Illustrate the different kinds of
adverb clauses, and explain the office of each and the fitness of the name. Give and explain fully the Rule for
the punctuation of adverb clauses. Illustrate the different positions of adverb clauses. Illustrate the different
ways of contracting adverb clauses.
*****
LESSON 83.
REVIEW.
Illustrate five different offices of a noun clause. Explain the two different ways of treating clauses introduced
by _in order that_, etc. Explain the office of the expletive it. Illustrate the different positions of a noun clause
used as object complement. Show how the noun clause may be made prominent. Illustrate the different ways
of contracting noun clauses. Give and illustrate fully the Rule for quotation marks. Illustrate and explain fully
the distinction between direct and indirect quotations, and the distinction between direct and indirect questions
introduced into a sentence. Tell all about their capitalization and punctuation.
*****
LESSON 84.
REVIEW.
Illustrate and explain the distinction between a dependent and an independent clause. Illustrate and explain the
different ways in which independent clauses connected by _and, but, or_, and hence are related in sense.
Show how independent clauses may be joined in sense without a connecting word. Define a clause. Define the
different kinds of clauses. Define the different classes of sentences with regard to form. Give the Rule for the
punctuation of independent clauses, and illustrate fully. Illustrate the different ways of contracting
independent clauses. Illustrate and explain the difference between compound and complex word modifiers;
between compound and complex phrases; between compound and complex clauses. Give participle phrases,
absolute phrases, and infinitive phrases, and expand them into different kinds of clauses. What three parts of
speech may connect clauses?
GENERAL REVIEW.
TO THE TEACHER.This scheme will be found very helpful in a general review. The pupils should be able
to reproduce it except the Lesson numbers.
Scheme for the Sentence.
(The numbers refer to Lessons.)
+PARTS.+
+Subject.+ Noun or Pronoun (8). Phrase (38, 40). Clause (71).
89
90
the place of usual residence. 3. Here, rows of resplendent pewter, ranged on a long dresser, dazzled his eyes.
4. In one corner stood a huge bag of wool ready to be spun. 5. In another corner stood a quantity of
linseywoolsey just from the loom. 6. Ears of Indian corn and strings of dried apples and peaches hung in gay
festoons along the walls. 7. These were mingled with the gaud of red peppers. 8. A door left ajar gave him a
peep into the best parlor. 9. In this parlor clawfooted chairs and dark mahogany tables shone like mirrors. 10.
Andirons, with their accompanying shovel and tongs, glistened from their covert of asparagus tops. [Footnote:
Asparagus tops were commonly used to ornament the oldfashioned fireplace in summer.] 11. Mockoranges
and conchshells decorated the mantelpiece. 12. Strings of variouscolored birds' eggs were suspended above
it. 13. A cornercupboard, knowingly left open, displayed immense treasures of old silver and wellmended
china.
+The Uses of Words and Groups of Words+.Find the two chief words in each of the first three sentences.
As a part of the sentence what is each of these words called? To what class of words, or part of speech, does
each belong? Notice that in the fourth and the fifth sentence the subject is put after the predicate. Change the
order of words and read these sentences. Read in their regular order the two chief words of each. In the sixth
sentence what word says, or asserts, something about both ears and strings? In the ninth sentence put what
before the predicate shone and find two nouns that answer the question. In the eleventh sentence what two
things does decorated tell something about? In the seventh sentence these stands for what two nouns, or
names, found in the preceding sentence? Find the subject and the predicate of each sentence from the sixth to
the thirteenth inclusive. To what class of words does each of these chief parts belong? Find in these sentences
nouns that are not subjects. Find several compound nouns the parts of which are joined with the hyphen.
The and wondering in the first sentence go with what noun? The group of words from this piazza goes with
what word? In the second sentence put what before, and then after, _formed_, and find the names that answer
these questions. What does of the mansion go with? What does of usual residence describe? In the third
sentence what word tells where the dazzling occurred? Find a group of three words telling what the rows were
composed of. What group of words tells the position of the rows? In the fourth sentence what group of words
shows where the bag stood? Of wool ready to be spun describes what? A and huge are attached to what?
TO THE TEACHER.We have here suggested some of the devices by which pupils may be led to see the
functions of words and phrases. We recommend that this work be varied and continued through the selection
above and through others that may easily be made. Such exercises, together with the more formal and
searching work of the regular lessons, will be found of incalculable value to the pupil. They will not only
afford the best mental discipline but will aid greatly in getting thought and in expressing thought.
+The Force and the Beauty of the Description above.+ Can you find any reason why we are invited to see
this picture through the eyes of the interested and wondering Ichabod? Do you think the word wondering well
chosen and suggestive? Look through this picture carefully and tell what there is that indicates thrift, industry,
and prosperity. Find more common expressions for center of the mansion and place of usual residence. Notice
in the third sentence the effect of resplendent and dazzled. How is a similar effect produced in the ninth and
the tenth sentence? You see that this great artist in words does not here need to repeat his language. We can
easily imagine that he could produce the same effect in a great variety of ways. In the fourth sentence does the
expression ready to be spun tell what is actually seen, or what is only suggested? What is gained by this
expression and by just from the loom in the next sentence? Do you think an unskillful artist would have used
_in gay festoons?_ Read the seventh and make it more common but less quaint. Do you think the picture
gains, or loses, by representing the door as "ajar" instead of wide open? Why? Can you see any similar effect
from introducing their covert in the tenth sentence? What does the expression knowingly left open suggest to
you? This selection from Irving illustrates the +Descriptive+ style of writing.
SUGGESTIONS FOR COMPOSITION WORK.
In the description above we have taken some liberties with the original, for we have broken it up into single
91
sentences. The parts of this picture as made by Irving were smoothly and delicately blended together.
You may rewrite this description; and, where it can be done to advantage, you may join the sentences neatly
together. Perhaps some of these sentences may be changed to become parts of other sentences,
TO THE TEACHER.It will be found profitable for pupils to break up for themselves into short sentences
model selections from classic English, and, after examining the structure and style as suggested above, to note
and, so far as possible, explain how these were blended together in the original. A written reproduction of the
selection may then be made from memory.
This study of the thought, the structure, and the style of the great masters in language must lead to a
discriminating taste for literature; and the effect upon the pupil's own habits of thought and expression will
necessarily be to lift him above the insipid, commonplace matter and language that characterize much of the
socalled "original" composition work.
In the study of these selections, especially in the work of copying, the rules for punctuation, and other rules,
formally stated further on, may easily be anticipated informally.
For composition work more nearly original the class might read together or discuss, descriptions of home
scenes; then, drawing from imagination or experience, they might make descriptions of their own. In these
descriptions different persons might be introduced, with their attitudes, employments, and acts of hospitality.
For exercises in narration pupils might write about trips to these homes, telling about the preparation, the start,
the journey, and the reception. (For studies on narrative style, see pages 157162.)
To insure thoroughness, all such compositions should he short.
Exercises on the Composition of the Sentence and the Paragraph.
ADAPTED FROM IRVING'S "SKETCH BOOK."
1. Every window and crevice of the vast barn seemed bursting forth with the treasures of the farm. 2. The flail
was busily resounding within from morning till night. 3. Swallows and martins skimmed twittering about the
eaves. 4. Rows of pigeons were enjoying the sunshine on the roof. 5. Some sat with one eye turned up as if
watching the weather. 6. Some sat with their heads under their wings or buried in their bosoms. 7. Others were
swelling and cooing and bowing about their dames. 8. Sleek, unwieldy porkers were grunting in the repose
and abundance of their pens. 9. From these pens sallied forth, now and then, troops of sucking pigs, as if to
snuff the air. 10. A stately squadron of snowy geese was riding in an adjoining pond, convoying whole fleets
of ducks. 11. Regiments of turkeys were gobbling through the farmyard. 12. Guinea fowls fretted about, like
illtempered housewives, with their peevish, discontented cry. 13. Before the barndoor strutted the gallant
cock, clapping his burnished wings, and crowing in the pride and gladness of his heartsometimes tearing up
the earth with his feet, and then generously calling his everhungry family of wives and children to enjoy the
rich morsel which he had discovered.
+The Uses of Words and Groups of Words+.In the first sentence seemed asserts something about what two
things? Every goes with what word or words? What word or words does the phrase of the vast barn make
more definite in meaning? The two words window and crevice are joined together by what word? The group
of words bursting forth with the treasures of the farm describes what? Notice that bursting also helps seemed
to say something about window and crevice. Seemed does not make sense, but seemed bursting does. What
does forth modify? What does with the treasures of the farm modify? In the third sentence what two nouns
form the subject of _skimmed?_ What connects these two nouns? In the fourth what word tells what the rows
were enjoying? In the fifth turned up as if watching the weather describes what? As if watching the weather
92
goes with what? The expression introduced by as if is a shortened form. Putting in some of the words omitted,
we have _as if they were watching the weather. They were watching the weather_, if standing by itself, would
make a complete sentence. You see that one sentence may be made a part of another sentence. What does
each of the two phrases under their wings and buried in their bosoms describe? What connects these two
phrases? In the seventh sentence were is understood before cooing and before bowing. How many predicate
verbs do you find, each asserting something about the pigeons represented by _others_? Why are these verbs
not separated by commas? What two nouns form the principal part of the phrase in the eighth sentence? What
connects these two nouns? Read the ninth sentence and put the subject before the predicate. You may now
explain _as if to snuff the air_, remembering that a similar expression in the fifth sentence was explained. In
the tenth sentence convoying whole fleets of ducks describes what? Does convoying assert anything about the
squadron? Change it into a predicate verb. In the twelfth sentence find one word and two phrases joined to
fretted. _Clapping, crowing, tearing_, and _calling_, in the thirteenth, all describe what? Notice that all the
other words following the subject go with these four. Find the three words that answer the questions made by
putting what after _clapping, tearing, calling_. What phrase tells the cause of crowing? The phrase to enjoy
the rich morsel which he had discovered tells the purpose of what? Which he had discovered limits the
meaning of what? The pronoun which here stands for morsel. Which he had discovered = He had discovered
morsel. Here you will see a sentence has again been made a part of another sentence. Notice that without
which there would be no connection.
TO THE TEACHER.It may be well to let the pupils complete the examination of the structure of the
sentences above and point out nouns, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs.
It will be noticed that in the questions above we especially anticipate the regular lessons that follow Lesson
27. This we do in all such "Exercises."
+The Beauty and the Force of the Description above+.Why may we say that this farmyard scene is
surrounded by an atmosphere of plenty, happiness, and content? Which do you prefer, the first sentence
above, or this substitute for it: "The large barn was entirely full of the products of the farm"? Give every
reason that you can find for your preference. We often speak of a barn or storehouse as "bursting with plenty,"
or of a table as "groaning with a load of good things," when there is really no bursting nor groaning. Such
expressions are called +Figures of Speech+. Examine the second sentence and compare it with the following:
"The men were busy all day pounding out the grain with flails." Do the words busily resounding joined to flail
bring into our imagination men, grain, pounding, sound, and perhaps other things? A good description
mentions such things and uses such words as will help us to see in imagination many things not mentioned. In
the third sentence would you prefer skimmed to _flew_? Why? Compare the eighth sentence with this: "Large
fat hogs were grunting in their pens and reposing quietly with an abundant supply of food." _Sleek, unwieldy
porkers_ would be too highsounding an expression for you to use ordinarily, but it is in tone with the rest of
the description. In the repose and abundance of their pens is much better than the words substituted above. It
is shorter and stronger. It uses instead of the verb reposing and the adjective abundant the nouns repose and
_abundance_, and makes these the principal words in the phrase. Repose and abundance are thus made the
striking features of the pen. Arrange the ninth sentence in as many ways as possible and tell which way you
prefer. Is a real squadron referred to in the tenth sentence? and were the geese actually convoying fleets?
These are figurative uses of words. What can you say of regiments in the eleventh? In the twelfth Guinea
fowls are compared to housewives. Except in this one fancied resemblance the two are wholly unlike. Such
comparisons frequently made by as and like are called +Similes+. If we leave out like and say, "Guinea fowls
are fretting housewives," we have a figure of speech called +Metaphor+. This figure is used above when
flocks are called "squadrons" and "fleets." In the thirteenth sentence notice how well chosen and forceful are
the words _strutted, gallant, burnished, generously, everhungry, rich morsel_. See whether you can find
substitutes for these italicized words. Were the wings actually burnished? What can you say of this use of
_burnished_?
SUGGESTIONS FOR COMPOSITION WORK.
93
The sentences in the description above, when read together, have a somewhat broken or jerky effect. You may
unite smoothly such as should be joined. The fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh can all be put into one. There is
danger of making your sentences too long. Young writers find it difficult to make very long sentences
perfectly clear in meaning.
TO THE TEACHER.While the pupils' thoughts and style are somewhat toned up by the preceding
exercises, it may he well to let them write similar descriptions drawn from their reading, their observation, or
their imagination.
If the compositions contain more than two or three short paragraphs each, it will be almost impossible to
secure good work.
Exercises on the Composition of the Sentence and the Paragraph.
FROM FRANKLIN'S "AUTOBIOGRAPHY."
1. I was dirty from my journey, my pockets were stuffed out with shirts and stockings, and I knew no soul nor
where to look for lodging. 2. I was fatigued with traveling, rowing, and want of rest; I was very hungry; and
my whole stock of cash consisted of a Dutch dollar and about a shilling in copper. 3. The latter I gave the
people of the boat for my passage, who at first refused it on account of my rowing; but I insisted on their
taking it.
1. Then I walked up the street, gazing about, till near the markethouse I met a boy with bread. 2. I had made
many a meal on bread, and, inquiring where he got it, I went immediately to the baker's he directed me to, in
Second Street, and asked for biscuit, intending such as we had in Boston; but they, it seems, were not made in
Philadelphia. 3. Then I asked for a threepenny loaf, and was told they had none such. 4. So not considering
or knowing the difference of money, or the greater cheapness and the names of his bread, I bade him give me
threepenny worth of any sort. 5. He gave me, accordingly, three great puffy rolls. 6. I was surprised at the
quantity, but took it; and, having no room in my pockets, walked off with a roll under each arm, and eating the
other.
*****
+The Uses of Words and Groups of Words+.Break up sentence 1, paragraph 1, into three distinct
sentences, and tell what changes this will make in capitals and punctuation. Do the same for 2. Which read
more closely together, and are more closely connected, the parts of 2, or of 1? How is this shown to the eye?
Analyze the first two sentences you made from 1. Find two object complements of _knew_, one a noun and
the other a group of five words. Find in 2 a phrase whose principal part is made up of three nouns. What have
you learned about the commas used with these nouns? In making separate sentences of 3 what words do you
change or drop? Are these the words that bind the parts of 3 together? What noun is used adverbially after
_gave_? Supply a preposition and then tell what phrases modify gave. Find the object complement of gave.
What modifies refused by telling when? What, by telling _why_?
In 1, paragraph 2, who is described as gazing about? What does gazing about modify? Read the group of
words that tells how far or how long Franklin walked up the street. Notice that this whole group is used like
an adverb. Find in it a subject, a predicate, and an object complement. Drop till and see whether the parts of 1
make separate sentences. What word, then, binds these two sentences into one? Read 2 and make of it three
distinct sentences by omitting the first and and the word but. The second of these three sentences just made
contains several sentences which are not so easily separated, as some are used like single words to make up
the main, or principal, sentence. In this second part of 2 find the leading subject and its two predicates. Find a
phrase belonging to I and representing Franklin as doing something. Put what after inquiring and find the
object complement. What phrase belongs to _went_, telling where? _He directed me to (whom)_ belongs to
94
what? Who is represented as intending? Intending such as we had in Boston belongs to what? As we had in
Boston goes with what? Notice that it seems is a sentence thrown in loosely between the parts of another
sentence. Such expressions are said to be parenthetical. Notice the punctuation.
Notice that _gazing, inquiring, intending, considering, knowing_, and having are all modifiers of I found in
the different sentences of paragraph 2. Put I before any one of these words, and you will see that no assertion
is made. These words illustrate one form of the verb (the participle), and look in 1, paragraph 1, illustrates the
other form (the infinitive), spoken of in Lesson 11 as not asserting. Change each of these participles to a
predicate, or asserting form, and then read the sentences in which these predicates are found. You will notice
that giving these words the asserting form makes them more prominent and forciblebrings them up to a
level with the other predicate verbs. Participles are very useful in slurring over the less important actions that
the more important may have prominence. Show that they are so used in Franklin's narrative.
Examine the phrase _with a roll under each arm, and eating the other_, and see if you do not find an
illustration of the fact that even great men sometimes make slips. Does other properly mean one of three
things? Try to improve this expression.
+The Grouping of Sentences into Paragraphs+.The sentences above, as you see, stand in two groups. Those
of each group are more closely related to one another than they are to the sentences of the other group. Do you
see how? In studying this short selection you may find the general topic, or heading, to be something like this:
My First Experiences in Philadelphia. Now examine the first group of sentences and see whether its topic
might not be put thus: My Condition on Reaching Philadelphia. Then examine the sentences of the second
group and see whether all will not come under this heading: How I Found Something to Eat. You see that
even a short composition like this has a general topic with topics under it. As sub means _under_, we will call
these under topics _subtopics_. There are two groups of sentences in this selection because there are two
distinct subtopics developed. The sentences of each group stand together because they jointly develop one
subtopic.
A group of sentences related and held together by a common thought we call a +Paragraph+. How is the
paragraph indicated to the eye? What help is it to the reader to have a composition paragraphed? What, to the
writer to know that he must write in paragraphs?
+The Style of the Author+.This selection is mainly +Narrative+. The matter is somewhat tame, and the
expression is commonplace. The words are ordinary, and they stand in their usual place. Figures of speech are
not used. Yet the piece has a charm. The thoughts are homely; the expression is in perfect keeping; the style is
clear, simple, direct, and natural. The closing sentence is slightly humorous. Benjamin Franklin trudging
along the street, hugging a great roll of bread under each arm, and eating a third roll, must have been a
laughable sight.
Have you ever known boys and girls in writing school compositions, or reporters in writing for the
newspapers, to use large words for small ideas, and long, highsounding phrases and sentences for plain,
simple thoughts? Have you ever seen what could be neatly said in three or four lines "padded out" to fill a
page of composition paper or a column in a newspaper?
When Franklin said. "My pockets were stuffed out with shirts and stockings," he said a homely thing in a
homely way; that is, he fitted the language to the thought. To fit the expression to the thought on every
occasion is the perfection of style. If Franklin had been a weak, foolish writer, his sentence might have taken
this form:
"Not having been previously provided with a satchel or other receptacle for my personal effects, my pockets,
which were employed as a substitute, were protruding conspicuously with extra underclothing."
95
Compare this sentence with Franklin's and point out the faults you see in the substitute. Can you find anything
in the meaning of provided that makes previously unnecessary? Do you now understand what Lowell meant
when, in praise of Dryden, he said, "His phrase is always a short cut to his sense"?
TO THE TEACHER.What is here taught of the paragraph and of style will probably not be mastered at one
reading. It will be found necessary to return to it occasionally, and to refer pupils to it for aid in their
composition work.
SUGGESTIONS FOR COMPOSITION WORK.
TO THE TEACHER.We suggest that the pupils reproduce from memory the extract above, and that other
selections of narrative be found in the Readers or elsewhere and studied as above.
The pupils may be able to note to what extent the narrative follows the order of time and to what extent it is
topical. They may also note the amount of description it contains. They should, so far as possible, find the
topic for each paragraph, thus making an outline for a composition to be completed from reproduction.
It will now require little effort to write simple original narratives of real or imagined experiences.
*****
Exercises on the Composition of the Sentence and the Paragraph.
FROM C. D. WARNER'S "MY SUMMER IN A GARDEN."
1. In the driest days, my fountain became disabled; the pipe was stopped up. 2. A couple of plumbers, with the
implements of their craft, came out to view the situation. 3. There was a good deal of difference of opinion
about where the stoppage was. 4. I found the plumbers perfectly willing to sit down and talk about ittalk by
the hour. 5. Some of their guesses and remarks were exceedingly ingenious; and their general observations on
other subjects were excellent in their way, and could hardly have been better if they had been made by the job.
6. The work dragged a littleas it is apt to do by the hour.
1. The plumbers had occasion to make me several visits. 2. Sometimes they would find, upon arrival, that they
had forgotten some indispensable tool; and one would go back to the shop, a mile and a half, after it; and his
comrade would await his return with the most exemplary patience, and sit down and talkalways by the
hour. 3. I do not know but it is a habit to have something wanted at the shop. 4. They seemed to me very good
workmen, and always willing to stop, and talk about the job or anything else, when I went near them. 5. Nor
had they any of that impetuous hurry that is said to be the bane of our American civilization. 6. To their credit
be it said that I never observed anything of it in them. 7. They can afford to wait. 8. Two of them will
sometimes wait nearly half a day, while a comrade goes for a tool. 9. They are patient and philosophical. 10. It
is a great pleasure to meet such men. 11. One only wishes there was some work he could do for them by the
hour.
+The Uses of Words and Groups of Words+.How can you make the last part of 1 express more directly the
cause of becoming disabled? Would you use a semicolon to separate the sentences thus joined, or would you
use a comma? Give a reason for the comma after _days_, Find in 2 an adverb phrase that expresses purpose.
Use an equivalent adjective in place of a couple of. Explain the use of there in 3. What adjective may be used
in place of good in _a good deal_? What long complex phrase modifies _deal_? Put what after the preposition
about and find a group of words that takes the place of a noun. Find in this group a subject and a predicate.
Find in 4 an objective complement. Find a compound infinitive phrase and tell what it modifies. Notice that
the dash helps to show the break made by repeating talk. When 5 is divided into two sentences, what word is
dropped? This, then, must be the word that connected the two sentences. Notice that the two main parts of 5
96
are separated by a semicolon. This enables the writer to show that the two main divisions of 5 are more widely
separated in meaning than are the parts of the second division where the comma is used. Give the three
leading predicate verbs in 5 and their complements. If they had been made by the job is joined like an adverb
to what verb? What is the predicate of this modifying group?
The infinitive phrase in 1, paragraph 2, modifies what? Is _me_, or _visits_, the object complement of
_make_? Put what after would find in 2 and get the object complement. Can you make a sentence of this
group? What are its principal parts? Does the writer make an unexpected turn after _talk_? How is this shown
to the eye? Put what after do know in 3 and find the object complement. Can you make a sentence of this
object complement? What phrase can you put in place of the pronoun it without changing the sense? By using
the word _it_, a better arrangement can be made. What group of words in 5 is used like an adjective to modify
_hurry_? Change the pronoun that to hurry and make a separate sentence of this group. What word, then,
must have made an adjective of this sentence and joined it to _hurry_? What is the object complement of can
afford in 7? Supply a preposition after will wait in 8, and then find two groups of words that tell the time of
waiting. Find a subject and a predicate in the second group. What explains it in 10? Find the object
complement of wishes in 11. What is the subject of _was_? The office of _there_? After work supply the
pronoun that and tell the office of the group it introduces. What is the object complement of _could do_?
What connects this group to _work_?
+The Grouping of Sentences into Paragraphs+.There are two distinct sets of sentences in this
selectiondistinct because developing two distinct subtopics. Accordingly, there are two paragraphs. Let us
take for the general topic The Visits of the Plumbers. Let us see whether all the sentences of the first paragraph
will not come under the subtopic _First Visit_, and those of the second under the subtopic Subsequent
Visits. The sentences of each paragraph should be closely related to one another and to the subtopic. They
should stand in their proper order. Do the paragraphs above stand such tests? If they do, they possess the
prime quality of +Unity+.
+The Author's Style+.This selection we may call +Narrative+, though there are descriptive touches in it. It
is a story of what? Is the story clearly told throughout? If not, where is it obscure? Is it made interesting and
entertaining? Is Mr. Warner here giving us a bit of his own experience? Or do you think he is drawing upon
his imagination? Would you call the style plain, or does it abound with metaphors, similes, or other figures of
speech? Are the sentences generally long, or generally short? What are the faults or foibles of these real or
fancied plumbers? Does the author speak of them in a genial and lenient way? or is he hostile, and does he
hold up their foibles to scorn and derision? Does he make us laugh with, or does he make us laugh at, the
plumbers? If the former, the style is humorous; if the latter, the style is satirical or sarcastic. Would you call
Mr. Warner's quality of style +Humor+? or that +form of wit+ known as +Satire+? Is our author's use of it
delicate and refined? or is it gross and coarse? Does it stop short of making its object grotesque, or not? Can
you name any writers whose humor or satire is coarse?
SUGGESTIONS FOB COMPOSITION WORK.
TO THE TEACHER.See suggestions, pages 159, 160.
Exercises on the Composition of the Sentence and the Paragraph.
FROM BEECHER'S "LECTURES TO YOUNG MEN."
1. Indolence inclines a man to rely upon others and not upon himself, to eat their bread and not his own. 2. His
carelessness is somebody's loss; his neglect is somebody's downfall. 3. If he borrows, the article remains
borrowed; if he begs and gets, it is as the letting out of watersno one knows where it will stop. 4. He spoils
your work, disappoints your expectations, exhausts your patience, eats up your substance, abuses your
confidence, and hangs a dead weight upon all your plans; and the very best thing an honest man can do with a
97
98
But Mr. Beecher's repetition is not needless. By every repetition here, Mr. Beecher makes his thought clearer
and stronger. Examine the other sentences of this paragraph and see whether they enforce the leading thought
by illustration, example, or consequence.
In what sentence is the style made +energetic+ by the aid of short predicates? How does the alternation of
short sentences with long throughout the extract affect you? The alternation of plain with figurative
sentences? Can you show that the author's style has +Variety+? Pick out the metaphors in 1, 2, 3, and 5,
paragraph 2; and in 1 and 2, paragraph 3. Pick out the comparisons, or similes, in 3, paragraph 1, and in 3,
paragraph 2. Figures of speech should add clearness and force. If you think these do, tell how. Indolence in 1
and 3, paragraph 2, and laziness in 2, introduce us to another figure. Something belonging to the men, a
quality, is made to represent the men themselves. Such a figure is called +Metonymy+.
SUGGESTIONS FOB COMPOSITION WORK.
TO THE TEACHER.Exercises in argumentative writing may be continued by making selections from the
discussion of easy topics.
For original work we suggest debates on current topics. Compositions should be short.
Exercises on the Composition of the Sentence and the Paragraph.
EXTRACT FROM DANIEL WEBSTER.
1. The assassin enters, through the window already prepared, into an unoccupied apartment. 2. With noiseless
foot he paces the lonely hall, half lighted by the moon; he winds up the ascent of the stairs and reaches the
door of the chamber. 3. Of this he moves the lock, by soft and continued pressure, till it turns on its hinges
without noise; and he enters, and beholds his victim before him.
1. The face of the innocent sleeper is turned from the murderer, and the beams of the moon, resting on the
gray locks of his aged temple, show him where to strike. 2. The fatal blow is given! and the victim passes,
without a struggle or a motion, from the repose of sleep to the repose of death. 3. It is the assassin's purpose to
make sure work; and he plies the dagger, though it is obvious that life has been destroyed by the blow of the
bludgeon. 4. He even raises the aged arm that he may not fail in his aim at the heart, and places it again over
the wounds of the poniard. 5. To finish the picture, he explores the wrist for the pulse. 6. He feels for it, and
ascertains that it beats no longer. 7. It is accomplished. 8. The deed is done.
1. He retreats, retraces his steps to the window, passes out through it as he came in, and escapes. 2. He has
done the murder. No eye has seen him, no ear has heard him. 3. The secret is his own, and it is safe.
1. Ah! gentlemen, that was a dreadful mistake. 2. Such a secret can be safe nowhere. 3. The whole creation of
God has neither nook nor corner where the guilty can bestow it, and say it is safe. 4. Not to speak of that eye
which pierces through all disguises and beholds everything as in the splendor of noon, such secrets of guilt are
never safe from detection even by men. 5. True it is, generally speaking, that "Murder will out." 6. True it is
that Providence hath so ordained, and doth so govern things, that those who break the great law of heaven by
shedding man's blood seldom succeed in avoiding discovery.
*****
+The Uses of Words and Groups of Words+.Do the phrases in 1, paragraph 1, stand in their usual order, or
are they transposed? In what different places may they stand? Does either phrase need to be transposed for
emphasis or for clearness? Explain the punctuation. Begin 2 with _the lonely hall_, and notice that the
sentence is thrown out of harmony with the other sentences, and that the assassin is for the moment lost sight
99
of. Can you tell why? Notice that in the latter part of 2 the door is mentioned, and that 3 begins with _of this_,
referring to the door. Can you find any other arrangement by which 3 will follow 2 so naturally? Can you
change 3 so as to make the reference of it clearer? What is the office of the till clause? Does the clause
following the semicolon modify anything? Would you call such a clause _dependent_, or would you call it
_independent_? Explain the punctuation of 3.
Give the effect of changing resting in 1, paragraph 2, to the assertive form. Find in 1 a pronoun used
adverbially and a phrase used as object complement. Expand the phrase into a clause. Give the modifiers of
passes in 2. Read the first part of 3 and put the explanatory phrase in place of it. What is the office of the
though clause? Find in this a clause doing the work of a noun and tell its office. In 4 would his in place of the
before aged and before heart be ambiguous? If so, why? Find in this paragraph an infinitive phrase used
independently. Find the object complement of ascertains in 6. Are 7 and 8 identical in meaning?
Give the modifiers of passes in paragraph 3. Explain the as clause. What does that in 1, paragraph 4, stand
for? What kind of clause is introduced by where in 3? By which in 4? Expand the as clause in 4 and tell its
office. Find in 4 and 5 an infinitive phrase and a participle phrase used independently. Tell the office of the
that clauses in 5 and 6, and of the who clause in 6.
+The Grouping of Sentences into Paragraphs+.Look (1) at the order of the sentences in each paragraph, and
(2) at the order of the paragraphs themselves. Neither order could be changed without making the stream of
events run up hill, for each order is the order in which the events happened. Look (3) at the unity of each
paragraph, and (4) at the larger unity of the four paragraphsthat of each paragraph determined by the
relation of each sentence to the subtopic of the paragraph, and that of the four paragraphs determined by
their relation to the general topic of the extract. We add that the obvious reference of the repeated he to the
same person, and of that and secret in paragraph 4 demonstrates both unities. Look (5), and lastly, at the fact
that the subtopic of each paragraph is found in the first line of each paragraph. Could Webster have done
more to make his thought seen and felt?
+The Style of the Author.+This selection is largely +Narrative.+ Its leading facts were doubtless supplied
by the testimony given in the case; but much of the matter must have come from the imagination of Mr.
Webster. Everything is so skillfully and vividly put that the story, touched with description, has all the effect
of an argument. One quality of it is its clearness, its perspicuity. It is noticeable also that very little imagery is
used, that the language is plain language. But it is impossible to read these paragraphs without being most
profoundly impressed with their energy, their force.
The style is forcible because (1) the +subjectmatter+ is +easily grasped+; (2) because +simple words+ are
+used+, words understood even by children; because (3) these +words+ are +specific+ and +individual+, not
generic; because (4) of the grateful +variety of sentences+; (5) because of the +prevalence of short
sentences+; because (6) of the +repetition of the thought+ in successive sentences; because (7), though the
murder took place some time before, Webster speaks as if it were +now taking place+ in our very sight. Find
proof of what we have just saidproof of (2), in paragraphs 1 and 3; proof of (3), in sentences 3, 4, and 5,
paragraph 2; proof of (4), throughout; of (5) and (6), in paragraphs 3 and 4; and of (7), in the first three
paragraphs.
In paragraph 3, a remarkable sameness prevails. The sentences here are framed largely on one plan. They are
mostly of the same length. The order of the words in them is the same; often the words are the same; and,
even when they are not, those in one clause or sentence seem to suggest those in the next. This sameness is
not accidental. The more real the murderer's fancied security is made in this paragraph to appear, the more
startling in the next paragraph will be the revelation of his mistake. Hence no novelty in the words or in their
arrangement is allowed to distract our attention from the dominant thought. The sentences are made to look
and sound alike and to be alike that their effect may be cumulative. The principle of +Parallel Construction+,
the principle that sentences similar in thought should be similar in form, is here allowed free play.
100
TO THE TEACHER.Do not be discouraged should your pupils fail to grasp at first all that is here taught.
They probably will not fully comprehend it till they have returned to it several times. It will, however, be
impossible for them to study it without profit. The meaning will grow upon them. In studying our questions
and suggestions the pupils should have the "Extract" before them, and should try to verify in it all that is
taught concerning it.
*****
PARTS OF SPEECH SUBDIVIDED
LESSON 85.
CLASSES OF NOUNS AND PRONOUNS.
+Introductory Hints+.You have now reached a point where it becomes necessary to divide the eight great
classes of words into subclasses.
You have learned that nouns are the names of things; as, _girl_, Sarah. The name girl is held in common by
all girls, and hence does not distinguish one girl from another. The name Sarah is not thus held in common; it
does distinguish one girl from other girls. Any name which belongs in common to all things of a class we call
a +Common Noun+; and any particular name of an individual, distinguishing this individual from others of its
class, we call a +Proper Noun+. The "proper, or individual, names" which in Rule 1, Lesson 8, you were told
to begin with capital letters are proper nouns.
Such a word as _wheat_, _music_, or architecture does not distinguish one thing from others of its class; there
is but one thing in the class denoted by each, each thing forms a class by itself; and so we call these words
common nouns.
In Lesson 8 you learned that pronouns are not names, but words used instead of names. Any one speaking of
himself may use _I_, _my_, etc., instead of his own name; speaking to one, he may use _you_, _thou_,
_your_, _thy_, etc., instead of that person's name; speaking of one, he may use _he_, _she_, _it_, _him_,
_her_, etc., instead of that one's name. These little words that by their form denote the speaker, the one spoken
to, or the one spoken of are called +Personal Pronouns+.
By adding self to _my_, _thy_, _your_, _him_, _her_, and _it_, and selves to _our_, _your_, and _them_, we
form what are called +Compound Personal Pronouns+, used either for emphasis or to reflect the action of the
verb back upon the actor; as, Xerxes himself was the last to cross the Hellespont; The mind cannot see itself.
If a noun, or some word or words used like a noun, is to be modified by a clause, the clause is introduced by
_who_, _which_, _what_, or _that_; as, I know the man that did that. These words, relating to words in
another clause, and binding the clauses together, are called +Relative Pronouns+. By adding ever and soever
to _who_, _which_, and _what_, we form what are called the +Compound Relative Pronouns+ _whoever_,
_whosoever_, _whichever_, _whatever_, etc., used in a general way, and without any word expressed to
which they relate.
If the speaker is ignorant of the name of a person or a thing and asks for it, he uses _who_, _which_, or
_what_; as, Who did that? These pronouns, used in asking questions, are called +Interrogative Pronouns+.
Instead of naming things a speaker may indicate them by words pointing them out as near or remote; as, Is
that a man? What is _this_? or by words telling something of their number, order, or quantity; as, None are
perfect; The latter will do; Much has been done. Such words we call +Adjective Pronouns+.
101
DEFINITIONS.
+A Noun is the name of anything+. [Footnote: Most common nouns are derived from roots that denote
qualities. The root does not necessarily denote the most essential quality of the thing, only its most obtrusive
quality. The sky, a shower, and scum, for instance, have this most noticeable feature; they are a cover, they
hide, conceal. This the root +sku+ signifies, and sku is the main element in the words _sky_, shower (Saxon
_scu:r_), and scum that name these objects, and in the adjective obscure.
A noun denoting at first only a single quality of its object comes gradually, by the association of this quality
with the rest, to denote them all.
Herein proper nouns differ from common. However derived, as Smith is from the man's office of smoothing,
or White from his color, the name soon ceases to denote quality, and becomes really meaningless.]
+A Common Noun is a name which belongs to all things of a class+.
+A Proper Noun is the particular name of an individual+.
+Remark+.It may be well to note two classes of common nounscollective and abstract. A +Collective
Noun+ is the name of a number of things taken together; as, _army_, _flock_, _mob_, jury. An +Abstract
Noun+ is the name of a quality, an action, a being, or a state; as, _whiteness_, _beauty_, _wisdom_, (the)
_singing_, _existence_, (the) sleep.
+A Pronoun is a word used for a noun+. [Footnote: In our definition and general treatment of the pronoun, we
have conformed to the traditional views of grammarians; but it may be well for the student to note that
pronouns are something more than mere substitutes for nouns, and that their primary function is not to prevent
the repetition of nouns.
1. Pronouns are not the names of things. They do not, like nouns, lay hold of qualities and name things by
them. They seize upon relations that objects sustain to each other and denote the objects by these relations.
_I_, _you_, and he denote their objects by the relations these objects sustain to the act of speaking; I denotes
the speaker; _you_, the one spoken to; and he or she or _it_, the one spoken of. This and that denote their
objects by the relative distance of these from the speaker; some and few and others indicate parts separated
from the rest. Gestures could express all that many pronouns express.
2. It follows that pronouns are more general than nouns. Any person, or even an animal or a thing personified,
may use I when referring to himself, you when referring to the one addressed, and _he_, _she_, _it_, and they
when referring to the person or persons, the thing or things, spoken ofand all creatures and things, except
the speaker and the one spoken to, fall into the last list. Some pronouns are so general, and hence so vague, in
their denotement that they show the speaker's complete ignorance of the objects they denote. In, Who did it?
Which of them did you see? the questioner is trying to find out the one for whom Who stands, and the person
or thing that Which denotes. To what does it refer in, it rains; How is it with you?
3. Some pronouns stand for a phrase, a clause, or a sentence, going before or coming after. To be or _not to
be_that is the question. It is doubtful whether the North Pole will ever be reached. _The sails turned, the
corn was ground_, after which the wind ceased. _Ought you to go_? I cannot answer that. In the first of these
sentences, that stands for a phrase; in the last, for a sentence. It and which in the second and third sentences
stand for clauses.
4. _Which_, retaining its office as connective, may as an adjective accompany its noun; as, I craved his
forbearance a little longer, which forbearance he allowed me.]
102
+A Personal Pronoun is a pronoun that by its form denotes the speaker, the one spoken to, or the one spoken
of+.
+A Relative Pronoun is one that relates to some preceding word or words and connects clauses+.
+An Interrogative Pronoun is one with which a question is asked+.
+An Adjective Pronoun is one that performs the offices of both an adjective and a noun+.
The simple personal pronouns are:_I, thou, you, he, she, and it_.
The compound personal pronouns are:_Myself, thyself, yourself, himself, herself, and itself_.
The simple relative pronouns are:_Who, which, that_, and what. [Footnote: _As_, in such sentences as this:
Give such things as you can spare, may be treated as a relative pronoun. But by expanding the sentence as is
seen to be a conjunctive adverbGive such things as those are which you can spare.
But used after a negative is sometimes called a "negative relative" = _that not_; as, There is not a man here but
would die for such a cause. When the sentence is expanded, but is found to be a prepositionThere is not a
man here but (= _except_) the one who would die, etc.]
The compound relative pronouns are:
_Whoever or whosoever, whichever_ or _whichsoever_, whatever or whatsoever.
The interrogative pronouns are:
_Who, which_, and what.
Some of the more common adjective pronouns are:
All, another, any, both, each, either, enough, few, former, latter, little, many, much, neither, none, one, other,
same, several, such, that, these, this, those, whole, etc. [Footnote: The adjective pronouns _this, that, these_,
and those are called +Demonstrative+ pronouns. _All, any, both, each, either, many, one, other_, etc. are
called +Indefinite+ pronouns because they do not point out and particularize like the demonstratives. _Each,
either_, and neither are also called +Distributives+.
But for the fact that such words as _brave, good_, etc. in the phrases _the brave_, _the good_, etc.
describewhich pronouns never dowe might call them adjective pronouns. They may be treated as nouns,
or as adjectives modifying nouns to be supplied.
Some adjectives preceded by the are abstract nouns; as, the _grand_, the _sublime_, the beautiful.]
The word, phrase, or clause in the place of which a pronoun is used is called an +Antecedent+.
+Direction+._Point out the pronouns and their antecedents in these sentences_:
Jack was rude to Tom, and always knocked off his hat when he met him. To lie is cowardly, and every boy
should know it. Daniel and his companions were fed on pulse, which was to their advantage. To lie is to be a
coward, which one should scorn to be. To sleep soundly, which is a blessing, is to repair and renew the body.
+Remark+.When the interrogatives _who_, _which_, and what introduce indirect questions, it is not always
103
easy to distinguish them from relatives whose antecedents are omitted. For exampleI found who called and
what he wanted; I saw what was done. The first sentence does not mean, I found the person who called and
the thing that he wanted. "Who called" and "what he wanted" here suggest questionsquestions referred to
but not directly asked. I saw what was done = I saw the thing that was done. No question is suggested.
It should be remembered that which and what may also be interrogative adjectives; as, Which side won? What
news have you?
+Direction+._Analyze these sentences, and parse all the pronouns_:
1. Who steals my purse steals trash. 2. I myself know who stole my purse. 3. They knew whose house was
robbed. 4. He heard what was said. 5. You have guessed which belongs to me. 6. Whom the gods would
destroy they first make mad. 7. What was said, and who said it? 8. It is not known to whom the honor belongs.
9. She saw one of them, but she cannot positively tell which. 10. Whatever is done must be done quickly.
*****
LESSON 86.
CONSTRUCTION OF PRONOUNS.
TO THE TEACHER.In the recitation of all Lessons containing errors for correction, the pupils' books
should be closed, and the examples should be read by you. To insure care in preparation, and close attention in
the class, read some of the examples in their correct form. Require specific reasons.
+Caution+.Avoid _he_, _it_, _they_, or any other pronoun when its reference to an antecedent would not
be clear. Repeat the noun instead, quote the speaker's exact words, or recast the sentence.
+Direction+._Study the Caution, and relieve these sentences of their ambiguity_:
+Model+.The lad cannot leave his father; for, if he should leave _him_, he would die = The lad cannot
leave his father; for, if he should leave _his father, his father_ would die. Lysias promised his father never to
abandon his friends = Lysias gave his father this promise: "I will never abandon your (or _my_) friends."
1. Dr. Prideaux says that, when he took his commentary to the bookseller, he told him it was a dry subject. 2.
He said to his friend that, if he did not feel better soon, he thought he had better go home.
(This sentence may have four meanings. Give them all, using what you may suppose were the speaker's
words.)
3. A tried to see B in the crowd, but could not because he was so short. 4. Charles's duplicity was fully made
known to Cromwell by a letter of his to his wife, which he intercepted. 5. The farmer told the lawyer that his
bull had gored his ox, and that it was but fair that he should pay him for his loss.
+Caution+.Do not use pronouns needlessly.
+Direction+._Write, these sentences, omitting needless pronouns_:
1. It isn't true what he said. 2. The father he died, the mother she followed, and the children they were taken
sick. 3. The cat it mewed, and the dogs they barked, and the man he shouted. 4. Let every one turn from his or
her evil ways. 5. Napoleon, Waterloo having been lost, he gave himself up to the English.
104
+Caution+.In addressing a person, do not, in the same sentence, use the two styles of the pronoun.
+Direction+._Study the Caution, and correct these errors_:
1. Thou art sad, have you heard bad news? 2. You cannot always have thy way. 3. Bestow thou upon us your
blessing. 4. Love thyself last, and others will love you.
+Caution+.The pronoun them should not be used for the adjective _those_, nor the pronoun what for the
conjunction that. [Footnote: What properly introduces a noun clause expressing a direct or an indirect
question, but a declarative noun clause is introduced by the conjunction that. But may be placed before this
conjunction to give a negative force to the noun clause.
This use of but requires careful discrimination. For example"I have no fear that he will do it"; "I have no
fear but that he will do it." The former indicates certainty that he will not do it, and the latter certainty that he
will do it. "No one doubts but that he will do it" is incorrect, for it contains three negatives_no_, _doubts_,
and but. Two negatives may be used to affirm, but not three. The intended meaning is, "No one doubts that he
will do it," or "No one believes but that he will do it," or "Every one believes that he will do it."
_But what_, for but that or _but_, is also incorrectly used to connect an adverb clause; as, "He is not so bad
but what he might be worse." For this office of but or but that in an adverb clause, see Lesson 109, fourth
"Example" of the uses of but.]
+Direction+._Study the Caution, and correct these errors_:
1. Hand me them things. 2. Who knows but what we may fail? 3. I cannot believe but what I shall see them
men again. 4. We ought to have a great regard for them that are wise and good.
+Caution+.The relative who should always represent persons; _which_, brute animals and inanimate
things; _that_, persons, animals, and things; and _what_, things. The antecedent of what should not be
expressed.
+Direction+._Study the Caution, and correct these errors_:
1. Those which say so are mistaken. 2. He has some friends which I know. 3. He told that what he knew. 4.
The dog who was called Fido went mad. 5. The lion whom they were exhibiting broke loose. 6. All what he
saw he described. 7. The horse whom Alexander rode was named Bucephalus.
+Direction+.Write correct sentences illustrating every point in these five Cautions.
LESSON 87.
CONSTRUCTION OF PRONOUNSCONTINUED.
+Caution+.Several connected relative clauses relating to the same antecedent require the same relative
pronoun.
+Direction+._Study the Caution, and correct these errors_:
1. It was Joseph that was sold into Egypt, who became governor of the land, and which saved his father and
brothers from famine. 2. He who lives, that moves, and who has his being in God should not forget him. 3.
This is the horse which started first, and that reached the stand last. 4. The man that fell overboard, and who
was drowned was the first mate.
105
+Caution+.When the relative clause is not restrictive, [Footnote: See Lesson 61.] who or _which_, and not
_that_, is generally used.
+Example+.Water, which is composed of hydrogen and oxygen, covers threefourths of the earth's surface.
+Direction+._Study the Caution, and correct these errors_:
1. The earth is enveloped by an ocean of air, that is a compound of oxygen. and nitrogen. 2. Longfellow, that
is the most popular American poet, has written beautiful prose. 3. Time, that is a precious gift, should not be
wasted. 4. Man, that is born of woman, is of few days and full of trouble.
+Caution+.The relative that [Footnote: That is almost always restrictive. However desirable it may seem to
confine who and which to unrestrictive clauses, they are not confined to them in actual practice.
The wide use of who and which in restrictive clauses is not accounted for by saying that they occur after
_this_, _these_, _those_, and _that_, and hence are used to avoid disagreeable repetitions of sounds. This may
frequently be the reason for employing who and which in restrictive clauses; but usage authorizes us to affirm
(1) that who and which stand in such clauses oftener without, than with, _this_, _these_, _those_, or that
preceding them, and (2) that they so stand oftener than that itself does. Especially may this be said of which.]
should be used instead of who or which (1) when the antecedent names both persons and things; (2) when that
would prevent ambiguity; and (3) when it would sound better than who or _which_, _e. g._, after _that_,
_same_, _very_, _all_, the interrogative _who_, the indefinite _it_, and adjectives expressing quality in the
highest degree.
+Example+.He lived near a pond that was a nuisance. (That relates to _pond_the pond was a nuisance.
Which might have, for its antecedent, _pond_, or the whole clause _He lived near a pond_; and so its use here
would be ambiguous.)
+Direction+._Study the Caution, and correct these errors_:
1. The wisest men who ever lived made mistakes. 2. The chief material which is used now in building is brick.
3. Who who saw him did not pity him? 4. He is the very man whom we want. 5. He is the same who he has
ever been. 6. He sent his boy to a school which did him good. 7. All who knew him respected him. 8. It was
not I who did it. 9. That man that you just met is my friend.
+Caution+.The relative clause should be placed as near as possible to the word which it modifies.
+Direction+._Correct these errors_:
1. The pupil will receive a reward from his teacher who is diligent. 2. Her hair hung in ringlets, which was
dark and glossy. 3. A dog was found in the street that wore a brass collar. 4. A purse was picked up by a boy
that was made of leather. 5. Claudius was canonized among the gods, who scarcely deserved the name of man.
6. He should not keep a horse that cannot ride.
+Caution+.When this and _that_, these and _those_, the one and the other refer to things previously
mentioned, this and these refer to the last mentioned, and that and those to the first mentioned; the one refers
to the first mentioned, and the other to the last mentioned. When there is danger of obscurity, repeat the
nouns.
+Examples+.High and tall are synonyms: this may be used in speaking of what growsa tree; _that_, in
speaking of what does not growa mountain. Homer was a genius; Virgil, an artist: in the one we most
admire the man; in _the other_, the work.
106
107
belong to the thing named; as, yellow gold, the good God, the blue sky; or (2) when they are attribute
complements, denoting qualities asserted by the verb; as, The fields were _green_; The ground was dry and
hard.
+DEFINITIONS+.
+An Adjective is a word used to modify a noun or a pronoun+.[Footnote: Pronouns, like nouns, are often
modified by an "appositive" adjective, that is, an adjective joined loosely without restricting: thusFaint and
_weary_, he struggled on or, _He_, faint and _weary_, struggled on. Adjectives that complete the predicate
belong as freely to pronouns as to nouns.]
+A Descriptive Adjective is one that modifies by expressing quality+.
+A Definitive Adjective is one that modifies by pointing out, numbering, or denoting quantity+.[Footnote: The
definitive adjectives _one_, _two_, _three_, etc.; _first_, _second_, _third_, etc. are called +Numeral+
adjectives. _One_, _two_, _three_, etc. are called +Cardinal+ numerals; and _first_, _second_, _third_etc.
are called +Ordinal+ numerals]
The definitive adjectives an or a and the are commonly called +Articles+. An or a is called the _Indefinite
Article_, and the is called the Definite Article.
A noun may take the place of an adjective.
+Examples+.London journals, the New York press, silver spoons, diamond pin, state papers, gold bracelet.
+Direction+._Point out the descriptive and the definitive adjectives below, and name such as do not
limit_:
Able statesmen, much rain, ten mice, brass kettle, small grains, Mansard roof, some feeling, all men,
hundredth anniversary, the Pitt diamond, the patient Hannibal, little thread, crushing argument, moving
spectacle, the martyr president, tin pans, few people, less trouble, this toy, any book, brave Washington,
Washington market, three cats, slender cord, that libel, happy children, the broad Atlantic, The huge clouds
were dark and threatening, Eyes are bright, What name was given? Which book is wanted?
+Direction+._Point out the descriptive and the definitive adjectives in Lessons 80 and 81, and tell whether
they denote color, motion, shape, position, size, moral qualities, or whether they modify in some other way_.
*****
LESSON 90.
CONSTRUCTION OF ADJECTIVES.
+Caution+.An and a are different forms of one. An is used before vowel sounds. For the sake of euphony,
an drops n and becomes a before consonant sounds.[Footnote: Some writers still use an before words
beginning with unaccented _h_; as, an historian.]
+Examples+.An inkstand, a bag, a historian, a humble petition, an hour (h is silent), a unit (unit begins
with the consonant sound of _y_), such a one (one begins with the consonant sound of _w_).
+Direction+._Study the Caution, and correct these errors_:
A heir, a inheritance, an hook, an ewer, an usurper, a account, an uniform, an hundred, a umpire, an hard
108
apple, an hero.
+Caution.+An or a is used to limit a noun to one thing of a classto any one. The is used to distinguish (1)
one thing or several things from others, and (2) one class of things from other classes.
+Explanation.+We can say _a horse_, meaning _any one horse_; but we cannot say, A gold is heavy, This
is a poor kind of a _gas_, William Pitt received the title of an earl because _gold, gas,_ and earl are here
meant to denote each the whole of a class, and a limits its noun to one thing of a class.
The horse or the horses must be turned into the lot. Here the before horse distinguishes a certain animal, and
the before horses distinguishes certain animals, from others of the same class; and the before lot distinguishes
the field from the yard or the stablethings in other classes. The horse is a noble animal. Here the
distinguishes this class of animals from other classes. But we cannot say, The man (meaning the race) is
mortal, The anger is a short madness, The truth is eternal, The poetry and the painting are fine arts, because
_man, anger, truth, poetry,_ and painting are used in their widest sense, and name things that are sufficiently
distinguished without the.
+Direction.+_Study the Caution as explained, and correct these errors_:
1. This is another kind of a sentence. 2. Churchill received the title of a duke. 3. A hill is from the same root as
column. 4. Dog is a quadruped. 5. I expected some such an offer. 6. The woman is the equal of man. 7. The
sculpture is a fine art. 8. Unicorn is kind of a rhinoceros. 9. Oak is harder than the maple.
+Caution.+Use _an_, _a_, or the before each of two or more connected adjectives, when these adjectives
modify different nouns, expressed or understood; but, when they modify the same noun, the article should not
be repeated.
+Explanation+.A cotton and a silk umbrella means two umbrellasone cotton and the other silk; the word
umbrella is understood after cotton. A cotton and silk umbrella means one umbrella partly cotton and partly
silk; cotton and silk modify the same nounumbrella. The wise and the good means two classes; the wise
and good means one class.
+Direction+._Study the Caution as explained, and correct these errors_:
1. The Northern and Southern Hemisphere. 2. The Northern and the Southern Hemispheres. 3. The right and
left hand. 4. A Pullman and Wagner sleepingcoach. 5. The fourth and the fifth verses. 6. The fourth and fifth
verse. 7. A Webster's and Worcester's dictionary.
+Caution+.Use _an_, _a_, or the before each of two or more connected nouns denoting things that are to be
distinguished from each other or emphasized.
+Direction+._Study the Caution, and correct these errors_:
1. There is a difference between the sin and sinner. 2. We criticise not the dress but address of the speaker. 3.
A noun and pronoun are alike in office. 4. Distinguish carefully between an adjective and adverb. 5. The lion,
as well as tiger, belongs to the cat tribe. 6. Neither the North Pole nor South Pole has yet been reached. 7. The
secretary and treasurer were both absent.
(_The secretary and treasurer was absent_referring to one personis correct.)
+Caution+.A few and a little mean some as opposed to _none_; few means _not many_, and little means not
much.
109
+Examples+.He saved a few things and a little money from the wreck. Few shall part where many meet.
Little was said or done about it.
+Direction+._Study the Caution, and correct these errors_:
1. There are a few pleasant days in March, because it is a stormy month. 2. He saved a little from the fire, as it
broke out in the night. 3. Few men live to be & hundred years old, but not many. 4. Little can be done, but not
much.
+Direction+.Write correct sentences illustrating every point in these Cautions.
*****
LESSON 91.
CONSTRUCTION OF ADJECTIVESCONTINUED.
+Caution+.Choose apt adjectives, but do not use them needlessly; avoid such as repeat the idea or
exaggerate it.
+Remark+.The following adjectives are obviously needless: Good virtues, verdant green, painful
toothache, umbrageous shade.
+Direction+._Study the Caution carefully, and correct these errors_:
1. It was splendid fun. 2. It was a tremendous dew. 3. He used less words than the other speaker. 4. The lad
was neither docile nor teachable. 5. The belief in immortality is common and universal. 6. It was a gorgeous
apple. 7. The armchair was roomy and capacious. 8. It was a lovely bun, but I paid a frightful price for it.
+Caution+.So place adjectives that there can be no doubt as to what you intend them to modify. If those
forming a series are of different rank, place nearest the noun the one most closely modifying it. If they are of
the same rank, place them where they will sound bestgenerally in the order of length, the shortest first.
+Direction+._Study the Caution, and correct these errors_:
1. A new bottle of wine. 2. The house was comfortable and large. 3. A salt barrel of pork. 4. It was a blue soft
beautiful sky. 5. A fried dish of bacon. 6. We saw in the distance a precipitous, barren, towering mountain. 7.
Two gray fiery little eyes. 8. A docile and mild pupil. 9. A pupil, docile and mild.
+Direction+.Write correct sentences illustrating every point in these two Cautions.
Miscellaneous Errors.
+Direction+._Give the Cautions which these expressions violate, and correct the errors_:
1. I can bear the heat of summer, but not cold of winter. 2. The North and South Pole. 3. The eldest son of a
duke is called a marquis. 4. He had deceived me, and so I had a little faith in him. 5. An old and young man.
6. A prodigious snowball hit my cheek. 7. The evil is intolerable and not to be borne. 8. The fat, two lazy men.
9. His penmanship is fearful. 10. A white and red flag were flying. 11. His unusual, unexpected, and
extraordinary success surprised him. 12. He wanted a apple, an hard apple. 13. A dried box of herrings. 14. He
received a honor. 15. Such an use! 16. The day was delightful and warm. 17. Samuel Adams's habits were
unostentatious, frugal, and simple. 18. The victory was complete, though a few of the enemy were killed or
110
captured. 19. The truth is mighty and will prevail. 20. The scepter, the miter, and coronet seem to me poor
things for great men to contend for. 21. A few can swim across the Straits of Dover, for the width is great and
the current strong. 22. I have a contemptible opinion of you. 23. She has less friends than I.
LESSON 92.
CLASSES OF VERBS AND ADVERBS.
+Introductory Hints+.You learned in Lesson 28 that in saying Washington captured we do not fully express
the act performed. Adding _Cornwallis_, we complete the predicate by naming the one that receives the act
that passes over from the doer. Transitive means _passing over_, and so all verbs that represent an act as
passing over from a doer to a receiver are called +Transitive Verbs+. If we say _Cornwallis was captured by
Washington_, the verb is still transitive; but the object, _Cornwallis_, which names the receiver, is here the
subject of the sentence, and not, as before, the object complement. You see that the object, the word that
names the receiver of the act, may be the subject, or it may be the object complement.
All verbs that, like fall in _Leaves fall_, do not represent the act as passing over to a receiver, and all that
express mere being or state of being are called +Intransitive Verbs+.
A verb transitive in one sentence; as, He writes good English, may be intransitive in another; as, He writes
wellmeaning simply He is a good writer. A verb is transitive only when an object is expressed or obviously
understood.
Washington captured Cornwallis. Here captured represents the act as having taken place in past time. Tense
means _time_, and hence this verb is in the past tense. _Cornwallis captured, the war speedily closed_. Here
captured is, as you have learned, a participle; and, representing the act as past at the time indicated by
_closed_, it is a past participle. Notice that ed is added to capture (final e is always dropped when ed is added)
to form its past tense and its past participle. All verbs that form the past tense and the past participle by adding
ed to the present are called +Regular Verbs+.
All verbs that do not form the past tense and the past participle by adding ed to the present; as, _fall, fell,
fallen; go, went, gone_, are called +Irregular Verbs+.
_Early, hereafter, now, often, soon, presently_, etc., used to modify any verbas, will go in, I _will go
soon_by expressing time, are called +Adverbs of Time+.
_Away, back, elsewhere, hence, out, within_, etc., used to modify any verbas, will go in, I _will go
away_by expressing direction or place, are called +Adverbs of Place+.
_Exceedingly, hardly, quite, sufficiently, too, very_, etc., used to modify a wordas the adjective hot in, The
tea is _very hot_by expressing degree, are called +Adverbs of Degree+.
_Plainly, so, thus, well, not_, [Footnote: It may be worth remarking that while there are many negative nouns,
pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and conjunctions in oar language, negation is more frequently expressed in
English by the adverb than by any other part of speechthan by all other parts of speech. A very large per
cent of these adverbs modify the verb. That is to say, it is largely through the adverb that what the predicate
expresses is declared not to be true of the thing named by the subject. It is very suggestive that much of what
is said consists of denialis taken up in telling not what is true of things but what is not true of them.
"The negative particle in our language is simply the consonant +n+. In Saxon it existed as a word +ne+; but
we have lost that word, and it is now a letter only, which, enters into many words, as into _no, not, nought,
none, neither, nor, never_."Earle.
111
No and yes (nay and _yea_), when used to answer Questions, show how the thought presented is regarded, and
may therefore be classed with adverbs of manner. They are sometimes called independent adverbs. They seem
to modify words omitted in the answer but contained in the question; as, Did you see him? No = I did no
(_not_) see him; Will you go? Yes. The force of yes may be illustrated by substituting _certainly_Will you
go? Certainly. Certainly I will go, or I will certainly go. As no and yes represent or suggest complete answers,
they may be called +sentencewords+.] etc., used to modify a wordas, spoke in, He _spoke plainly_by
expressing manner, are called +Adverbs of Manner+.
_Hence, therefore, why_, etc., used in making an inference or in expressing causeas, It is dark, _hence_, or
_therefore_, the sun is down; Why is it dark?are called +Adverbs of Cause+.
Some adverbs fall into more than one class; as, so and as.
Some adverbs, as you have learned, connect clauses, and are therefore called +Conjunctive Adverbs+.
DEFINITIONS.
+A Verb is a word that asserts action, being, or state of being+.
CLASSES OF VERBS WITH RESPECT TO MEANING.
+A Transitive Verb is one that requires an object+. [Footnote: The +object+ of a transitive verb, that is, the
name of the receiver of the action, may be the +object complement+, or it may be the +subject+; as, Brutus
stabbed _Caesar_; Caesar was stabbed by Brutus. See page 187.]
+An Intransitive Verb is one that does not require an object+.
CLASSES OF VERBS WITH RESPECT TO FORM.
+A Regular Verb is one that forms its past tense and past participle by adding ed to the present+.
+An Irregular Verb is one that does not form its past tense and past participle by adding ed to the present+.
+An Adverb is a word used to modify a verb, an adjective, or an adverb. [Footnote: Adverbs have several
exceptional uses. They may be used independently; as, _Now, there_ must be an error here. They may modify
a phrase or a preposition; as, He came just in time; It went far beyond the mark. They may modify a clause or
a sentence; as, He let go simply because he was exhausted; Certainly you may go.
It may also be noted here that adverbs are used interrogatively; as, _How, when_, and where is this to be
done? and that they may add to the office of the adverb that of the conjunction; as, I go where I am sent.]
CLASSES OF ADVERBS.
+Adverbs of Time are those that generally answer the question+, _When?_
+Adverbs of Place are those that generally answer the question+, _Where?_
+Adverbs of Degree are those that generally answer the question+, _To what extent?_
+Adverbs of Manner are those that generally answer the question+, _In what way?_
+Adverbs of Cause are those that generally answer the question+, _Why?_
112
+Direction+._Point out the transitive and the intransitive, the regular and the irregular verbs in Lesson_ 14,
and classify the adverbs.
*****
LESSON 93.
CONSTRUCTION OF ADVERBS.
+Caution+.Choose apt adverbs, but do not use them needlessly or instead of other forms of expression;
avoid such as repeat the idea or exaggerate it.
+Examples+.I could ill (not _illy_) afford the time. Do as (not _like_) I do. A diphthong is the union of two
vowels (not where or when two vowels unite) in the same syllable. This (not this here or _this 'ere_) sentence
is correct. He wrote that (not _how that_) he had been sick. The belief in immortality is universally held (not
universally held _everywhere_). His nose was very (not terribly or _frightfully_) red,
+Direction+._Study the Caution and the Examples, and correct these errors_.
1. I returned back here yesterday. 2. He had not hardly a minute to spare. 3. The affair was settled amicably,
peaceably, and peacefully. 4. It was awfully amusing. 5. This 'ere knife is dull. 6. That 'ere horse has the
heaves. 7. A direct quotation is when the exact words of another are copied. 8. I do not like too much sugar in
my tea. 9. He seldom or ever went home sober. 10. The belief in immortality is universally held by all. 11. I
am dreadfully glad to hear that. 12. This is a fearfully long lesson. 13. He said how that he would go.
+Caution+.So place adverbs that there can be no doubt as to what you intend them to modify. Have regard
to the sound also. They seldom stand between to and the infinitive. [Footnote: Instances of the "cleft, or split,
infinitive"the infinitive separated from its to by an intervening adverbare found in Early English and in
English all the way down, Fitzedward Hall and others have shown this.
But there can be no question that usage is overwhelmingly against an adverb's standing between to and the
infinitive. Few writers ever place an adverb there at all; and these few, only an occasional adverb, and that
adverb only occasionally.
Whether the adverb should be placed before the to or after the infinitive is often a nice question, sometimes to
be determined by the ear alone. It should never stand, however, where it would leave the meaning ambiguous
or in any way obscure.]
+Examples+.I only rowed across the river = I only (= _alone_, an adjective), and no one else, rowed etc., or
= I only rowed etc., +but+ did not swim or wade. I rowed only across the river = _across_, not up or down etc.
I rowed across the river only = the _river only_, not the bay etc. Merely to see (not _to merely see_) her was
sufficient. Not every collegian is a scholar (not Every collegian is not a scholar).
+Direction+._Study the Caution and the Examples, and correct these errors_:
1. I have thought of marrying often. 2. We only eat three meals a day. 3. He hopes to rapidly recruit. 4. All is
not gold that glitters. 5. He tries to distinctly speak. 6. He tries distinctly to speak. 7. All that glitters is not
gold. 8. His sagacity almost appears miraculous.
+Caution+.Unless you wish to affirm, do not use two negative words so that they shall contradict each
other. [Footnote: _Not in_frequently we use two negatives to make an affirmation; as, He is _not un_just; No
man can do nothing.]
113
+Examples+.No one has (not _hasn't_) yet reached the North Pole. _No un_pleasant circumstance
happened (proper, because it is intended to affirm).
+Direction+._Study the Caution and the Examples, and correct these errors_:
1. No other reason can never be given. 2. He doesn't do nothing. 3. He isn't improving much, I don't think. 4.
There must be something wrong when children do not love neither father nor mother. 5. He isn't no sneak. 6.
Charlie Ross can't nowhere be found.
+Caution+.Do not use adverbs for adjectives or adjectives for adverbs.
+Examples+.The moon looks calm and peaceful (not calmly and _peacefully_, as the words are intended to
describe the moon). The moon looks down calmly and peacefully on the battlefield (not calm and _peaceful_,
as the words are intended to tell how she performs the act). I slept soundly (not good or _sound_).
+Direction+._Study the Caution and the Examples, and correct these errors_:
1. It was a softly blue sky. 2. The river runs rapid. 3. You must read more distinct. 4. It was an uncommon
good harvest. 5. She is most sixteen. 6. The discussion waxed warmly. 7. The prima donna sings sweet. 8. She
is miserable poor. 9. My head feels badly. 10. He spoke up prompt. 11. He went most there. 12. He behaved
very bad. 13. This is a mighty cold day.
+Direction+.Write correct sentences illustrating every point in these four Cautions.
*****
LESSON 94.
CONSTRUCTION OF ADVERBSCONTINUED.
Miscellaneous Errors.
+Direction+._Give the Cautions which these sentences violate, and correct the errors_:
1. Begin it over again. 2. This can be done easier. 3. The house is extra warm. 4. Most every one goes there. 5.
I have a pencil that long. 6. He hasn't his lesson, I don't believe. 7. A circle can't in no way be squared. 8. This
is a remarkable cold winter. 9. The one is as equally deserving as the other. 10. Feathers feel softly. 11. It is
pretty near finished. 12. Verbosity is when too many words are used. 13. It is a wonderful fine day. 14. He is
some better just now. 15. Generally every morning we went to the spring. 16. I wish to simply state this point.
17. He tried to not only injure but to also ruin the man. 18. The lesson was prodigiously long. 19. The cars
will not stop at this station only when the bell rings. 20. He can do it as good as any one can. 21. Most
everybody talks so. 22. He hasn't yet gone, I don't believe. 23. He behaved thoughtlessly, recklessly, and
carelessly. 24. That 'ere book is readable. 25. I will not go but once. 26. I can't find out neither where the
lesson begins nor where it ends. 27. They were nearly dressed alike. 28. The tortured man begged that they
would kill him again and again. 29. The fortune was lavishly, profusely, and prodigally spent. 30. I am real
glad to see you. 31. We publish all the information, official and otherwise.
LESSON 95.
PREPOSITIONS.
+DEFINITION.A Preposition is a word that introduces a phrase modifier, and shows the relation, in sense,
114
115
"We observe that between is not restricted to two."Imperial Dictionary. "In all senses between has been,
from its earliest appearance, extended to more than two. It is still the only word available to express the
relation of a thing to many surrounding things severally and individuallyamong expressing a relation to
them collectively and vaguely: we should not say, 'The choice lies among the three candidates,' or 'to insert a
needle among the closed petals of a flower.'"The New English Dictionary.
We have collected hundreds of instances of between used by good writers with three or more.
Guard against such expressions as between each page; a choice between one of several.]
+Direction+._We give below a few words with the prepositions which usually accompany them. Form
short sentences containing these words combined with each of the prepositions which follow them, and note
carefully the different relations expressed by the different prepositions_:
(Consult the dictionary for both the preposition and the accompanying word.)
Abide _at, by, with_; accommodate _to, with_; advantage _of, over_; agree _to, with_; angry _at, with_;
anxious _about, for_; argue _against, with_; arrive _at, in_; attend on or _upon, to_; careless _about, in, of_;
communicate _to, with_; compare _to, with_; consists _in, of_; defend _against, from_; die _by, for, of_;
different _from_; disappointed _in, of_; distinguish _by, from_; familiar _to, with_; impatient _for, of_;
indulge _in, with_; influence _on, over, with_; insensible _of, to_; sat _beside_; many besides.
*****
LESSON 97.
CONSTRUCTION OF PREPOSITIONSCONTINUED.
+Direction+._Do with the following words as with those above_:
Inquire _after, for, into, of_; intrude _into, upon_; joined _to, with_; liberal _of, to_; live _at, in, on_; look
_after, for, on_; need _of_; obliged _for, to_; part _from, with_; placed _in, on_; reconcile _to, with_; regard
_for, to_; remonstrate _against, with_; sank _beneath, in, into_; share _in, of, with_; sit _in, on_ or _upon_;
smile _at, on_; solicitous _about, for_; strive _for, with, against_; taste _for, of_; touch _at, on_ or _upon_;
useful _for, in, to_; weary _of, in, with_; yearn _for, towards_.
*****
LESSON 98.
CONSTRUCTION OF PREPOSITIONSCONTINUED.
+Caution+.Great care must be used in the choice of prepositions.
+Direction+._Correct these errors_:
1. This book is different to that. 2. He stays to home. 3. They two quarreled among each other. 4. He is in
want for money. 5. I was followed with a crowd. 6. He fell from the bridge in the water. [Footnote: In denotes
motion or rest in a condition or place; _into_, change from one condition or place into another. "When one is
outside of a place, he may be able to get into it; but he cannot do anything in it until he has got into it."] 7. He
fought into the Revolution. [See previous footnote] 8. He bears a close resemblance of his father. 9. He
entered in the plot. 10. He lives at London. 11. He lives in the turn of the road. 12. I have need for a vacation.
116
13. The child died with the croup. 14. He took a walk, but was disappointed of it. 15. He did not take a walk;
he was disappointed in it. 16. He was accused with felony. 17. School keeps upon Monday. 18. Place a mark
between each leaf. 19. He is angry at his father. 20. He placed a letter into my hands. 21. She is angry with
your conduct. 22. What is the matter of him? 23. I saw him over to the house. 24. These plants differ with
each other. 25. He boards to the hotel. 26. I board in the hotel. 27. She stays at the North. 28. I have other
reasons beside these. [Footnote: Beside = _by the side of_; besides = in addition to.] 29. You make no use
with your talents. 30. He threw himself onto the bed. 31. The boys are hard to work. 32. He distributed the
apples between his four brothers. 33. He went in the park. 34. You can confide on him. 35. He arrived to
Toronto. 36. I agree with that plan. 37. The evening was spent by reading. 38. Can you accommodate me in
one of those? 39. What a change a century has produced upon our country! 40. He stays to school late. 41.
The year of the Restoration plunged Milton in bitter poverty. 42. The Colonies declared themselves
independent from England. 43. I spent my Saturdays by going in the country, and enjoying myself by fishing.
*****
LESSON 99.
CONSTRUCTION OF PREPOSITIONSCONTINUED.[Footnote: "A preposition is a feeble word to end a
sentence _with_," we are told. Sentences (10) and (13), Lesson 59, (2), Lesson 60, and many in succeeding
Lessons violate the rule so carelessly expressed.
Of this rule, laid down without regard to usage and thoughtlessly repeated, Prof. Austin Phelps says, "A
preposition as such is by no means a feeble word;" and he quotes a burst of feeling from Rufus Choate which
ends thus: "Never, so long as there is left of Plymouth Rock a piece large enough to make a gunflint _of_!"
"This," Professor Phelps says, "is purest idiomatic English." He adds, "The old Scotch interrogative, 'What
_for_?' is as pure English in written as in colloquial speech."
Sentences containing two prepositions before a noun are exceedingly common in English"The language
itself is inseparable _from_, or essentially a part _of_, the thoughts." Such sentences have been condemned,
but the worst that can be urged against them is, that they lack smoothness. But smoothness is not always
desirable.
Sentences containing a transitive verb and a preposition before a noun are very common"Powerless to
_affect_, or to be affected _by_, the times."]
CAUTION.Do not use prepositions needlessly.
DIRECTION._Correct these errors_:
1. I went there at about noon. 2. In what latitude is Boston in? 3. He came in for to have a talk. 4. I started a
week ago from last Saturday. 5. He was born August 15, in 1834. 6. A good place to see a play is at Wallack's.
7. He went to home. 8. I was leading of a horse about. 9. By what states is Kentucky bounded by? 10. His
servants ye are to whom ye obey. 11. Where are you going to? 12. They admitted of the fact. 13. Raise your
book off of the table. 14. He took the poker from out of the fire. 15. Of what is the air composed of? 16. You
can tell by trying of it. 17. Where have you been to? 18. The boy is like to his father. 19. They offered to him
a chair. 20. This is the subject of which I intend to write about. 21. Butter brings twenty cents for a pound. 22.
Give to me a knife. 23. I have a brother of five years old. 24. To what may Italy be likened to? 25. In about
April the farmer puts in his seed. 26. Jack's favorite sport was in robbing orchards. 27. Before answering of
you, I must think. 28. He lives near to the river. 29. Keep off of the grass.
+Caution+.Do not omit prepositions when they are needed.
117
118
119
to conform to a prescribed course of study, the six following Lessons may be omitted. The authors consider
these exercises very profitable, but their omission will occasion no break in the course.
*****
LESSON 101.
COMPOSITIONCONNECTIVES.
+Direction+._Write twenty compound sentences whose clauses shall be joined by connectives named in the
three subdivisions of coordinate connectives_.
*****
LESSON 102.
COMPOSITIONCONNECTIVESCONTINUED.
+Direction+._Write twenty complex sentences whose clauses shall be joined by connectives of adjective
clauses, and by connectives of adverb clauses of time, place, degree, and manner_.
*****
LESSON 103.
COMPOSITIONCONNECTIVESCONTINUED.
+Direction+._Write twenty complex sentences whose clauses shall be joined by connectives of adverb
clauses of real cause, evidence, purpose, condition, and concession, and by connectives of noun clauses_.
*****
LESSON 104.
CONNECTIVES.
Analysis.
+Direction+._Tell what kinds of clauses follow the connectives below, and what are the usual connectives
of such clauses, and then analyze the sentences_:
+As+ may connect a clause expressing +manner+, +time+, +degree+, +cause+, or +evidence+.
1. Mount Marcy is not so high as Mount Washington. 2. As I passed by, I found an altar with this inscription.
3. It must be raining, as men are carrying umbrellas. 4. Ice floats, as water expands in freezing. 5.
Halflearned lessons slip from the memory, as an icicle from the hand.
+If+ may connect a clause expressing +condition+, +time+, or +concession+, or it may introduce a +noun+
clause.
6. If a slave's lungs breathe our air, that moment he is free. 7. If wishes were horses, all beggars might ride.
120
8. Who knows if one of the Pleiads is really missing? [Footnote: Many grammarians say that if here is
improperly used for whether. But this use of if is common with good authors in early and in modern English.]
9. If the flights of Dryden are higher, Pope continues longer on the wing.
+Lest+ may connect a clause expressing +purpose+, or it may introduce a +noun+ clause.
10. England fears lest Russia may endanger British rule in India. 11. Watch and pray lest ye enter into
temptation.
+Since+ may connect a clause expressing +time+, +cause+, or +evidence+.
12. It must be raining, since men are carrying umbrellas. 13. Many thousand years have gone by since the
Pyramids were built. 14. Since the Puritans could not be convinced, they were persecuted.
*****
LESSON 105.
CONNECTIVESCONTINUED.
Analysis.
+Direction+._Tell what kinds of clauses follow the connectives below, and what are the usual connectives
of such clauses, and then analyze the sentences_:
+That+ may connect a +noun+ clause, an +adjective+ clause, or a clause expressing +degree+, +cause+, or
+purpose+.
1. The Pharisee thanked God that he was not like other men. 2. Vesuvius threw its lava so far that
Herculaneum and Pompeii were buried. 3. The smith plunges his redhot iron into water that he may harden
the metal. 4. Socrates said that he who might be better employed was idle. 5. We never tell our secrets to
people that pump for them.
+When+ may connect a clause expressing +time+, +cause+, or +condition+, an +adjective+ clause or a
+noun+ clause, or it may connect +coordinate+ clauses.
6. The Aztecs were astonished when they saw the Spanish horses. 7. November is the month when the deer
sheds its horns. 8. When the future is uncertain, make the most of the present. 9. When the five great
European races left Asia is a question. 10. When judges accept bribes, what may we expect from common
people? 11. The dial instituted a formal inquiry, when hands, wheels, and weights protested their innocence.
+Where+ may connect a clause expressing +place+, an +adjective+ clause, or a +noun+ clause.
12. No one knows the place where Moses was buried. 13. Where Moses was buried is still a question. 14. No
one has been where Moses was buried.
+While+ may connect a clause expressing +time+ or +concession+, or it may connect +coordinate+ clauses.
15. Napoleon was a genius, while Wellington was a man of talents. 16. While we sleep, the body is rebuilt.
17. While Charles I. had many excellent traits, he was a bad king.
121
*****
LESSON 106.
CONNECTIVESCONTINUED.
Analysis.
+Direction+._Use the appropriate connectives, and change these compound sentences to complex without
changing the meaning, and then analyze them_:
(Let one dependent clause be an adjective clause; let three express cause; five, condition; and two,
concession.)
1. Caesar put the proffered crown aside, but he would fain have had it. 2. Take away honor and imagination
and poetry from war, and it becomes carnage. 3. His crime has been discovered, and he must flee. 4. You must
eat, or you will die. 5. Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get wisdom. 6. Let but the commons hear this
testament, and they would go and kiss dead Caesar's wounds. 7. Men are carrying umbrellas; it is raining. 8.
Have ye brave sons? look in the next fierce brawl to see them die. 9. The Senate knows this, the Consul sees
it, and yet the traitor lives. 10. Take away the grandeur of his cause, and Washington is a rebel instead of the
purest of patriots. 11. The diamond is a sparkling gem, and it is pure carbon.
+Direction+._Two of the dependent clauses below express condition, and three express concession. Place
an appropriate conjunction before each, and then analyze the sentences_:
12. Should we fail, it can be no worse for us. 13. Had the Plantagenets succeeded in France, there would never
have been an England. 14. Were he my brother, I could do no more for him. 15. Were I so disposed, I could
not gratify the reader. 16. Were I [Admiral Nelson] to die this moment, more frigates would be found written
on my heart.
*****
LESSON 107.
CONSTRUCTION OF CONNECTIVES.
+Caution+.Some conjunctions and conjunctive adverbs may stand in correlation with other words. And
may be accompanied by _both_; _as_, by _as_, by _so_, or by _such_; but (but also and _but likewise_), by
_not only_; _if_, by _then_; _nor_, by _neither_; _or_, by either or by _whether_; _that_, by _so_; _the_, by
_the_; _though_, by _yet_; _when_, by _then_; and _where_, by there.
Be careful that the right words stand in correlation, and stand where they belong.
+Examples+.Give me neither riches nor (not _or_) poverty. I cannot find either my book or (not _nor_) my
hat. Dogs not only bark (not not only dogs bark) but also bite. Not only dogs (not _dogs not only_) bark but
wolves also. He was neither (not _neither was_) rich nor poor.
+Direction+._Study the Caution, and correct these errors_:
1. He not only gave me advice but also money. 2. A theatrical part may either imply some peculiarity of
gesture or a dissimulation of my real sentiments. 3. She not only dressed richly but tastefully. 4. Neither
Massachusetts or Pennsylvania has the population of New York. 5. Thales was not only famous for his
122
knowledge of nature but also for his moral wisdom. 6. Not only he is successful but he deserves to succeed. 7.
There was nothing either strange nor interesting.
+Caution+.Choose apt connectives, but do not use them needlessly or instead of other parts of speech.
+Examples+.Seldom, if (not _or_) ever, should an adverb stand between to and the infinitive. I will try to
(not _and_) do better next time. No one can deny that (not _but_) he has money. [Footnote: See footnote,
page 176.] A harrow is drawn over the ground, which (not _and which_) covers the seed. Who doubts that
(not but that or _but what_) Napoleon lived [Footnote: See footnote, page 176.] The doctor had scarcely left
when (not _but_) a patient called. He has no love for his father or (not _nor_) for his mother (the negative no
is felt throughout the sentence, and need not be repeated by _nor_). He was not well, nor (not _or_) was he
sick (not is expended in the first clause; nor is needed to make the second clause negative).
+Direction+._Study the Caution and the Examples, and correct these errors_:
1. The excellence of Virgil, and which he possesses beyond other poets, is tenderness. 2. Try and recite the
lesson perfectly tomorrow. 3. Who can doubt but that there is a God? 4. No one can eat nor drink while he is
talking. 5. He seldom or ever went to church. 6. No one can deny but that the summer is the hottest season. 7.
I do not know as I shall like it. 8. He said that, after he had asked the advice of all his friends, that he was
more puzzled than before.
+Caution+._Else_, _other_, _otherwise_, _rather_, and adjectives and adverbs expressing a comparison are
usually followed by than. But _else_, _other_, and _more_, implying something additional, but not different
in kind, may be followed by but or besides.
+Examples+.A diamond is nothing else than carbon. Junius was no other than Sir Philip Francis. The
cripple cannot walk otherwise than on crutches. Americans would rather travel than stay at home. I rose
earlier than I intended. He can converse on other topics besides politics.
+Direction+._Study the Caution and the Examples, and correct these errors_:
1. Battles are fought with other weapons besides popguns. 2. The moon is something else but green cheese.
3. Cornwallis could not do otherwise but surrender. 4. It was no other but the President. 5. He no sooner saw
the enemy but he turned and ran.
+Caution+.Two or more connected words or phrases referring to another word or phrase should each make
good sense with it.
+Examples+.I have always (add _said_) and still do say that labor is honorable. Shakespeare was greater
than any other poet that has (add _lived_) or is now alive. The boy is stronger than his sister, but not so tall
(not The boy is _stronger_, but not _so tall, as_ his sister).
+Direction+._Study the Caution and the Examples, and correct these errors_:
1. Gold is heavier, but not so useful, as iron. 2. Gold is not so useful, but heavier, than iron. 3. This is as
valuable, if not more so, than that. 4. Faithful boys have always and always will learn their lessons. 5. Bread is
more nutritious, but not so cheap, as potatoes. 6. This dedication may serve for almost any book that has, is, or
may be published.
*****
LESSON 108.
123
MISCELLANEOUS ERRORS.
+Direction+._Correct these errors, telling what Caution each violates_:
1. Carthage and Rome were rival powers: this city in Africa, and that in Europe; the one on the northern coast
of the Mediterranean, the other on the southern. 2. The right and left lung were diseased. 3. The right and the
left lungs were diseased. 4. My friend has sailed for Europe, who was here yesterday. 5. There are some men
which are always young. 6. I cannot think but what God is good. 7. Thimbles, that are worn on the finger, are
used in pushing the needle. 8. A told B that he was his best friend. 9. Them scissors are very dull. 10. Ethan
Allen, being a rash man, he tried to capture Canada. 11. The lady that was thrown from the carriage, and who
was picked up insensible, died. 12. The eye and ear have different offices. 13. I only laugh when I feel like it.
14. This is the same man who called yesterday. 15. He was an humble man. 16. He was thrown forward onto
his face. 17. A knows more, but does not talk so well, as B. 18. The book cost a dollar, and which is a great
price. 19. At what wharf does the boat stop at? 20. The music sounded harshly. 21. He would neither go
himself or send anybody. 22. It isn't but a short distance. 23. The butter is splendid. 24. The boy was graceful
and tall. 25. He hasn't, I don't suppose, laid by much. 26. One would rather have few friends than a few
friends. 27. He is outrageously proud. 28. Not only the boy skated but he enjoyed it. 29. He has gone way out
West. 30. Who doubts but what two and two are four? 31. Some people never have and never will bathe in salt
water. 32. The problem was difficult to exactly understand. 33. It was the length of your finger. 34. He bought
a condensed can of milk. 35. The fish breathes with other organs besides lungs. 36. The death is inevitable.
37. She wore a peculiar kind of a dress. 38. When shall we meet together? 39. He talks like you do. [Footnote:
The use of the verb do as a substitute for a preceding verb is one of the most remarkable idioms in the
language. In its several forms it stands for the finite forms and for the infinitive and the participle of verbs,
transitive and intransitive, regular and irregular. It prevents repetition, and hence is euphonic; it abbreviates
expression, and therefore is energetic.] 40. This word has a different source than that. 41. No sooner did I
arrive when he called.
*****
LESSON 109.
VARIOUS USES OF WHAT, THAT, AND BUT.
+What+ may be used as a +relative pronoun+, an +interrogative pronoun+, a +definitive adjective+, an
+adverb+, and an +interjection+.
+Examples+.He did what was right. What did he say? What man is happy with the toothache? What with
confinement and what with bad diet, the prisoner found himself reduced to a skeleton (here what = _partly_,
and modifies the phrase following it). _What_! you a lion?
+That+ may be used as a +relative pronoun+, an +adjective+ +pronoun+, a +definitive adjective+, a
+conjunction+, and a +conjunctive adverb+.
+Examples+.He that does a good deed is instantly ennobled. That is heroism. That man is a hero. We eat
that we may live. It was so cold that the mercury froze.
+But+ may be used as a +conjunction+, an +adverb+, an +adjective+, and a +preposition+.
+Examples+.The ostrich is a bird, but (adversative conjunction) it cannot fly. Not a sparrow falls but (=
unlesssubordinate conjunction) God wills it. He was all but (conjunction or preposition) dead = He was all
dead, but he was not dead, or He was all (anything in that line) except (the climax) dead. No man is so wicked
but (conjunctive adverb) he loves virtue = No man is wicked to that degree in which he loves not virtue (so =
124
_to that degree_, but = _in which not_). We meet but (adverb = _only_) to part. Life is but (adjective =
_only_) a dream. All but (preposition = _except_) him had fled. The tears of love were hopeless but
(preposition = _except_) for thee. I cannot but remember = I cannot do anything but (preposition = _except_)
remember. There is no fireside but (preposition) has one vacant chair (except the one which has); or, regarding
but as a negative relative = _that not_, the sentence = There is no fireside that has not one vacant chair.
+Direction+._Study the examples given above, point out the exact use of what, that, and but in these
sentences, and then analyze the sentences_:
1. He did nothing but laugh. 2. It was once supposed that crystal is ice frozen so hard that it cannot be thawed.
3. What love equals a mother's? 4. There is nobody here but me. 5. The fine arts were all but proscribed. 6.
There's not a breeze but whispers of thy name. 7. The longest life is but a day. 8. What if the bee love not
these barren boughs? 9. That life is long which answers life's great end. 10. What! I the weaker vessel? 11.
Whom should I obey but thee? 12 What by industry and what by economy, he had amassed a fortune. 13. I
long ago found that out. 14. One should not always eat what he likes. 15. There's not a white hair on your face
but should have its effect of gravity. 16. It was a look that, but for its quiet, would have seemed disdain. 17.
He came but to return.
*****
LESSON 110.
REVIEW QUESTIONS.
Lesson 85.Define a noun. What is the distinction between a common and a proper noun? Why is music a
common noun? What is a collective noun? An abstract noun? Define a pronoun. What are the classes of
pronouns? Define them. What is an antecedent?
Lesson 86.Give and illustrate the Cautions respecting _he_, _it_, and _they_; the needless use of pronouns;
the two styles of the pronoun; the use of them for _those_, and of what for _that_; and the use of _who_,
_which_, _that_, and what.
Lesson 87.Give and illustrate the Cautions respecting connected relative clauses; the relative in clauses not
restrictive; the use of that instead of who or _which_; the position of the relative clause; and the use of this
and _that_, the one and the other.
Lesson 89.Define an adjective. What two classes are there? Define them. What adjectives do not limit?
Illustrate.
Lesson 90.Give and illustrate the Cautions respecting the use of the adjectives _an_, _a_, and _the_; and
the use of a few and _few_, a little and little.
Lesson 91.Give and illustrate the Cautious respecting the choice and the position of adjectives.
Lesson_ 93.Define a verb. What are transitive verbs? Intransitive? _Illustrate. What distinction is made
between the object and the object complement? What are regular verbs? Irregular? Illustrate. What are the
several classes of adverbs? Define them. What is a conjunctive adverb?
Lesson 93.Give and illustrate the Cautions respecting the choice and the position of adverbs, the use of
double negatives, and the use of adverbs for adjectives and of adjectives for adverbs.
*****
125
LESSON 111.
REVIEW QUESTIONSCONTINUED.
Lesson 95.Define a preposition. Name some of the common prepositions. What is said of some
prepositions ending in _ing_? Of _but_, _except_, and _save_? Of certain compound prepositions? When do
prepositions become adverbs?
Lesson 98.Give and illustrate the Caution as to the choice of prepositions. What, in general, is the
difference between in and _into_?
Lesson 99.Give and illustrate the two Cautions relating to the use of prepositions.
Lesson 100.Define a conjunction. What are the two great classes of conjunctions, and what is their
difference? What other parts of speech besides conjunctions connect? What are adverbs that connect called?
Into what three classes are coordinate connectives subdivided? Give some of the conjunctions and the
conjunctive adverbs of each class. What three kinds of clauses are connected by subordinate connectives? The
connectives of adverb clauses are subdivided into what classes? Give a leading connective of each class.
Lessons 104, 105.Illustrate two or more offices of each of the connectives _as_, _if_, _lest_, _since_,
_that_, _when_, _where_, and while.
Lesson 107.Give and illustrate the four Cautions relating to the construction of connectives.
Lesson 109.Illustrate the offices of _what_, _that_, and but.
*****
GENERAL REVIEW.
Schemes for the Conjunction, Preposition, and Interjection.
(The numbers refer to Lessons.)
| CoOrdinate. | THE CONJUNCTION. +Classes+. + Subordinate + 106107. | |
THE PREPOSITION. No Classes (95, 98, 99).
THE INTERJECTION. No Classes (20, 21).
MODIFICATIONS OF THE PARTS OF SPEECH.
*****
LESSON 112.
+Introductory Hints+.You have learned that two words may express a thought, and that the thought may be
varied by adding modifying words. You are now to learn that the meaning or use of a word may be changed
by simply changing its form. The English language has lost most of its inflections, or forms, so that many of
the changes in the meaning and the use of words are not now marked by changes in form. These changes in
the form, the meaning, and the use of the parts of speech we call their +Modifications+. [Footnote: Those
grammarians that attempt to restrict number, case, mode, etc.what we here call _Modifications_to form,
126
find themselves within bounds which they continually overleap. They define number, for instance, as a form,
or inflection, and yet speak of nouns "plural in form but singular in sense," or "singular in form but plural in
sense;" that is, if you construe them rigorously, plural or singular in form but singular or plural form in sense.
They tell you that case is a form, and yet insist that nouns have three cases, though only two forms; and speak
of the nominative and the objective case of the noun, "although in fact the two cases are always the same in
form"the two forms always the same in form!
On the other hand, those that make what we call Modifications denote only relations or conditions of words
cannot cling to these abstract terms. For instance, they ask the pupil to "pronounce and write the possessive of
nouns," hardly expecting, we suppose, that the "condition" of a noun will be sounded or written; and they
speak of "a noun in the singular with a plural application," in which expression singular must be taken to
mean singular form to save it from sheer nonsense.
We know no way to steer clear of Scylla and keep out of Charybdis but to do what by the common use of the
word we are allowed; viz., to take Modifications with such breadth of signification that it will apply to
meaning and to use, as well as to form. Primarily, of course, it meant inflections, used to mark changes in the
meaning and use of words. But we shall use Modifications to indicate changes in meaning and use when the
form in the particular instance is wanting, nowhere, however, recognizing that as a modification which is not
somewhere marked by form.]
Modifications of Nouns and Pronouns.
NUMBER.
The boy shouts. The boys shout. The form of the subject boy is changed by adding an s to it. The meaning has
changed. Boy denotes one lad; boys, two or more lads. This change in the form and the meaning of nouns is
called +Number+; the word _boy_, denoting one thing, is in the +Singular Number+; and _boys_, denoting
more than one thing, is in the +Plural Number+. Number expresses only the distinction of one from more than
one; to express more precisely how many, we use adjectives, and say _two boys_, _four boys_, many or
several boys.
+DEFINITIONS+.
+Modifications of the Parts of Speech are changes in their form, meaning, and use+.
+Number is that modification of a noun or pronoun which denotes one thing or more than one.+
+The Singular Number denotes one thing+.
+The Plural Number denotes more than one thing+.
NUMBER FORMS.
+RULE.The plural of nouns is regularly formed by adding s to the singular+.
To this rule there are some exceptions.
When the singular ends in a sound that cannot unite with that of _s_, es is added and forms another
syllable.[Footnote: In AngloSaxon, as was the plural termination for a certain class of nouns. In later
English, as was changed to _es_, which became the regular plural ending; as, _birdes_, _cloudes_. In
modern English, e is dropped, and s is joined to the singular without increase of syllables. But, when the
singular ends in an _s_sound, the original syllable es is retained, as two hissing sounds will not unite.]
127
+Remark+.Such words as _horse_, _niche_, and cage drop the final e when es is added. See Rule 1, Lesson
137.
+Direction+._Form the plural of each of the following nouns, and note what letters represent sounds that
cannot unite with the sound of +s+_:
Ax or axe, arch, adz or adze, box, brush, cage, chaise, cross, ditch, face, gas, glass, hedge, horse, lash, lens,
niche, prize, race, topaz.
The following nouns ending in o preceded by a consonant add es without increase of syllables.
+Direction+._Form the plural of each of the following nouns_:
Buffalo, calico, cargo, echo, embargo, grotto, hero, innuendo, motto, mosquito, mulatto, negro, portico (oes or
_os_), potato, tornado, torpedo, veto, volcano.
The following nouns in o preceded by a consonant add s only.
+Direction+._Form the plural of each of the following nouns_:
Canto, domino (os or _oes_), duodecimo, halo, junto, lasso, memento, octavo, piano, proviso, quarto, salvo,
solo, two, tyro, zero (os or _oes_).
Nouns in o preceded by a vowel add s.
Bamboo, cameo, cuckoo, embryo, folio, portfolio, seraglio, trio.
Common nouns [Footnote: See Rule 2, Lesson 127. In old English, such words as lady and fancy were spelled
_ladie_, fancie. The modern plural simply retains the old spelling and adds _s_,] in y after a consonant change
y into i and add es without increase of syllables. Nouns in y after a vowel add s.
+Direction+._Form the plural of each of the following nouns_:
Alley, ally, attorney, chimney, city, colloquy, [Footnote: U after q is a consonant] daisy, essay, fairy, fancy,
kidney, lady, lily, money, monkey, mystery, soliloquy, turkey, valley, vanity.
The following nouns change f or fe into ves.
+Direction+._Form the plural of each of the following nouns_:
Beef, calf, elf, half, knife, leaf, life, loaf, self, sheaf, shelf, staff, [Footnote: Staff (a stick or support), staves or
_staffs_; staff (a body of officers), staffs. The compounds of staff are regular; as, flagstaffs.] thief, wharf,
[Footnote: In England, generally wharfs.] wife, wolf.
The following nouns in f and fe are regular.
+Direction+._Form the plural of each of the following nouns_:
Belief, brief, chief, dwarf, fife, grief, gulf, hoof, kerchief, proof, reef, roof, safe, scarf, strife, waif.
(Nouns in _ff_, except _staff_, are regular; as, _cuff_, cuffs.)
128
129
130
Bellows, corps, [Footnote: The singular is pronounced _ko:r_, the plural _ko:rz_.] deer, gross, grouse, hose,
means, odds, pains (care), series, sheep, species, swine, vermin, who, which, that (relative), what, any, none.
(The following have two forms in the plural).
Apparatus, apparatus or apparatuses; heathen, heathen or heathens.
(The following nouns have the same form in both numbers when used with numerals; they add s in other
cases; as, _four score, by scores_.)
Dozen, score, yoke, hundred, thousand.
The following nouns have no plural.
(These are generally names of materials, qualities, or sciences.)
Names of materials when taken in their full or strict sense can have no plural, but they may be plural when
kinds of the material or things made of it are referred to; as, _cottons, coffees, tins, coppers_.
+Direction.+_Study the following list of words:_
Bread, coffee, copper, flour, gold, goodness, grammar (science, not a book), grass, hay, honesty, iron, lead,
marble, meekness, milk, molasses, music, peace, physiology, pride, tin, water.
The following plural forms are commonly used in the singular.
Acoustics, ethics, mathematics, politics (and other names of sciences in _ics_), amends, measles, news.
The following words are always plural.
(Such words are generally names of things double or multiform in their character.)
+Direction+._Study the following list_:
Aborigines, annals, ashes, assets, clothes, fireworks, hysterics, literati, mumps, nippers, oats, pincers, rickets,
scissors, shears, snuffers, suds, thanks, tongs, tidings, trousers, victuals, vitals.
The following were originally singular forms, but they are now treated as plural.
Alms (AngloSaxon _aelmaesse_), eaves (A. S. _efese_), riches (Norman French _richesse_).
The following have no singular corresponding in meaning.
Colors (flag), compasses (dividers), goods (property), grounds (dregs), letters (literature), manners (behavior),
matins (morning service); morals (character), remains (dead body), spectacles (glasses), stays (corsets),
vespers (evening service).
(The singular form is sometimes an adjective.)
Bitters, greens, narrows, sweets, valuables, etc.
Collective nouns are treated as plural when the individuals in the collection are thought of, and as singular
131
132
133
134
135
+Example+.The oak shall send his roots abroad and pierce thy mold.
+Remark+.The names of objects distinguished for size, power, or sublimity are regarded as masculine; and
the names of those distinguished for grace, beauty, gentleness, or productiveness are considered as feminine.
Personification adds beauty and animation to style.
+Direction+._Study what is said above, and then fill each of the blanks in the following sentences with a
masculine, a feminine, or a neuter pronoun, and in each case give the reason for your selection_:
1. No one else is so much alone in the universe as who denies God. 2. A person's manners not
unfrequently indicate morals, 3. Everybody should think for . 4. The forest's leaping panther shall
yield spotted hide. 5. The catamount lies in the boughs to watch prey. 6. The mockingbird
poured from little throat floods of delirious music. 7. The wild beast from cavern sprang, the wild
bird from grove. 8. The nightsparrow trills song. 9. The elephant is distinguished for
strength and sagacity. 10. The bat is nocturnal in habits. 11. The dog is faithful to master. 12. The
child was unconscious of danger. 13. The fox is noted for cunning. 14. Belgium's capital had
gathered then beauty and chivalry. 15. Despair extends raven wing. 16. Life mocks the idle
hate of archenemy, Death. 17. Spring comes forth work of gladness to contrive. 18. Truth is
fearless, yet is meek and modest.
+Direction+._Write sentences in which the things named below shall be personified by means of masculine
pronouns_:
Death, time, winter, war, sun, river, wind.
+Direction+.Write sentences in which the things named below shall be personified by means of feminine
pronouns:
Ship, moon, earth, spring, virtue, nature, night, England.
+Caution+.Avoid changing the gender of the pronoun when referring to the same antecedent.
+Direction+._Correct these errors_:
1. The polar bear is comparatively rare in menageries, as it suffers so much from the heat that he is not easily
preserved in confinement. 2. The cat, when it comes to the light, contracts and elongates the pupil of her eye.
3. Summer clothes herself in green, and decks itself with flowers. 4. War leaves his victim on the field, and
homes desolated by it mourn over her cruelty.
*****
LESSON 119.
NOUNS AND PRONOUNSPERSON AND CASE.
+Introductory Hints+.Number and gender, as you have learned, are modifications affecting the meaning of
nouns and pronounsnumber being almost always indicated by form, or inflection; gender, sometimes.
There are two modifications which do not refer to changes in the meaning of nouns and pronouns but to their
different uses and relations. These uses and relations are not generally indicated by form, or inflection.
_I, Paul_, have written. _Paul, thou_ art beside thyself. He brought Paul before Agrippa. In these three
sentences the word Paul has three different uses, though, as you see, its form is not changed. In the first it is
136
used to name the speaker; in the second, to name the one spoken to; in the third, to name the one spoken of.
These different uses of nouns and pronouns and the forms used to mark these uses constitute the modification
called +Person+. _I, thou, and he_ are personal pronouns, and, as you see, distinguish person by their form.
_I_, denoting the speaker, is in the +First Person+; _thou_, denoting the one spoken to, is in the +Second
Person+; and _he_, denoting the one spoken of, is in the +Third Person+.
Instead of I a writer or speaker may use the plural _we_; and through courtesy it came to be customary, except
among the Friends, or in the language of prayer and poetry, to use the plural you instead of thou.
The bear killed the man. The man killed the bear. _The bear's grease was made into hair oil_. In the first
sentence the bear is represented as performing an act; in the second, as receiving an act; in the third, as
possessing something. These different uses of nouns and pronouns and the forms used to mark these uses
constitute the modification called +Case+. A noun used as subject is in the +Nominative Case+; used as object
complement it is in the +Objective Case+; and used to denote possession it is in the +Possessive Case+.
Some of the pronouns have a special form for each case; but of nouns the possessive case is the only one that
is now marked by a peculiar form. We inflect below a noun from the AngloSaxon, [Footnote: The
AngloSaxon cases are nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, vocative; the Latin are nominative, genitive,
dative, accusative, vocative, and ablative; the English are nominative, possessive (genitive), and objective.
ANGLOSAXON. Hlaford, lord. Singular. Plural. Nom. hlaford, hlafordas. Gen. hlaford_es_, hlaforda.
Dat. hlaford_e_, hlafordum. Acc. hlaford, hlafordas. Voc. hlaford, hlafordas.
LATIN. Dominus, lord. Singular. Plural. Nom. domin_us_, domini. Gen. domin_i_, dominorum. Dat.
domin_o_, dominis. Acc. domin_um_, dominos. Voc. domin_e_, domini. Ab. domin_o_, dominis.
ENGLISH. Lord. Singular. Nom. lord, Pos. lord_'s_, Obj. lord; Plural. Nom. lord_s_, Pos. lord_s'_, Obj.
lords.]
and one from the Latin, the parent of the NormanFrench, in order that you may see how cases and the
inflections to mark them have been dropped in English. In English, prepositions have largely taken the place
of case forms, and it is thought that by them our language can express the many relations of nouns to other
words in the sentence better than other languages can by their cumbrous machinery of inflection.
+DEFINITIONS+.
+Person is that modification of a noun or pronoun which denotes the speaker, the one spoken to, or the one
spoken of+.
+The First Person denotes the one speaking+.
+The Second Person denotes the one spoken to+.
+The Third Person denotes the one spoken of+.
A noun is said to be of the first person when joined as an explanatory modifier to a pronoun of the first
person; as, _I, John_, saw these things; We Americans are always in a hurry. [Footnote: It is doubtful whether
a noun is ever of the first person. It may be said that, in the sentence _I, John, saw these things_, John speaks
of his own name, the expression meaning, _I_, _and my name is John_, etc.]
A noun is of the second person when used as explanatory of a pronoun of the second person, or when used
independently as a term of address; as, Ye crags and _peaks_; Idle time, _John_, is ruinous.
137
+Direction+.Compose sentences in which there shall be two examples of nouns and two of pronouns used
in each of the three persons.
+Person Forms+.
Personal pronouns and verbs are the only classes of words that have distinctive person forms.
+Direction+._From the forms of the pronouns given in Lesson 124, select and write in one list all the first
person forms; in another list, all the second person forms; and in another, all the third person forms._
Person is regarded in grammar because the verb sometimes varies its form to agree with the person of its
subject; as, _I see_; _Thou seest_; He sees.
+DEFINITIONS+.
+Case is that modification of a noun or pronoun which denotes its office in the sentence+.
+The Nominative Case of a noun or pronoun denotes its office as subject or as attribute complement+.
+The Possessive Case of a noun or pronoun denotes its office as possessive modifier+.
+The Objective Case of a noun or pronoun denotes its office as object complement, or as principal word in a
prepositional phrase+.
A noun or pronoun used independently is said to be in the nominative case.
+Examples+.I am, _dear madam_, your friend. Alas, _poor Yorick_! _He being dead_, we shall live.
_Liberty_, it has fled! (See Lesson 44.)
A noun or pronoun used as explanatory modifier is in the same case as the word explained"is put by
apposition in the same case."
+Examples+.The first colonial _Congress_, that of 1774, addressed the _King_, George III. He buys is
goods at _Stewart's_, the drygoods merchant.
A noun or pronoun used as objective complement is in the objective case.
+Examples+.They made him speaker. He made it all it is.
A noun or pronoun used as attribute complement of a participle or an infinitive is in the same case (_Nom._ or
_Obj._) as the word to which it relates as attribute.
+Examples+.Being an _artist_, he appreciated it. I proved it to be him.
+Remark+.When the assumed subject of the participle or the infinitive is a possessive, the attribute
complement is said to be in the nominative case; as, Its being he [Footnote: The case of he in these examples
is rather doubtful. The nominative and the objective forms of the pronoun occur so rarely in such
constructions that it seems impossible to determine the usage. It is therefore a matter of no great practical
importance.
Some, reasoning from the analogy of the Latin, would put the attribute complement of the abstract infinitive
in the objective, supposing for and some other word to be understood; as, _For one to be him_, etc. Others,
138
reasoning from the German, to which our language is closely allied, would put this complement in the
nominative.
The assumed subject of the infinitive being omitted when it is the same in sense as the principal subject,
_him_, in the sentence I wish (me or _myself_) _to be him_, is the proper form, being in the same case as me.]
should make no difference. When the participle or the infinitive is used abstractly, without an assumed
subject, its attribute complement is also said to be in the nominative case; as, To be he [Footnote: See footnote
above.] is to be a scholar; Being a scholar is not being an idler.
+Direction+._Study carefully the Definitions and the Remark above, and then compose sentences in which
a noun or a pronoun shall be put in the nominative case in four ways; in the objective in five ways; in the
possessive in two ways_.
*****
LESSON 120.
ANALYSIS AND PARSING.
+Direction.+_Analyze the following sentences, and give the case of each noun and pronoun:_
1. Not to know what happened before we were born is to be always a child. 2. His being a Roman saved him
from being made a prisoner. 3. I am this day weak, though anointed king.
+Explanation.+Nouns used adverbially are in the objective case because equivalent to the principal word of
a prepositional phrase. (See Lesson 35.)
4. What made Cromwell a great man was his unshaken reliance on God. 5. Amos, the herdsman of Tekoa, was
not a prophet's son. 6. Arnold's success as teacher was remarkable.
+Explanation.+_Teacher_, introduced by as and used without a possessive sign, is explanatory of
_Arnold's_.
7. Worship thy Creator, God; and obey his Son, the Master, King, and Saviour of men. 8. Bear ye one
another's [Footnote: For the use of _one another_, see Lesson 124.] burdens.
+Explanation.+The singular one is explanatory of the plural _ye_, or _one another's_ may be treated as a
compound.
9. What art thou, execrable shape, that darest advance? 10. O you hard hearts! you cruel men of Rome! 11.
Everybody acknowledges Shakespeare to be the greatest of dramatists. 12. Think'st thou this heart could feel a
moment's joy, thou being absent? 13. Our great forefathers had left him naught to conquer but his country.
(For the case of him see explanation of (3) above.)
14. I will attend to it myself.
+Explanation+.Myself may be treated as explanatory of I.
15. This news of papa's puts me all in a flutter. [Footnote: See second footnote, page 247.] 16. What means
that hand upon that breast of thine? [Footnote: See second footnote, page 247.]
139
*****
LESSON 121.
PARSING.
+TO THE TEACHER+.We do not believe that the chief end of the study of grammar Is to be able to parse
well, or even to analyze well, though without question analysis reveals more clearly than parsing the structure
of the sentence, and is immeasurably superior to it as intellectual gymnastics. We would not do away with
parsing altogether, but would give it a subordinate place.
But we must be allowed an emphatic protest against the needless and mechanical quoting, in parsing, of
"Rules of Syntax." When a pupil has said that such a noun is in the nominative case, subject of such a verb,
what is gained by a repetition of the definition in the Rule: "A noun or a pronoun which is the subject of a
finite verb is in the nominative case"? Let the reasons for the disposition of words, when given at all, be
specific.
+Parsing+a word is giving its classification, its modifications, and its syntax, _i.e._, its relation to other
words.
+Direction+.Select and parse in full all the nouns and pronouns found in the first ten sentences of Lesson
120. _For the agreement of pronouns, see Lesson_ 142.
+Model for Written Parsing+._Elizabeth's favorite, Raleigh, was beheaded by James I_.
CLASSIFICATION. | MODIFICATIONS. | SYNTAX.
|| |_Per
Num Gen_ | _Nouns. Kind_.|_son. ber. der. Case_.|
||
Elizabeth's Prop.| 3d Sing. Fem. Pos. | Mod. of favorite. favorite Com. | 3d Sing. Mas. Nom. | Sub. of was
beheaded. Raleigh Prop.| 3d Sing. Mas. Nom. | Expl. Mod. of favorite. James I. Prop.| 3d Sing. Mas. Obj. |
Prin. word of Prep. phrase.
TO THE TEACHER.For exercises in parsing nouns and pronouns, see Lessons 28, 29, 30, 31, 33, 34, 35,
44, 46, 59, 60, 71, 73, 78, 80, and 81. Other exercises may be selected from examples previously given for
analysis, and parsing continued as long as you think it profitable.
*****
LESSON 122.
CASE FORMSNOUNS.
Nouns have two case forms, the simple form, common to the nominative and the objective case, and the
possessive form.
+RULE.The Possessive Case of nouns is formed in the singular by adding to the nominative the apostrophe
and the letter s (_'s_); in the plural by adding (_'_) only. If the plural does not end in _s_, (_'s_) are both
added. [Footnote: In AngloSaxon, es was a genitive (possessive) ending of the singular; as, _sta:n_, genitive
_sta:nes_. In old English, es and is were both used. In modern English, the vowel is generally dropped, and
(') stands in its place. The use of the apostrophe has been extended to distinguish the possessive from other
forms of the plural.
140
Some have said that our possessive ending is a remnant of the pronoun his. Phrases like, "Mars his sword,"
"The Prince his Players," "King Lewis his satisfaction" are abundant in Early, and in Middle, English. But it
has been proved that the his in such expressions is an error that gained its wide currency largely through the
confusion of early English orthography.
Professor Hadley has clearly shown that the Saxon termination has never dropped out of the language, but
exists in the English possessive ending today.]
+Examples+._Boy's, boys', men's_.
+Remark+.To avoid an unpleasant succession of hissing sounds, the s in the possessive singular is
sometimes omitted; as, _conscience' sake_, _goodness' sake_, _Achilles' sword_, _Archimedes' screw_ (the s
in the words following the possessive here having its influence). In prose this omission of the s should seldom
occur. The weight of usage inclines to the use of s in such names as _Miss Rounds's_, _Mrs. Hemans's_,
_King James's_, _witness's_, _prince's_. Without the s there would be no distinction, in spoken language,
between _Miss Round's_ and _Miss Rounds'_, _Mrs. Heman's_ and _Mrs. Hemans'_.
+Remark+.Pronounce the ('_s_) as a separate syllable (= _es_) when the sound of s will not unite with the
last sound of the nominative.
+Remark+.When the singular and the plural are alike in the nominative, some place the apostrophe after
the s in the plural to distinguish it from the possessive singular; as, singular, _sheep's_; plural, _sheeps'_.
+Direction+._Study the Rule and the Remarks given above, and then write the possessive singular and the
possessive plural of each of the following nouns_:
Actor, elephant, farmer, king, lion, genius, horse, princess, buffalo, hero, mosquito, negro, volcano, junto,
tyro, cuckoo, ally, attorney, fairy, lady, monkey, calf, elf, thief, wife, wolf, chief, dwarf, waif, child, goose,
mouse, ox, woman, beau, seraph, fish, deer, sheep, swine.
Compound names and groups of words that may be treated as compound names add the possessive sign to the
last word; as, a _manofwar's_ rigging, the _queen of England's_ palace,[Footnote: In parsing the words
queen and England separately, the ('_s_) must be regarded as belonging to _queen_; but the whole phrase
_queen of England's_ may be treated as one noun in the possessive case.] _Frederick the Great's_ verses.
+Remark+.The possessive plural of such terms is not used.
The preposition of with the objective is often used instead of the possessive case form_David's_ Psalms =
Psalms of David.
+Remarks+.To denote the source from which a thing proceeds, or the idea of belonging to, of is used more
frequently than ('_s_).
The possessive sign (_'s_) is confined chiefly to the names of persons, and of animals and things personified.
We do not say the _tree's_ leaves, but the leaves of the tree.
The possessive sign however is often added to names of things which we frequently hear personified, or
which we wish to dignify, and to names of periods of time, and to words denoting value; as, the _earth's_
surface, _fortune's_ smile, _eternity's_ stillness, a _year's_ interest, a _day's_ work, a _dollar's_ worth, _two
cents'_ worth.
By the use of _of_, such expressions as _witness's statement_, _mothersinlaw's faults_ may be avoided.
141
+Direction+._Study carefully the principles and Remarks given above, and then make each of the
following terms indicate possession, using either the possessive sign or the preposition of, as may seem most
appropriate, and join an appropriate name denoting the thing possessed_:
Fatherinlaw, William the Conqueror, king of Great Britain, aiddecamp, Henry the Eighth,
attorneyatlaw, somebody else,[Footnote: In such expressions as _everybody else's business_, the possessive
sign is removed from the noun and attached to the adjective. (See Lesson lai.) The possessive sign should
generally be placed immediately before the name of the thing possessed.] Jefferson, enemy, eagle,
gunpowder, book, house, chair, torrent, sun, ocean, mountain, summer, year, day, hour, princess, Socrates.
*****
LESSON 123.
CONSTRUCTION OF POSSESSIVE FORMS.
As the possessive is the only case of nouns that has a distinctive inflection, it is only with this case that
mistakes can occur in construction.
+Caution+.When several possessive nouns modify the same word and imply common possession, the
possessive sign is added to the last only. If they modify different words, expressed or understood, the sign is
added to each.
+Explanation+.William and _Henry's_ boat; _William's_ and _Henry's_ boat. In the first example, William
and Henry are represented as jointly owning a boat; in the second, each is represented as owning a separate
boatboat is understood after _William's_.
+Remark+.When the different possessors are thought of as separate or opposed, the sign may be repeated
although joint possession is implied; as, He was his _father's_, _mother's_, and _sister's_ favorite; He was the
_King's_, as well as the _people's_, favorite.
+Direction+._Correct these errors, and give your reasons_:
1. The Bank of England was established in William's and Mary's reign. 2. Messrs. Leggett's, Stacy's, Green's,
& Co.'s business prospers. 3. This was James's, Charles's, and Robert's estate. 4. America was discovered
during Ferdinand's and Isabella's reign. 5. We were comparing Caesar and Napoleon's victories. 6. This was
the sage and the poet's theme.
+Explanation+.If an article precedes the possessive, the sign is repeated.
7. It was the king, not the people's, choice. 8. They are Thomas, as well as James's, books.
+Caution+.When a possessive noun is followed by an explanatory word, the possessive sign is added to the
explanatory word only. But, if the explanatory word has several modifiers, or if there are more explanatory
words than one, only the principal word takes the sign.
+Remarks+.When a common noun is explanatory of a proper noun, and the name of the thing possessed is
omitted, the possessive sign may be added either to the modifying or to the principal word; as, We stopped at
Tiffany, the _jeweler's_, or We stopped at _Tiffany's_, the jeweler.
If the name of the thing possessed is given, the noun immediately before it takes the sign.
142
143
2. I have no doubt of the writer being a scholar. 3. No one ever heard of that man running for office. 4. Brown
being a politician prevented his election. 5. I do not doubt him being sincere. 6. Grouchy being behind time
decided the fate of Waterloo.
*****
LESSON 124.
NUMBER AND CASE FORMS.
Declension.
+DEFINITION.Declension is the arrangement of the cases of nouns and pronouns in the two numbers+.
+Direction+._Learn the following declensions_:
Declension of Nouns.
LADY. BOY. MAN. _Singular. Plural. Singular. Plural. Singular. Plural_.
Nom. lady, ladies, boy, boys, man, men, Pos. lady's, ladies', boy's, boys', man's, men's, Obj. lady; ladies. boy;
boys. man; men.
Declension of Pronouns.
PERSONAL PRONOUNS.
FIRST PERSON. SECOND PERSON SECOND PERSON common form old form. _Singular. Plural.
Singular. Plural. Singular. Plural.
Nom. I, we,* you, you, thou, ye(++) or you Pos. my or our or your or your or thy or ye(++) or you mine,+
ours, yours, yours, thine, yours, Obj. me; us. you; you. thee; you.
[Footnote *: Strictly speaking, we can hardly be the plural of _I_, says Professor Sweet, for I does not admit
of plurality. We means I and _you_, I and _he_, I and _she_, or I and _they_, etc.]
[Footnote +: The forms _mine_, _ours_, _yours_, _thine_, _hers_, and theirs are used only when the name of
the thing possessed is omitted; as, Yours is old, mine is new = Your book is old, etc. Mine and thine were
formerly used before words beginning with a vowel sound; as, _thine enemy_, mine honor.
The expression a friend of mine presents a peculiar construction. The explanation generally given is, that of is
partitive, and that the expression is equivalent to one friend of my friends.
It is said that this construction can be used only when more than one thing is possessed such expressions as
_This heart of mine_, That temper of yours are good, idiomatic English. This naughty world _of
ours.Byron_. This moral life _of mine.Sheridan Knowles_. Dim are those heads _of theirs.Carlyle_.
Some suggest that the word possessing or owning is understood after these possessives; as, This temper of
yours (your possessing); others say that of simply marks identity, as does of in city of (=viz.) New York (see
Lesson 34). They would make the expression = _This temper, your temper_.
The s in _ours, yours, hers_, and theirs is the s of his and its extended by analogy to _our, your, her_, and
144
_their_, forms already possessive. _Ours, yours, hers_, and theirs are consequently double possessives.]
[Footnote ++: Ye is used in Chaucer and in the King James version of the Bible exclusively in the nominative,
as was its original _ge__ in the Saxon. Shakespeare uses you in the nominative. You (the Saxon accusative
_eow_) has now taken the place of _ye_, and is both nominative and objective.
THIRD PERSONMas. THIRD PERSONFem. THIRD PERSONNeut. _Singular. Plural. Singular.
Plural. Singular. Plural_. Nom. he, they, she, they, it, they, Pos. his, their or her or their or its,* their or theirs,
hers, theirs, theirs, Obj. him; them. her; them. it; them.
[Footnote *: The possessive its is our only personal pronoun form not found in Saxon. _His_, the possessive
of the masculine _he_, was there the possessive (genitive) of the neuter hit alsoour it. But it came to be
thought improper to employ his to denote inanimate things as well as animate. The literature of the 16th and
17th centuries shows a growing sense of this impropriety, and abounds with _of it_, _thereof_, _her_, _it_,
_the_, and it own in place of his as the possessive of it. The first appearance of the new coinage its is placed in
1598. Long after its introduction many looked askance at _its_, because of the grammatical blunder it
containsthe_ t_ in its being a nominative neuter ending, and the s a possessive ending. But no one thinks
now of shunning what was then regarded as a grammatical monstrosity.]
COMPOUND PERSONAL PRONOUNS.
_Singular. Plural. Singular. Plural. Singular. Plural. _ _Nom. and Nom. and Nom. and Nom. and Nom. and
Nom. and_ _Obj. Obj. Obj. Obj. Obj. Obj._
myself* thyself himself; or ourselves. or yourselves. herself; themselves. ourself; yourself; itself;
[Footnote *: The compound personal pronouns are used (1) for emphasis; as, I myself saw it: and (2) as
reflexives, to turn the action of the verb back upon the actor; as, He found himself deserted by his friends.
They are not the only words used in this last relation; where no obscurity would arise, we may use the simple
personal pronouns instead. And millions in those solitudes ... have laid them down in their last
sleep.Bryant. My uncle stopped a minute to look about him.Dickens.
The compound personal pronouns should not be used as subjects.]
+Remark+.The possessive of these pronouns is wanting.
Ourself and we are used by rulers, editors, and others to hide their individuality, and give authority to what
they say.
+Relative Pronouns+.
_Sing. and Plu. Sing. and Plu. Sing. and Plu. Sing. and Plu._ Nom. who, which, that, what, Pos. whose,
whose, , , Obj. whom. which. that. what.
+Remark+.From the composition of _which__hwa:_lic, or _hwaetlic_ = _wholike_, or _whatlike_,
it is evident that whose is not formed from which. It is, in fact, the possessive of what transferred to which.
Much has been said against this _whose_, but it is in general use. Those who regard usage as the final arbiter
in speech need not avoid this form of the pronoun.
+Interrogative Pronouns+.
The interrogative pronouns _who, which_, and what are declined like the relatives _who, which_, and what.
145
146
10. We may use +either+ in the sense of _each_; we may use each instead. We may say, "He wrested the land
on either side of the Seine," or "on each side of the Seine."
11. We may insert a noun, or a noun and other words, between +other+ and +than+; we may place the than
immediately after other. We may say, "We must look for somee other reasons for it than those suggested," or
"for some reasons for it other than those suggested."
12. We may use +none+ in the plural; we may use none in the singular. We may say, "None hear thy voice,"
or "None hears thy voice."
The paragraphs below contain noteworthy uses of adjective pronouns but no really alternative expressions.
13. Usage is overwhelmingly in favor of +any one else's, no one else's, somebody else's, nobody else's+,
instead of _any one's else_, etc. There is scarcely any authority for placing the (_'s_) upon one or body.
"Written by Dickens for his own or _any one else's_ children." This form is common and convenient. We are
advised to shun it, but we need not.
14. Usage is also decidedly in favor of +first two, last three+, etc., instead of _two first, three last_, etc.]
Descriptive adjectives used as nouns are plural, and are not declined. Such expressions as "the _wretched's_
only plea" and "the _wicked's_ den" are exceptional.
*****
LESSON 125.
CASE FORMSPRONOUNS.
The pronouns _I_, _thou_, _he_, _she_, and who are the only words in the language that have each three
different case forms.
+Direction+._Study the Declensions, and correct these errors_:
Our's, your's, hi's, her's, it's, their's, yourn, hisn, hern, theirn.
Construction of Case FormsPronouns.
+Caution.I, we, thou, ye, he, she, they,+ and +who+ are +nominative+ forms, and must not be used in the
objective case. +Me, us, thee, him, her, [Footnote: Her is also a possessive.] them,+ and +whom+ are
objective forms, and must not be used in the nominative case.
Remark.The eight nominative forms and the seven objective forms here given are the only distinctive
nominative and objective forms in the language. All the rules of syntax given in the grammars to guide in the
use of the nominative and the objective case apply, practically, only to these fifteen words.
+Direction.+_Study carefully the Definitions and principles given under the head of case, Lesson 119, and
then correct these errors, giving your reasons in every instance:_
1. It is not me you are in love with. [Footnote: Dr. Latham defends _It is me,_ but condemns _It is him,_ and
It is her. Dean Alford regards as correct the forms condemned by Latham, and asserts that thee and me are
correct in, "The nations not so blest as _thee_" "Such weak minister as me may the oppressor bruise."
Professor Bain justifies _If I were him, It was her, He is better than me,_ and even defends the use of who as
147
an objective form by quoting from Shakespeare, "Who servest thou under?" and from Steele, "Who should I
meet?"
They justify such expressions as It is me from the analogy of the French _c'est moi_, and on the ground that
they are "more frequently heard than the prescribed form." But such analogy would justify _It are them (ce
sont eux)_; and, if the argument from the speech of the uneducated is to have weight, we have good authority
for _"Her ain't a calling we: us don't belong to she."_ A course of reading will satisfy one that the best writers
and speakers in England are not in the habit of using such expressions as _It is me_, and that these are almost,
if not quite unknown in American literature. No one has freed himself from the influence of early associations
that are in a careless moment some vicious colloquialism may not creep into his discourse. A Violation of
every principle of grammar may be defended, if such inadvertencies are to be erected into authority. To
whatever is the prevailing, the habitual, usage of a majority of the best writers and speakers the grammarian
should bow without question; but not to the accidental slips of even the greatest writers, or to the common
usage of the unreflecting and the uncultivated.]
2. She was neither better bred nor wiser than you or me. [See previous Footnote.] 3. Who servest thou under?
[See previous footnote.] 4. It was not them, it was her. 5. Its being me should make no difference. 6. Him and
me are of the same age. 7. Them that study grammar talk no better than me. 8. I am not so old as her; she is
older than me by ten years. 9. He was angry, and me too. 10. Who will go? Me. 11. It isn't for such as us to sit
with the rulers of the land. 12. Not one in a thousand could have done it as well as him. 13. Him being a
stranger, they easily misled him. 14. Oh, happy us! surrounded thus with blessings. 15. It was Joseph, him
whom Pharaoh promoted. 16. I referred to my old friend, he of whom I so often speak. 17. You have seen
Cassio and she together. 18. Between you and I, I believe that he is losing his mind. 19. Who should I meet
the other day but my old friend? 20. Who did he refer to, he or I? 21. Who did he choose? Did he choose you
and I? 22. He that is idle and mischievous reprove. 23. We will refer it to whoever you may choose. 24.
Whosoever the court favors is safe. 25. They that are diligent I will reward. 20. Scotland and thee did in each
other live. 27. My hour is come, but not to render up my soul to such as thee. 28. I knew that it was him. 29. I
knew it to be he. 30. Who did you suppose it to be? 31. Whom did you suppose it was? 32. I took that tall man
to be he. 33. I thought that tall man was him.
Although than is not a preposition, it is sometimes followed by _whom,_ as in the familiar passage from
Milton: "Beelzebub... _than whom,_ Satan except, none higher sat." Than whom is an irregularity justified
only on the basis of good usage. Whom here may be parsed as an objective case form used idiomatically in
place of who.
*****
LESSON 126.
CONSTRUCTION OF CASE FORMS.
MISCELLANEOUSREVIEW.
Direction._Correct these errors, and give your reasons:_
1. Who was Joseph's and Benjamin's mother? 2. It did not occur during Washington, Jefferson, or Adams's
administration. 3. I consulted Webster, Worcester, and Walker's dictionary. 4. This state was south of Mason's
and Dixon's line. 5. These are neither George nor Fanny's books. 6. Howard's, the philanthropist's, life was a
noble one. 7. It is Othello's pleasure, our noble and valiant general's. 8. He visited his sonsinlaw's homes.
+Explanation.+If the possessive plural of such nouns were used, this would be correct; but it is better to
avoid these awkward forms.
148
9. A valuable horse of my friend William's father's was killed. 10. For Herodias's sake, his brother Philip's
wife. 11. For the queen's sake, his sister's. 12. Peter's, John's, and Andrew's occupation was that of fishermen.
13. He spoke of you studying Latin. 14. It being difficult did not deter him. 15. What need is there of the man
swearing? 16. I am opposed to the gentleman speaking again. 17. He thought it was us. 18. We shall shortly
see which is the fittest object of scorn, you or me. 19. I shall not learn my duty from such as thee. 20. A lady
entered, whom I afterwards found was Miss B. 21. A lady entered, who I afterwards found to be Miss B. 22.
Ask somebody's else opinion. 23. Let him be whom he may. 24. I am sure it could not have been them. 25. I
understood it to be they. 26. It is not him whom you thought it was. 27. Let you and I try it. 28. All enjoyed
themselves, us excepted. 29. Us boys enjoy the holidays. 30. It was Virgil, him who wrote the "Aeneid." 31.
He asked help of men whom he knew could not help him.
TO THE TEACHER.These schemes and questions under the head of General Review are especially
designed to aid in securing an outline of technical grammar.
The questions given below may be made to call for minute details or only for outlines. In some cases a single
question may suffice for a whole lesson.
Scheme for the Noun.
(The numbers refer to Lessons.)
NOUN. Uses. Subject (4, 8). Object Complement (28). Attribute Complement (29, 30). Objective
Complement (31). Adjective Modifier (33). Adverb Modifier (35). Principal word in Prep. Phrase (17).
Independent (44). Classes. Common (85). (Abstract and Collective.) Proper (85). Modifications. Number.
Singular (112116). Plural (112116). Gender. Masculine (117, 118). Feminine (117, 118). Neuter (117,
118). Person. First (119). Second (119). Third (119). Case. Nominative (119). Possessive (119, 122, 123).
Objective (119).
Questions on the Noun.
1. Define the noun and its classes.Lesson 85.
2. Name and define the modifications of the noun.Lessons 112, 117, 119.
3. Name and define the several numbers, genders, persons, and cases.Lessons 112, 117, 119.
4. Give and illustrate the several ways of forming the plural.Lessons 112, 113, 114.
5. Give and illustrate the several ways of distinguishing the genders.Lesson 117.
6. How is the possessive case formed?Lesson 122.
7. Give and illustrate the principles which guide in the use of the possessive forms.Lesson 128.
+Scheme for the Pronoun.+
PRONOUN. +Uses+.Same as those of the Noun. +Classes+. Personal (85, 86, 87). Relative (85, 86, 87).
Interrogative (85). Adjective (85, 87). +Modifications+.Same as those of the Noun (112, 117, 118, 119,
124, 125, 142).
Questions on the Pronoun.
149
1. Define the pronoun and its classes, and give the lists.Lesson 85.
2. Decline the several pronouns.Lesson 124.
3. Give and illustrate the principles which guide in the use of the different pronouns.Lessons 86, 87.
4. Give and illustrate the principles which guide in the use of the number forms, the gender forms, and the
case forms.Lessons 118, 125, 142.
*****
LESSON 127.
COMPARISON.
+Introductory Hints.+_That apple is sweet, that other is sweeter, but this one is the sweetest._ The adjective
_sweet_, expressing a quality of the three apples, is, as you see, inflected by adding er and est.
Adjectives, then, have one modification, and this is marked by form, or inflection. This modification is called
+Comparison+, because it is used when things are compared with one another in respect to some quality
common to them all, but possessed by them in different degrees. The form of the adjective which expresses
the simple quality, as _sweet_, is of the +Positive Degree+; that which expresses the quality in a greater or a
less degree, as _sweeter_, _less sweet_, is of the +Comparative Degree+; and that which expresses the quality
in the greatest or the least degree, as _sweetest_, _least sweet_, is of the +Superlative Degree+.
But even the positive implies a comparison; we should not say, This apple is _sweet_, unless this particular
fruit had more of the quality than ordinary apples possess.
Notice, too, that the adjective in the comparative and superlative degrees always expresses the quality
relatively. When we say, This apple is _sweeter than that_, or, This apple is the _sweetest of the three_, we do
not mean that any one of the apples is very sweet, but only that one apple is sweeter than the other, or the
sweetest of those compared.
The several degrees of the quality expressed by the adjective may be increased or diminished by adverbs
modifying the adjective. We can say _very_, _exceedingly_, _rather_, or somewhat sweet; _far_, _still_, or
_much_, sweeter; by far or much the sweetest.
Some adverbs, as well as adjectives, are compared.
Adjectives have one modification; viz., +Comparison+. [Footnote: Two adjectives, this and _that_, have
number forms_this_, _these_; _that_, those. In AngloSaxon and Latin, adjectives have forms to indicate
gender, number, and case.]
+DEFINITIONS+.
+Comparison is a modification of the adjective (or the adverb) to express the relative degree of the quality in
the things compared.+ [Footnote: Different degrees of quantity, also, may sometimes be expressed by
comparison.]
+The Positive Degree expresses the simple quality.+
+The Comparative Degree expresses a greater or a less degree of the quality.
150
+The Superlative Degree expresses the greatest or the least degree of the quality+.
+RULE.Adjectives are regularly compared by adding er to the positive to form the comparative, and est to
the positive to form the superlative+.
RULES FOR SPELLING.
+RULE I.Final e is dropped before a suffix beginning with a vowel; as+, _fine, finer; love, loving._
+Exceptions.+The e is retained (1) after c and g when the suffix begins with a or _o_; as, _peaceable,
changeable;_ (2) after _o;_ as, _hoeing;_ and (3) when it is needed to preserve the identity of the word; as,
_singeing, dyeing._
+RULE II.Y after a consonant becomes i before a suffix net beginning with _i;_ as,+ _witty, wittier; dry,
dried._
Exceptions.Y does not change before 's, nor in forming the plural of proper nouns; as, _lady's,_ the
_Marys,_ the _Henrys._
+RULE III.In monosyllables and words accented on the last syllable, a final consonant after a single vowel
doubles before a suffix beginning with a vowel; as+, _hot, hotter; begin, beginning._
Exceptions._X, k,_ and v are never doubled, and gas has gases in the plural.
Adjectives of more than two syllables are generally compared by prefixing more and _most._ This method is
often used with adjectives of two syllables and sometimes with those of one.
+Remark+._More beautiful, most beautiful_, etc. can hardly be called degree forms of the adjective. The
adverbs more and most have the degree forms, and in parsing they may be regarded as separate words. The
adjective, however, is varied in sense the same as when the inflections er and est are added.
Degrees of diminution are expressed by prefixing less and _least_[Footnote: This use of an adverb to form the
comparison was borrowed from the NormanFrench. But note how the adverb is compared, The Saxon
superlative ending +st+ is in most and _least_; and the Saxon comparative ending +s+, unchanged to +r+, is
the last letter in _less_changed to +r+, as it regularly was, in coming into English, it is the r in more.
When it was forgotten that less is a comparative, er was added, and we have the double comparative
_lesser_in use today.
After the French method of comparing was introduced into English, both methods were often used with the
same adjective; and, for a time, double comparatives and double superlatives were common; as, _worser_,
most boldest. In "King Lear" Shakespeare uses the double comparative a dozen times.]; as, _valuable_, _less
valuable_, least valuable. Most definitive and many descriptive adjectives cannot be compared, as their
meaning will not admit of different degrees.
Direction._From this list of adjectives select those that cannot be compared, and compare those that
remain:_
Observe the Rules for Spelling given above.
Wooden, English, unwelcome, physical, one, that, common, handsome, happy, able, polite, hot, sweet,
vertical, twowheeled, infinite, witty, humble, any, thin, intemperate, undeviating, nimble, holy, lunar,
151
superior.
Of the two forms of comparison, that which is more easily pronounced and more agreeable to the ear is to be
preferred.
+Direction+._Correct the following_:
Famousest, virtuousest, eloquenter, comfortabler, amusingest.
Some +adverbs+ are compared by adding er and _est_, and some by prefixing more and most.
+Direction+._Compare the following_:
Early, easily, fast, firmly, foolishly, late, long, often, soon, wisely.
Some adjectives and adverbs are irregular in their comparison.
+Direction+._Learn to compare the following adjectives and adverbs_:
Adjectives Irregularly Compared.
_Pos. Comp. Superlative_. (Aft),* after, aftmost or aftermost. Bad, | Evil, + worse, worst. Ill | Far, farther,
fartherest or fathermost Fore, former, foremost or first. (Forth), further, furtherest or furthermost. Good,
better, best. Hind, hinder, hindmost or hindermost. (In), inner, inmost or innermost. Late, later or latest or
latter last. Little,+ less or least. lesser, Many or more, most. Much, Near, nearer nearest or next. Old, older or
oldest or elder, eldest. (Out), outer or outmost or utter, outermost; utmost or uttermost. Under, ,
undermost. (Up), upper, upmost or uppermost. Top, , topmost.
[Footnote *: The words inclosed in curves are adverbsthe adjectives following having no positive form.]
[Footnote +: For the comparative and the superlative of _little_, in the sense of small in size, smaller and
smallest are substituted; as, little boy, smaller boy, smallest boy.]
Adverbs Irregularly Compared.
_Pos. Comp. Superlative._
Badly,| worse, worst. Ill, | Far, farther, farthest, Forth, further, furthest. Little, less, least, Much, more, most.
Well, better, best.
TO THE TEACHER.We give below a model for writing the parsing of adjectives. A similar form may be
used for adverbs.
Exercises for the parsing of adjectives and adverbs may be selected from Lessons 12, 14, 29, 30, 31, 44, 46,
47, 48, 60, 63, 64, 65.
Model for Written Parsing.All the dewy glades are still.
CLASSIFICATION. | MODIFICATION. |SYNTAX
|| Adjectives.|
Kind. | Deg. of Comp. | All | Def. | | Modifier of glades. the | " | | " " " dewy | Des. | Pos. | " "
" still | " | " | Completes are and modifies glades.
152
*****
LESSON 128.
CONSTRUCTION OF COMPARATIVES AND SUPERLATIVES.
+Caution+.In stating a comparison avoid comparing a thing with itself. [Footnote: A thing may, of course,
be compared with itself as existing under different conditions; as, The star is _brighter tonight_; The grass is
_greener today_.]
+Remark+.The comparative degree refers to two things (or sets of things) as distinct from each other, and
implies that one has more of the quality than the other. The comparative degree is generally followed by than.
[Footnote: The comparative is generally used with reference to two things only, but it may be used to compare
one thing with a number of things taken separately or together as, He is no better than _other men_; It
contains more than all the others combined.]
+Direction+._Study the Caution and the Remark, and correct these errors:_
1. London is larger than any city in Europe.
+Correction+.The second term of comparison, _any city in Europe_, includes London, and so London is
represented as being larger than itself. It should be, London is larger _than any other city in Europe_, or,
London is the largest city in Europe.
2. China has a greater population than any nation on the globe. 3. I like this book better than any book I have
seen. 4. There is no metal so useful as iron.
(A comparison is here stated, although no degree form is employed.)
5. All the metals are less useful than iron. 6. Time ought, above all kinds of property, to be free from invasion.
+Caution+.In using the superlative degree be careful to make the latter term of the comparison, or the term
introduced by _of_, include the former.
+Remarks+.The superlative degree refers to one thing (or set of things) as belonging to a group or class,
and as having more of the quality than any of the rest. The superlative is generally followed by of.
Good writers sometimes use the superlative in comparing two things; as, This is the best of the two. But in
such cases usage largely favors the comparative; as, This is the better of the two.
+Direction+._Study the Caution and the Remarks, and correct these errors:_
1. Solomon was the wisest of all the other Hebrew kings.
+Correction+.Of (= _belonging to_) represents Solomon as belonging to a group of kings, and other
excludes him from this groupa contradiction in terms. It should be, Solomon was the _wisest of Hebrew
kings_, or Solomon was wiser than any other Hebrew king.
2. Of all the other books I have examined, this is the most satisfactory. 3. Profane swearing is, of all other
vices, the most inexcusable. 4. He was the most active of all his companions.
(He was not one of his own companions.)
153
5. This was the most satisfactory of any preceding effort. 6. John is the oldest of any boy in his class.
+Caution+.Avoid double comparatives and double superlatives, and the comparison of adjectives whose
meaning will not admit of different degrees.[Footnote: Many words which grammarians have considered
incapable of comparison are used in a sense short of their literal meaning, and are compared by good writers;
as, My chiefest entertainment.Sheridan. The chiefest prize.Byron. Divinest Melan choly.Milton.
Extremest hell.Whittier. Most perfect harmonyLongfellow. Less perfect imitations.Macaulay. The
extension of these exceptional forms should not be encouraged.]
+Direction+._Correct these errors:_
1. A more beautifuler location cannot be found. 2. He took the longest, but the most pleasantest, route. 3.
Draw that line more perpendicular.
+Correction+.Draw that line _perpendicular_, or more nearly perpendicular.
4. The opinion is becoming more universal. 5. A worser evil awaits us. 6. The most principal point was
entirely overlooked. 7. That form of expression is more preferable.
+Caution+.When an adjective denoting one, or an adjective denoting more than one, is joined to a noun,
the adjective and the noun must agree in number.
+Remark+.A numeral denoting more than one may be prefixed to a singular noun to form a compound
adjective; as, a _tenfoot_ pole (not a _tenfeet_ pole), a _threecent_ stamp.
+Direction+._Study the Caution and the Remark, and correct these errors:_
1. These kind of people will never be satisfied. 2. The room is fifteen foot square; I measured it with a
twofeet rule. 3. The farmer exchanged five barrel of potatoes for fifty pound of sugar. 4. These sort of
expressions should be avoided. 5. We were traveling at the rate of forty mile an hour. 6. Remove this ashes
and put away that tongs.
Miscellaneous.
1. He was more active than any other of his companions.
+Correction+.As he is not one of his companions, other is unnecessary.
2. He did more to accomplish this result than any other man that preceded or followed him. 3. The younger of
the three sisters is the prettier.
(This is the construction which requires the superlative. See the second Remark in this Lesson.)
4. This result, of all others, is most to be dreaded. 5. She was willing to take a more humbler part. 6. Solomon
was wiser than any of the ancient kings. 7. I don't like those sort of people. 8. I have the most entire
confidence in him. 9. This is the more preferable form. 10. Which are the two more important ranges of
mountains in North America? 11. He writes better than any boy in his class.
GENERAL REVIEW.
TO THE TEACHER.See suggestions to the teacher, page 255.
154
155
+Voice is that modification of the transitive verb which shows whether the subject names the actor or the
thing _acted upon_+.
+The Active Voice shows that the subject names the actor+.
+The Passive Voice shows that the subject names the thing acted upon.+
The passive form is compound, and may be resolved into an asserting word (some form of the verb _be_) and
an attribute complement (a past participle of a transitive verb). An expression consisting of an asserting word
followed by an adjective complement or by a participle used adjectively may be mistaken for a verb in the
passive voice.
+Examples.+The coat was sometimes worn by Joseph (_was worn_ passive voice). The coat was badly
worn (_was_incomplete predicate, _worn_adjective complement).
+Remark.+To test the passive voice note whether the one named by the subject is acted upon, and whether
the verb may be followed by by before the name of the agent without changing the sense.
+Direction.+_Tell which of the following completed predicates may be treated as single verbs, and which
should not be so treated:_
1. The lady is accomplished. 2. This task was not accomplished in a day. 3. Are you prepared to recite? 4.
Dinner was soon prepared. 5. A shadow was mistaken for a footbridge. 6. You are mistaken. 7. The man was
drunk before the wine was drunk. 8. The house is situated on the bank of the river. 9. I am obliged to you. 10.
I am obliged to do this. 11. The horse is tired. 12. A fool and his money are soon parted. 13. The tower is
inclined. 14. My body is inclined by years.
+Direction.+_Name all the transitive verbs in Lesson 78, and give their voice._
*****
LESSON 130.
COMPOSITIONVOICE.
The +object complement+ of a verb in the +active voice+ becomes the +subject+ when the verb is changed to
the +passive voice.+
+Example.+The Danes invaded _England = England_ was invaded by the Danes.
+Remark.+You will notice that in the first sentence the agent is made prominent; in the second sentence,
the receiver.
+Direction.+_In each of these sentences change the voice of the transitive verb without altering the
meaning of the sentence, and note the other changes that occur:_
1. Mercury, the messenger of the gods, wore a winged cap and winged shoes. 2. When the Saxons subdued the
Britons, they introduced into England their own language, which was a dialect of the Teutonic, or Gothic. 3.
My wife was chosen as her wedding dress was chosen, not for a fine, glossy surface, but for such qualities as
would wear well. 4. Bacchus, the god of wine, was worshiped in many parts of Greece and Rome. 5. The
minds of children are dressed by their parents as their bodies are dressedin the prevailing fashion. 6.
Harvey, an English physician, discovered that blood circulates. 7. The luxury of Capua, more powerful than
156
the Roman legions, vanquished the victorious Carthaginians. 8. His eloquence had struck them dumb.
+Remark.+Notice that the objective complement becomes the attribute complement when the verb is
changed from the active to the passive voice.
9. That tribunal pronounced Charles a tyrant. 10. The town had nicknamed him Beau Seymour. 11. Even
silent night proclaims my soul immortal. 12. We saw the storm approaching.
(Notice that the objective complement is here a participle.)
13. He kept his mother waiting. 14. We found him lying dead on the field. 15. We all believe him to be an
honest man.
(Notice that the objective complement is here an infinitive phrase.)
16. Some, sunk to beasts, find pleasure end in pain. 17. Everybody acknowledged him to be a genius.
The +indirect,+ or _dative,_ +object+ is sometimes made the +subject+ of a verb in the passive voice, while
the object complement is retained after the verb. [Footnote: Some grammarians condemn this construction. It
is true that it is a violation of the general analogies, or laws, of language; but that it is an idiom of our
language, established by good usage, is beyond controversy.
Concerning the parsing of the noun following this passive, there is difference of opinion. Some call it an
adverbial modifier, some call it a "retained object," and some say that it is a noun without grammatical
construction. In "I offered him money," him represents the one to whom the act was directed, and money
names the thing directly acted upon. In "He was offered money," the relation of the act to the person and to
the thing is not changed; money still names the thing directly acted upon.]
+Example.+The porter refused him admittance = He was refused admittance by the porter.
+Direction.+_Change the voice of the transitive verbs in these sentences, and note the other changes that
occur:_
18. They were refused the protection of the law. 19. He was offered a pension by the government. 20. I was
asked that question yesterday. 21. He told me to leave the room.
+Explanation.+Here the infinitive phrase is the object complement, and _(to) me_ is used adverbially. _To
leave the room = that I should leave the room._
22. I taught the child to read. 23. I taught the child reading. 24. They told me that your name was Fontibell.
+Direction.+_Change the following transitive verbs to the passive form, using first the regular and then the
idiomatic construction_:
+Model.+_He promised me a present = A present was promised me_ (regular) = I was promised a present
(idiomatic).
25. They must allow us the privilege of thinking for ourselves. 26. He offered them their lives if they would
abjure their religion.
An intransitive verb is sometimes made transitive by the aid of a preposition.
157
+Example.+All his friends laughed at him = He was laughed at (ridiculed) by all his friends.
+Remark.+Was laughed at may be treated as one verb. Some grammarians, however, would call at an
adverb. The intransitive verb and preposition are together equivalent to a transitive verb in the passive voice.
+Direction.+_Change the voice of the following verbs:_
27. This artful fellow has imposed upon us all. 28. The speaker did not even touch upon this topic. 29. He
dropped the matter there, and did not refer to it afterward.
+Remark.+The following sentences present a peculiar idiomatic construction. A transitive verb which, in
the active voice, is followed by an object complement and a prepositional phrase, takes, in the passive, the
principal word of the phrase for its subject, retaining the complement and the preposition to complete its
meaning; as, They _took care of it, It was taken care of._
+Direction.+_Put the following sentences into several different forms, and determine which is the best:_
30. His original purpose was lost sight of (forgotten). [Footnote: Some would parse of as an adverb relating to
_was lost,_ and sight as a noun used adverbially to modify _was lost;_ others would treat sight as an object
[complement] of _was lost;_ others would call was lost sight of a compound verb; and others, believing that
the logical relation of these words is not lost by a change of position, analyze the expression as if arranged
thus: _Sight of his original purpose was lost._] 31. Such talents should be made much of. 32. He was taken
care of by his friends. 33. Some of his characters have been found fault with as insipid.
*****
LESSON 131.
MODIFICATIONS OF THE VERBCONTINUED.
MODE, TENSE, NUMBER, AND PERSON.
+Introductory Hints.+James walks. Here the walking is asserted as an actual fact. _James may walk._ Here
the walking is asserted not as an actual, but as a possible, fact. _If James walk out, he will improve._ Here the
walking is asserted only as thought of, without regard to its being or becoming either an actual or a possible
fact. _James, walk out._ Here the walking is not asserted as a fact, but as a commandJames is ordered to
make it a fact. These different uses and forms of the verb constitute the modification which we call +Mode.+
The first verb is in the +Indicative Mode;+ the second in the +Potential Mode;+ the third in the +Subjunctive
Mode;+ the fourth in the +Imperative Mode.+
For the two forms of the verb called the +Participle+ and the +Infinitive,+ see Lessons 37 and 40.
_I walk. I walked. I shall walk._ In these three sentences the manner of asserting the action is the same, but
the time in which the action takes place is different. Walk asserts the action as going on in present time, and,
as +Tense+ means time, is in the +Present Tense.+ Walked asserts the action as past, and is in the +Past
Tense.+ Shall walk asserts the action as future, and is in the +Future Tense.+
_I have walked out today. I had walked out when he called. I shall have walked out by tomorrow._ Have
walked asserts the action as completed at the present, and is in the +Present Perfect Tense.+ Had walked
asserts the action as completed in the past, and is in the +Past Perfect Tense.+ Shall have walked asserts action
to be completed in the future, and is in the +Future Perfect Tense.+
158
_I walk. Thou walkest. He walks. They walk._ In the second sentence walk is changed by adding +est+; in the
third sentence, by adding +s.+ Verbs are said to agree in +Person+ and +Number+ with their subjects. But this
agreement is not generally marked by a change in the form of the verb.
+DEFINITIONS+.
+Mode is that modification of the verb which denotes the manner of asserting the action or being+.
+The Indicative Mode asserts the action or being as a fact+. [Footnote: In "Are you going?" or "You are
going?" a fact is referred to the hearer for his admission or denial. In "Who did it?" the fact that some person
did it is asserted, and the hearer is requested to name the person. It will be seen that the Indicative Mode may
be used in asking a question.]
+The Potential Mode asserts the power, liberty, possibility, or necessity of acting or being+.
+The Subjunctive Mode asserts the action or being as a mere condition, supposition, or wish+.
+The Imperative Mode asserts the action or being as a command or an entreaty+.
+The Infinitive is a form of the verb which names the action or being in a general way, without asserting it of
anything+.
+The Participle is a form of the verb partaking of the nature of an adjective or of a noun, and expressing the
action or being as assumed+.
+The Present Participle denotes action or being as continuing at the time indicated by the predicate+.
+The Past Participle denotes action or being as past or completed at the time indicated by the predicate+.
+The Past Perfect Participle denotes action or being as completed at a time previous to that indicated by the
predicate+.
+Tense is that modification of the verb which expresses the time of the action or being+.
+The Present Tense expresses action or being as present+.
+The Past Tense expresses action or being as past+.
+The Future Tense expresses action or being as yet to come+.
+The Present Perfect Tense expresses action or being as completed at the present time+.
+The Past Perfect Tense expresses action or being as completed at some past time+.
+The _Future Perfect Tense _expresses action or being to be completed at some future time+.
+_Number _and _Person _of a verb are those modifications that show its agreement with the number and
person of its subject+.
*****
LESSON 132.
159
160
The forms below in Italics are regular; and those in smaller type are obsolete, and need not be committed to
memory.
_Present. Past. Past Par._ Abide, abode, abode. Awake, awoke, _awaked. awaked._ Be or am, was, been.
Bear, bore, born, (_bring forth_) bare, borne. Bear, bore, borne. (_carry_) bare, Beat, beat, beaten, beat. Begin,
began, begun. Bend, bent, bent, _bended, bended._ Bereave, bereft, bereft, _bereaved, bereaved._ Beseech,
besought, besought. Bet, bet, bet, _betted, betted._ Bid, bade, bid, bidden, bid. Bind, bound, bound. Bite, bit,
bitten, bit. Bleed, bled, bled. Blend, blent, blent, _blended, blended._ Bless, blest, blest, blessed, blessed.
Blow, blew, blown. Break, broke, broken. brake, Breed, bred, bred. Bring, brought, brought. Build, built,
built. Burn burnt, burnt, burned, burned. Burst, burst, burst. Buy, bought, bought. Can,[1] could, . Cast,
cast, cast. Catch, caught, caught. Chide, chid, chidden, chid. Choose, chose, chosen. Cleave, _cleaved,
cleaved._ (_adhere_) clave, Cleave cleft, cleft, (_split_) clove, cloven, clave, _cleaved._ Cling, clung, clung.
Clothe, clad, clad, _clothed clothed._ (Be)Come, came, come. Cost, cost, cost. Creep, crept, crept. Crow crew,
_crowed._ _crowed_, Cut, cut, cut. Dare, durst, dared. (_venture_) _dared_, Deal, dealt, dealt. Dig, dug, dug,
_digged_, _digged._ Do, did, done. Draw, drew, drawn. Dream, dreamt, dreamt, _dreamed, dreamed._ Dress
drest, drest, _dressed, dressed._ Drink, drank, drunk. Drive, drove, driven. Dwell dwelt, dwelt, _dwelled,
dwelled._ Eat, ate, eaten. (Be) Fall, fell, fallen. Feed, fed, fed. Feel, felt, felt. Fight, fought, fought. Find,
found, found. Flee, fled, fled. Fling, flung, flung. Fly, flew, flown. Forsake, forsook, forsaken. Forbear,
forbore, forborne. Freeze, froze, frozen. (For)Get, got, got, gotten.[2] Gild, gilt, gilt, _gilded, gilded._ Gird,
girt, girt, _girded, girded._ (For)Give, gave, given. Go, went,[3] gone. (En)Grave _graved, graved,_ graven.
Grind, ground, ground. Grow, grew, grown. Hang, hung, hung, _hanged, hanged_.[4] Have, had, had. Hear,
heard heard. Heave hove, hove,[5] _heaved, heaved._ Hew, _hewed, hewed,_ hewn. Hide, hid, hidden, hid.
Hit, hit, hit. (Be)Hold, held, held, holden. Hurt, hurt, hurt. Keep, kept, kept. Kneel knelt, knelt, _kneeled,
kneeled._ Knit knit, knit, _knitted, knitted._ Know, knew, known. Lade, _laded, laded,_ (load) laden. Lay,
laid, laid. Lead, led, led.
[Footnote 1: Can, may, shall, will, must, and ought were originally past forms. This accounts for their having
no change in the third person.]
[Footnote 2: Gotten is obsolescent except in forgotten.]
[Footnote 3: Went is the past of _wend,_ to go.]
[Footnote 4: _Hang,_ to execute by hanging, is regular.]
[Footnote 5: Hove is used in sea language.]
*****
LESSON 133.
LIST OF IRREGULAR VERBSCONTINUED.
_Present. Past. Past Par._
Lean, leant, leant, _leaned, leaned_. Leap, leapt, leapt, _leaped, leaped_. Learn, learnt, learnt, _learned,
learned_. Leave, left, left. Lend, lent, lent. Let, let, let. Lie, lay, lain. (_recline_) Light, _lighted, lighted_, lit,
lit.[1] Lose, lost, lost. Make, made, made. May, might, . Mean, meant, meant. Meet, met, met. Mow,
_mowed, mowed_, mown. Must, , . Ought, , . Pay, paid, paid. Pen, pent, pent,
(_inclose_) _penned, penned_. Put, put, put. Quit, quit, quit, _quitted, quitted_. , quoth,[2] . Rap,
rapt, rapt, _rapped, rapped_. Read, read, read. Rend, rent, rent. Rid, rid, rid. Ride, rode, ridden. Ring, rang,
rung, _rung_, (A)Rise, rose, risen. Rive, _rived_, riven, rived. Run, ran, run. Saw, _sawed, sawed_, sawn.
161
Say, said, said. See, saw, seen. Seek, sought, sought. Seethe, _seethed, seethed_, sod, sodden. Sell, sold, sold.
Send, sent, sent. (Be)Set, set, set. Shake, shook, shaken. Shall, should, . Shape, _shaped, shaped_,
shapen Shave, _shaved, shaved_, shaven. Shear, _sheared, sheared_, shore, shorn. Shed, shed, shed. Shine,
shone, shone. Shoe, shod, shod. Shoot, shot, shot. Show, _showed_, shown, showed. Shred, shred, shred.
Shrink, shrank, shrunk, shrunk, shrunken. Shut, shut, shut. Sing, sang, sung. sung, Sink, sank, sunk, sunk,
sunken. Sit, sat, sat. Slay, slew, slain. Sleep, slept, slept. Slide, slid, slidden, slid. Sling, slung, slung. slang
Slink, slunk, slunk. Slit, slit, slit, _slitted, slitted_. Smell, smelt, smelt, _smelled, smelled_. Smite, smote,
smitten, smit. Sow, _sowed_, sown, sowed. Speak, spoke, spoken. spake, Speed, sped, sped. Spell, spelt, spelt,
_spelled, spelled_. Spend, spent, spent. Spill, spilt, spilt, _spilled, spilled_. Spin, spun, spun. span, Spit, spit,
spit, spat, spitten. Split, split, split. Spoil, spoilt, spoilt, _spoiled, spoiled_. Spread, spread, spread. Spring,
sprang, sprung. sprung, Stand, stood, stood. Stave, stove, stove, _staved, staved_. Stay, staid, staid, _stayed,
stayed_. Steal, stole, stolen. Stick, stuck, stuck. Sting, stung, stung. Stink, stunk, stunk. stank, Strew,
_strewed_, strewn, strewed. Stride, strode, stridden. Strike, struck, struck, stricken. String, strung, strung,
Strive, strove, striven. Strow, _strowed_, strown, strowed. Swear, swore, sworn sware, Sweat, sweat, sweat,
_sweated, sweated_. Sweep, swept, swept. Swell, _swelled_, _swelled_, swollen. Swim, swam, swum. swum,
Swing, swung, swung. Take, took, taken, Teach, taught, taught. Tear, tore, torn. tare, Tell, told, told. Think,
thought, thought. Thrive, throve, thriven, _thrived_, thrived. Throw, threw, thrown. Thrust, thrust, thrust.
Tread, trod, trodden, trod. Wake, _waked_, _waked_, woke, woke. Wax, _waxed_, _waxed_, waxen. Wear,
wore, worn. Weave, wove, woven. Weep, wept, wept. Wet, wet, wet. Will, would, . Win, won, won.
Wind, wound, wound. Work, wrought, wrought, _worked_, worked. (to)wit, wot, wist, . Wring, wrung,
wrung. Write, wrote, written.
[Footnote 1: Lighted Is preferred to lit.]
[Footnote 2: _Quoth_, now nearly obsolete, is used only in the first and the third person of the past tense.
Quoth I = said I. Other forms nearly obsolete are sometimes met in literature; as, "Methinks I scent the
morning air"; "Woe worth the day." Methinks (A. S. _thincan_, to seem, not _thencan_, to think) = seems to
me. In the sentence above, I scent the morning air is the subject, thinks is the predicate, and me is a "dative,"
or a pronoun used adverbially. Woe worth (A. S. _weorthan_, to be or _become_) the day = Woe be to the
day, or Let woe be to the day, or May woe be to the day.]
NOTE.Professor Lounsbury says, "Modern English has lost not a single one [irregular, or strong, verb]
since the reign of Queen Elizabeth"; and adds, "The present disposition of the language is not only to hold
firmly to the strong verbs it already possesses but ... even to extend their number whenever possible." And he
instances a few which since 1600 have deserted from the regular conjugation to the irregular.
But it should be said that new English verbs, from whatever source derived, form their past tense and
participle in ed. So that while the regular verbs are not increasing by desertions from the irregular, the regular
verbs are slowly gaining in number.
*****
LESSON 134.
FORMS OF THE VERBCONTINUED.
CONJUGATION [Footnote: We give the conjugation of the verb in the simplest form consistent with what is
now demanded of a textbook. Much of this scheme might well be omitted.
Those who wish to reject the Potential Mode, and who prefer a more elaborate and technical classification of
the mode and tense forms, are referred to pages 373, 374. ]SIMPLEST FORM.
162
REMARK.English verbs have few inflections compared with those of other languages. Some irregular
verbs have seven forms+see+, +saw+, +seeing+, +seen+, +sees+, +seest+, +sawest+; regular verbs have
six+walk+, +walked+, +walking+, +walks+, +walkest+, +walkedst+. As a substitute for other inflections
we prefix auxiliary verbs, and make what are called _compound_, or _periphrastic_, forms.
+Direction+._Fill out the following forms, using the principal parts of the verb walkpresent +walk+;
past +walked+; past participle +walked+:_
INDICATIVE MODE.
PRESENT TENSE.
Singular. Plural. 1. (I) /Pres./, 1. (We) /Pres./, 2. (You) /Pres./, 2. (You) /Pres./, (Thou) /Pres./+est,[1], 3. (He)
/Pres./+s;[1] 3. (They) /Pres./.
PAST TENSE.
1. (I) /Past/, 1. (We) /Past/, 2. (You) /Past/, 2. (You) /Past/, (Thou) /Past/+st+, 3. (He) /Past/; 3. (They) /Past/.
FUTURE TENSE.
1. (I) shall /Pres./, 1. (We) shall /Pres./, 2. (You) will /Pres./, 2. (You) will /Pres./, (Thou) wil+t+ /Pres./, 3.
(He) will /Pres./; 3. (They) will /Pres./.
PRESENT PERFECT TENSE.
1. (I) have /Past Par./, 1. (We) have /Past Par./, 2. (You) have /Past Par./, 2. (You) have /Past Par./, (Thou)
ha+st+ /Past Par./, 3. (He) ha+s+ /Past Par./; 3. (They) have /Past Par./.
PAST PERFECT TENSE.
1. (I) had /Past Par./, 1. (We) had /Past Par./ 2. (You) had /Past Par./, 2. (You) had /Past Par./ (Thou) had+st+
/Past Par./, 3. (He) had /Past Par./; 3. (They) had /Past Par./
FUTURE PERFECT TENSE.
1. (I) shall have /Past Par./, 1. (We) shall have /Past Par./, 2. (You) will have /Past Par./, 2. (You) will have
/Past Par./, (Thou) wil+t+ have /Past Par./,
3. (He)...will have..../Past Par./; 3. (They) will have /Past Par./.
[Footnote 1: In the indicative present, second, singular, old style, st is sometimes added in stead of _est_; and
in the third person, common style, es is added when s will not unite. In the third person, old style, eth is
added.]
POTENTIAL MODE.[2]
PRESENT TENSE.
Singular. Plural.
1. (I) may /Pres./, 1. (We) may /Pres./, 2. (You) may /Pres./, 2. (You) may /Pres./, (Thou) may+st+ /Pres./, 3.
163
Part III_.]
164
[Footnote 4: From such forms as _Let us sing, Let them talk_, some grammarians make a first and a third
person imperative. But us is not the subject of the verbphrase _letsing_, and let is not of the first person. Us
is the object complement of _let_, and the infinitive sing is the objective complement, having us for its
assumed subject.
Some would find a first and a third person imperative in such sentences as "Now tread we a measure"; "Perish
the thought." But these verbs express strong wish or desire and by some grammarians are called "optative
subjunctives." "Perish the thought" = "May the thought perish," or "I desire that the thought may perish," or
"Let the thought perish."]
INFINITIVES.
PRESENT TENSE. PRESENT PERFECT TENSE.
(To)[5] /Pres./ (To) have /Past Par./
[Footnote 5: _To_, as indicated by the (), is not treated as a part of the verb. Writers on language are generally
agreed that when to introduces an infinitive phrase used as an adjective or an adverb, it performs its proper
function as a preposition, meaning _toward_, _for_, etc.; as, I am inclined to believe; I came to hear. When
the infinitive phrase is used as a noun, the to expresses no relation; it seems merely to introduce the phrase.
When a word loses its proper function without taking on the function of some other part of speech, we do not
see why it should change its name. In the expressions, For me to do this would be wrong; Over the fence is
out of danger, few grammarians would hesitate to call for and over prepositions, though they have no
antecedent term of relation.
We cannot see that to is a part of the verb, for it in no way affects the meaning, as does an auxiliary, or as does
the to in He was spoken to. Those who call it a part of the verb confuse the learner by speaking of it as the
"preposition _to_" (which, as they have said, is not a preposition) "placed before the infinitive," _i.e._, placed
before that of which it forms a part placed before itself.
In the AngloSaxon, to was used with the infinitive only in the dative case, where it had its proper function as
a preposition; as, nominative etan (to eat); dative _to etanne_; accusative _e:tan_. When the dative ending ne
was dropped, making the three forms alike, the to came to be used before the nominative and the accusative,
but without expressing relation.
This dative of the infinitive, with _to_, was used mainly to indicate purpose. When, after the dropping of the
ne ending, the idea of purpose had to be conveyed by the infinitive, it became usual in Elizabethan literature
to place for before the _to_, "And for to deck heaven's battlements."Greene. "What went ye out for to
see?"Bible. "Shut the gates for to preserve the town."_K. Hen. VI.,
Part III_.]
PARTICIPLES
PRESENT PAST PAST PERFECT. /Pres./+ing+. /Past Par./ Having /Past Par./
+May+, +can+, and +must+ are potential auxiliaries in the present and the present perfect tense; +might+,
+could+, +would+, and +should+, in the past and the past perfect.
The +emphatic+ form of the present and the past tense indicative is made by prefixing +do+ and +did+ to the
present. Do is prefixed to the imperative also.
Part III_.]
165
TO THE TEACHES.Require the pupils to fill out these forma with other verbs, regular and irregular, using
the auxiliaries named above.
*****
LESSON 135.
FORMS OF THE VERBCONTINUED.
CONJUGATION OF THE VERB +BE+.
[Footnote: The conjugation of be contains three distinct roots_as, be, was_. _Am, art, is, are_ are from as.
Am = _asm_ (m is the m in _me_). Art = _ast_ (t is the th in _thou_).
Be was formerly conjugated, I _be_, Thou _beest_, He beth or _bes_; _We be_, _Ye be_, They be.]
+Direction+.Learn the following forms, paying no attention to the line at the right of each verb:
INDICATIVE MODE.
PRESENT TENSE. _Singular. Plural._
1. (I) am , 1. (We) are , 2. (You) are or 2. (You) are , (Thou) art , 3. (He) is ;
3. (They) are .
PAST TENSE.
1. (I) was , 1. (We) were , 2. (You) were or 2. (You) were , (Thou) wast , 3. (He)
was ; 3. (They) were .
FUTURE TENSE.
1. (I) shall be , 1. (We) shall be , 2. (You) will be or 2. (You) will be , (Thou) wilt be
, 3. (He) will be ; 3. (They) will be .
PRESENT PERFECT TENSE.
1. (I) have been , 1. (We) have been , 2. (You) have been or 2. (You) have been ,
(Thou) hast been , 3. (He) has been ; 3. (They) have been .
PAST PERFECT
1. (I) had been , 1. (We) had been , 2. (You) had been or 2. (You) had been , (Thou)
hadst been , 3. (He) had been ; 3. (They) had been .
FUTURE PERFECT TENSE.
1. (I) shall have been , 1. (We) shall have been , 2. (You) will have been or 2. (You) will
have been , (Thou) wilt have been , 3. (He) will have been ; 3. (They) will have been .
POTENTIAL MODE.
Part III_.]
166
PRESENT TENSE.
_Singular. Plural._ 1. (I) may be , 1. (We) may be , 2. (You) may be or 2. (You) may be
, (Thou) mayst be , 3. (He) may be ; 3. (They) may be .
PAST TENSE.
1. (I) might be , 1. (We) might be , 2. (You) might be or 2. (You) might be , (Thou)
mightst be , 3. (He) might be ; 3. (They) might be .
PRESENT PERFECT TENSE.
1. (I) may have been , 1. (We) may have been , 2. (You) may have been or 2. (You) may
have been , (Thou) mayst have been , 3. (He) may have been ; 3. (They) may have been
.
PAST PERFECT TENSE,
1. (I) might have been , 1. (We) might have been , 2. (You) might have been or 2. (You)
might have been , (Thou) mightst have been , 3. (He) might have been ; 3. (They) might have
been .
SUBJUNCTIVE MODE.
PBESENT TENSE.
_Singular. Plural._ 1. (If I) may have been , 1. (If we) may have been , 2. (If you) may have been
or 2. (If you) may have been , (If thou) mayst have been , 3. (If he) may have been ; 3.
(If they) may have been .
PAST TENSE.
_Singular._ 1. (If I) were , 2. (If you) were , or (If thou) wert , 3. (If he) were ;
IMPERATIVE MODE.
PRESENT TENSE.
_Singular. Plural._ 2. Be (you or thou) ; 2. Be (you or ye) .
INFINITIVES.
PRESENT TENSE. PRESENT PERFECT TENSE. (To) be . (To) have been .
PARTICIPLES.
PRESENT. PAST. PAST PERFECT. Being . Been. Having been .
*****
LESSON 136.
Part III_.]
167
Part III_.]
168
LESSON 137.
CONJUGATIONCONTINUED.
INTERROGATIVE AND NEGATIVE FORMS.
A verb may be conjugated +interrogatively+ in the indicative and potential modes by placing the subject after
the first auxiliary; as, _Does he sing?_
A verb may be conjugated +negatively+ by placing not after the first auxiliary; as, He does not sing. Not is
placed before the infinitive and the participles; as, _not to sing, not singing_.
A question with negation is expressed in the indicative and potential modes by placing the subject and not
after the first auxiliary; as, _Does he not sing?_
+Remark+.Formerly, it was common to use the simple form of the present and past tenses interrogatively
and negatively thus: _Loves he? I know not_. Such forms are still common in poetry, but in prose they are
now scarcely used. We say, _Does he love?_ I do not know. The verbs be and have are exceptions, as they do
not take the auxiliary do. We say, _Is it right? Have you another?_
+Direction+._Write a synopsis in the third person, singular, of the verb walk conjugated_ (1)
_interrogatively_, (2) _negatively, and _(3) _so as to express a question with negation. Remember that the
indicative and the potential are the only modes that can be used interrogatively._
To THE TEACHER.Select other verbs, and require the pupils to conjugate them negatively and
interrogatively in the progressive and in the passive form. Require the pupils to give synopses of all the forms.
*****
LESSON 138.
MODE AND TENSE FORMS.
COMPOUND FORMSANALYSIS.
The +compound+, or +periphrastic, forms+ of the verb consisting of two words may each be resolved into an
+asserting word and a participle+ or an +infinitive+.
If we look at the original meaning of the forms +I do write, I shall write, I will write+, we shall find that the
socalled auxiliary is the real verb, and that write is an infinitive used as object complement. +I do write = I
do+ or +perform+ the action (_to_) write. +I shall write = I owe+ (_to_) +write. I will write = I determine+
(_to_) +write+.
+May write, can write, must write, might write, could write, would write+, and +should write+ may each be
resolved into an asserting word and an infinitive.
The forms +is writing, was written+, etc. consist each of an asserting word (the verb _be_), and a participle
used as attribute complement.
The forms +have written+ and +had written+ are so far removed from their original meaning that their
analysis cannot be made to correspond with their history. They originated from such expressions as _I have a
letter written_, in which have ( = _possess_) is a transitive verb taking letter for its object complement, and
Part III_.]
169
written is a passive participle modifying letter. The idea of possession has faded out of _have_, and the
participle has lost its passive meaning. The use of this form has been extended to intransitive verbsSpring
_has come_, Birds _have flown_, etc. being now regularly used instead of the more logical perfect tense
forms, Spring _is come_, Birds are flown. (_Is come, are flown_, etc. must not be mistaken for transitive
verbs in the passive voice.) [Footnote: A peculiar use of had is found in the expressions had rather go and
_had better go_, condemned by many grammarians who suppose had to be here used incorrectly for would or
should. Of these expressions the "Standard Dictionary," an authority worthy of our attention, says:
"Forms disputed by certain grammatical critics from the days of Samuel Johnson, the critics insisting upon the
substitution of would or _should_, as the case may demand, for _had_; but had rather and had better are
thoroughly established English, idioms having the almost universal popular and literary sanction of centuries.
'I would rather not go' is undoubtedly correct when the purpose is to emphasize the element of choice, or will,
in the matter; but in all ordinary cases 'I had rather not go' has the merit of being idiomatic and easily and
universally understood.
"If for 'You had better stay at home' we substitute 'You should better stay at home,' an entirely different
meaning is expressed, the idea of expediency giving place to that of obligation."
In the analysis of "_I had rather go_," had is the predicate verb, the infinitive go is the object complement, and
the adjective rather completes had and belongs to _go_, i.e., is objective complement. Had (= should hold or
_regard_) is treated as a past subjunctive. Rather is the comparative of the old adjective rathe = _early_, from
which comes the idea of preference. The expression means, "I should hold going preferable."
The expressions "You had better stay," "I had as lief not be," are similar in construction to "I had rather go."
"I had sooner go" is condemned by grammarians because sooner is never an adjective. If sooner is here
allowed as an idiom, it is a modifier of had. The expression equals, "I should more willingly have going."]
Compounds of more than two words may be analyzed thus: +May have been written+ is composed of the
compound auxiliary +may have been+ and the participle +written; may have been+ is composed of the
compound auxiliary +may have+ and the participle +been+; and +may have+ is composed of the auxiliary
+may+ and the infinitive +have+. May is the asserting wordthe first auxiliary is always the asserting word.
+Direction+._Study what has been said above and analyze the following verbal forms, distinguishing
carefully between participles that may be considered as part of the verb and words that must be treated as
attribute complements_:
1. I may be mistaken. 2. The farm was sold. 3. I shall be contented. 4. Has it been decided? 5. You should
have been working. 6. The danger might have been avoided. 7. He may have been tired and sleepy. 8. She is
singing. 9. I shall be satisfied. 10. The rule has not been observed. 11. Stars have disappeared. 12. Times will
surely change.
TENSE FORMSMEANING.
The +Present Tense+ is used to express (1) what is actually present, (2) what is true at all times, (3) what
frequently or habitually takes place, (4) what is to take place in the future, and it is used (5) in describing past
or future events as if occurring at the time of the speaking.
+Examples+.I hear a voice (action as present). The sun gives light (true at all times). He writes for the
newspapers (habitual). Phillips speaks in Boston tomorrow night (future). He mounts the scaffold; the
executioners approach to bind him; he _struggles, resists_, etc. (past events pictured to the imagination as
present). The clans of Culloden are scattered in fight; they _rally_, they _bleed_, etc. (future events now seen
in vision).
Part III_.]
170
The +Past Tense+ may express (1) simply past action or being, (2) a past habit or custom, (3) a future event,
and (4) it may refer to present time.
+Examples+.The birds sang (simply past action). He wrote for the newspapers (past habit). If I _should
go_, you would miss me (future events). If he were here, he would enjoy this (refers to present time).
The +Future Tense+ may express (1) simply future action or being, (2) a habit or custom as future or as
indefinite in time.
+Examples+.I shall write soon (simply future action). He will sit there by the hour (indefinite in time).
The +Present Perfect Tense+ expresses (1) action or being as completed in present time (_i.e._, a period of
timean hour, a year, an ageof which the present forms a part), and (2) action or being to be completed in
a future period.
+Examples+.Homer has written poems (the period of time affected by this completed action embraces the
present). When I have finished this, you shall have it (action to be completed in a future period).
The +Past Perfect Tense+ expresses (1) action or being as completed at some specified past time, and (2) in a
conditional or hypothetical clause it may express past time.
+Examples+.I had seen him when I met you (action completed at a specified past time). If I had had time, I
should have written (I had not timeI did not write.)
The +Future Perfect Tense+ expresses action to be completed at some specified future time.
+Example+.I shall have seen him by tomorrow noon.
+Direction+._Study what has been said above about the meaning of the tense forms, and describe carefully
the time expressed by each of the following verbs_:
1. I go to the city tomorrow. 2. The village master taught his little school. 3. Plato reasons well. 4. A triangle
has three sides. 5. Tomorrow is the day appointed. 6. Moses has told many important facts. 7. The ship sails
next week. 8. She sings well. 9. Cicero has written orations. 10. He would sit for hours and watch the smoke
curl from his pipe. 11. You may hear when the next mail arrives, 12. Had I known this before, I could have
saved you much trouble. 13. He will occasionally lose his temper. 14. At the end of this week I shall have
been in school four years. 15. If I were you, I would try that. 16. He will become discouraged before he has
thoroughly tried it. 17. She starts, she moves, she seems to feel the thrill of life along her keel.
+Model for Written Parsing adapted to all Parts of Speech+. _Oh! it has a voice for those who on their sick
beds lie and waste away._
[Transcriber's Note: The following two tables have been split to fit within Project Gutenberg linewidth
requirements. The first column of each table has been repeated for easier reference.]
|CLASSIFICATION. | MODIFICATIONS.
|||
Sentence.|Class. |SubC. |Voice.|Mode.|Tense.|Num. |Per.| Gen. |Case.| | | | | | | | | | | Oh! |Int. | | | | | | | | | it |Pro.
|Per. | | | |Sing.| ad.| Neut. |Nom. | has |Vb. |Ir., Tr. | Act. | Ind.|Pres. | " | " | | | a |Adj. |Def. | | | | | | | | voice |N.
|Com. | | | | " | " | " |Obj. | for |Prep. | | | | | | | | | those |Pro. |Adj. | | | |Plu. | " |M. or F.| " | who |Pro. |Rel. | | | | " | " |
" |Nom. | on |Prep. | | | | | | | | | their |Pro. |Per. | | | | " | " | " |Pos. | sick |Adj. |Des. | | | | | | | | beds |N. |Com. | | | | " |
" | Neut. |Obj. | lie |Vb. |Ir.,Int. | | Ind.|Pres. | " | " | | | and |Conj. |Coor. | | | | | | | | waste |Vb. |Reg.,Int.| | "
Part III_.]
171
Part III_.]
172
4. The tide sits in. 5. Go and lay down. 6. The sun sits in the west. 7. I remember when the corner stone was
lain. 8. Sit the plates on the table. 9. He sat out for London yesterday. 10. Your dress sets well. 11. The bird is
setting on its eggs. 12. I laid there an hour. 13. Set down and talk a little while. 14. He has laid there an hour.
15. I am setting by the river. 16. He has went and done it without my permission. 17. He flew from justice. 18.
Some valuable land was overflown. 19. She come just after you left. 20. They sung a new tune which they had
not sang before. 21. The water I drunk there was better than any that I had drank before. 22. The leaves had
fell. 23. I had rode a short distance when the storm begun to gather. 24. I found the water froze. 25. He raised
up. 26. He run till he became so weary that he was forced to lay down. 27. I knowed that it was so, for I seen
him when he done it. 28. I had began to think that you had forsook us. 29. I am afraid that I cannot learn him
to do it. 30. I guess that I will stop. 31. I expect that he has gone to Boston. 32. There ain't any use of trying.
33. I have got no mother. 34. Can I speak to you? 35. He had ought to see him.
+Explanation+.As ought is never a participle, it cannot be used after had to form a compound tense.
+Caution+.A conditional or a concessive clause takes a verb in the indicative mode when the action or
being is assumed as a fact, or when the uncertainty lies merely in the speaker's knowledge of the fact. But
when the action or being in such a clause is merely thought of as a contingency, or in such a clause the
speaker prefers to put hypothetically something of whose truth or untruth he has no doubt, the subjunctive is
used. The subjunctive is frequently used in indirect questions, in expressing a wish for that which it is
impossible to attain at once or at all, and instead of the potential mode in independent clauses.
+Examples+. 1. If (= _since_) it rains, why do you go? 2. If it rains (now), I cannot go out. 3. If it _rain_,
the work will be delayed. 4. Though it rain tomorrow, we must march. 5. If there be mountains, there must
be valleys between. 6. Though honey be sweet, one can't make a meal of it. 7. If my friend were here, he
would enjoy this. 8. Though immortality were improbable, we should still believe in it. 9. One may doubt
whether the best men be known. 10. I wish the lad were taller. 11. Oh! that I were a Samson in strength. 12. It
were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck.
+Explanation+.In (1) the raining is assumed as a fact. In (2) the speaker is uncertain of the fact. In the
conditional clause of (3) and in the concessive clause of (4) the raining is thought of as a mere contingency.
The speaker is certain of the truth of what is hypothetically expressed in the conditional clause of (5) and in
the concessive clause of (6), and is certain of the untruth of what is hypothetically expressed in the conditional
clause of (7) and in the concessive clause of (8). There is an indirect question in (9), a wish in (10) for
something not at once attainable and in (11) for something forever unattainable, and in (12) the subjunctive
mode is used in place of the potential.
+Remarks+.When there is doubt as to whether the indicative or the subjunctive mode is required, use the
indicative.
The present subjunctive forms may be treated as infinitives used to complete omitted auxiliaries; as, If it
(_should_) _rain_, the work will be delayed; Till one greater man (_shall_) restore us, etc. This will often
serve as a guide in distinguishing the indicative from the subjunctive mode.
_If, though, lest, unless_, etc. are usually spoken of as signs of the subjunctive mode, but these words are now
more frequently followed by the indicative than by the subjunctive.
+Direction+._Justify the mode of the italicized verbs in the following sentences_:
1. If this were so, the difficulty would vanish. 2. If he was there, I did not see him. 3. If tomorrow be fine, I
will walk with you. 4. Though this seems improbable, it is true. 5. If my friend is in town, he will call this
evening. 6. If he ever _comes_, we shall know it.
Part III_.]
173
+Explanation+.In (6) and (7) the coming is referred to as a fact to be decided in future time.
7. If he comes by noon, let me know. 8. The ship leaps, as it _were_, from billow to billow. 9. Take heed that
thou speak not to Jacob. 10. If a pendulum _is drawn _to one side, it will swing to the other.
+Explanation+.Be is often employed in making scientific statements like the preceding, and may therefore
be allowed, _If a pendulum is drawn = Whenever a pendulum is drawn_.
11. I wish that I were a musician. 12. Were I so disposed, I could not gratify you. 13. This sword shall end
thee unless thou yield. 14. Govern well thy appetite, lest sin surprise thee. 15. I know not whether it is so or
not. 16. Would he were fatter! 17. If there were no light, there would be no colors. 18. Oh, that he were a son
of mine! 19. Though it be cloudy tonight, it will be cold. 20. Though the whole exceed a part, we sometimes
prefer a part to the whole. 21. Whether he go or not, I must be there. 22. Though an angel from heaven
command it, we should not steal. 23. If there be an eye, it was made to see. 24. It were well it were done
quickly.
+Direction+._Supply in each of the following sentences a verb in the indicative or the subjunctive mode,
and give a reason for your choice_:
1. I wish it in my power to help you. 2. I tremble lest he . 3. If he guilty, the evidence does
not show it. 4. He deserves our pity, unless his tale a false one. 5. Though he there, I did not see
him. 6. If he but discreet, he will succeed. 7. If I he, I would do differently. 8. If ye men,
fight.
*****
LESSON 141.
CONSTRUCTION OF MODE AND TENSE FORMSCONTINUED.
+Caution+.Be careful to employ the tense forms of the different modes in accordance with their meaning,
and in such a way as to preserve the proper order of time.
+Direction+._Correct the following errors, and give your reasons_:
1. That custom has been formerly quite popular. 2. Neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the
dead. 3. He that was dead sat up and began to speak. 4. A man bought a horse for one hundred dollars; and,
after keeping it three months, at an expense of ten dollars a month, he sells it for two hundred dollars. What
per cent does he gain? 5. I should say that it was an hour's ride. 6. If I had have seen him, I should have known
him. 7. I wish I was in Dixie. 8. We should be obliged if you will favor us with a song. 9. I intended to have
called.
+Explanation+.This is incorrect; it should be, I intended to call. The act of calling was not completed at the
time indicated by intended.
+Remark+.Verbs of commanding, desiring, expecting, hoping, intending, permitting, etc. are followed by
verbs denoting present or future time. [Footnote: The "Standard Dictionary" makes this restriction: "The
doubling of the past tenses in connection with the use of have with a past participle is proper and necessary
when the completion of the future act was intended before the occurrence of something else mentioned or
thought of. Attention to this qualification, which has been overlooked in the criticism of tenseformation and
connection, is especially important and imperative. If one says, 'I meant to have visited Paris and to have
returned to London before my father arrived from America,' the past [present perfect] infinitive ... is
Part III_.]
174
necessary for the expression of the completion of the acts purposed. 'I meant to visit Paris and to return to
London before my father arrived from America,' may convey suggestively the thought intended, but does not
express it."]
The present infinitive expresses an action as present or future, and the present perfect expresses it as
completed, at the time indicated by the principal verb. I am glad to have met you is correct, because the
meeting took place before the time of being glad.
I ought to have gone is exceptional. Ought has no past tense form, and so the present perfect infinitive is used
to make the expression refer to past time.
10. We hoped to have seen you often. 11. I should not have let you eaten it. 12. I should have liked to have
seen it. 13. He would not have dared done that. 14. You ought to have helped me to have done it. 15. We
expected that he would have arrived last night. 16. The experiment proved that air had weight.
+Remark+.What is true or false at all times is generally expressed in the present tense, whatever tense
precedes.
There seems to be danger of applying this rule too rigidly. When a speaker does not wish to vouch for the
truth of the general proposition, he may use the past tense, giving it the form of an indirect quotation; as, He
said that iron was the most valuable of metals. The tense of the dependent verb is sometimes attracted into
that of the principal verb; as, I knew where the place was.
17. I had never known before how short life really was. 18. We then fell into a discussion whether there is any
beauty independent of utility. The General maintained that there was not; Dr. Johnson maintained that there
was. 19. I have already told you that I was a gentleman. 20. Our fathers held that all men were created equal.
+Caution+.Use will and would to imply that the subject names the one whose will controls the action; use
shall and should to imply that the one named by the subject is under the control of external influence.
+Remark+.The original meaning of shall (to _owe_, to _be obliged_) and will (to _determine_) gives us the
real key to their proper use.
The only case in which some trace of the original meaning of these auxiliaries cannot be found is the one in
which the subject of will names something incapable of volition; as, The wind will blow. Even this may be a
kind of personification.
+Examples+.I _shall go_; You _will go_; He will go. These are the proper forms to express mere futurity,
but even here we can trace the original meaning of shall and will. In the first person the speaker avoids
egotism by referring to the act as an obligation or duty rather than as something under the control of his own
will. In the second and third persons it is more courteous to refer to the will of others than to their duty.
I will go. Here the action is under the control of the speaker's will. He either promises or determines to go.
You _shall go_; He shall go. Here the speaker either promises the going or determines to compel these
persons to go; in either case the one who goes is under some external influence.
Shall I _go?_ Here the speaker puts himself under the control of some external influencethe will of another.
Will I _go?__i. e_., Is it my will to go?is not used except to repeat another's question. It would be absurd
for one to ask what his own will is.
Part III_.]
175
Shall you _go_? Ans. I shall. Will you _go_? Ans. I will. Shall he _go?_ Ans. He shall. Will he _go?_ Ans. He
will. The same auxiliary is used in the question that is used in the answer.
No difficulty shall hinder me. The difficulty that might do the hindering is not to be left to itself, but is to be
kept under the control of the speaker.
He says that he _shall go_; He says that he will go. Change the indirect quotations introduced by that to direct
quotations, and the application of the Caution will be apparent.
You will see that my horse is at the door by nine o'clock. This is only an apparent exception to the rule. A
superior may courteously avoid the appearance of compulsion, and refer to his subordinate's willingness to
obey.
They knew that I should be there, and that he would be there. The same principles apply to should and would
that apply to shall and will. In this example the events are future as to past time; making them future as to
present time, we have, They know that I shall be there, and that he will be there.
My friend said that he should not set out tomorrow. Change the indirect to a direct quotation, and the force
of should will be seen.
+Direction+._Assign a reason for the use of shall or will in each of the following sentences_:
1. Hear me, for I will speak. 2. If you will call, I shall be happy to accompany you. 3. Shall you be at liberty
today? 4. I shall never see him again. 5. I will never see him again. 6. I said that he should be rewarded. 7.
Thou shalt surely die. 8. Truth, crushed to earth, shall rise again. 9. Though I should die, yet will I not deny
thee. 10. Though I should receive a thousand shekels of silver in mine hand, yet would I not put forth my hand
against the king's son.
+Direction+._Fill each of the following blanks with shall, will, should, or would, and give the reasons for
your choice_:
1. He knew who betray him. 2. I be fatigued if I had walked so far. 3. You did better than I
have done. 4. If he come by noon, you be ready? 5. They do me wrong, and I not endure it.
6. I be greatly obliged if you do me the favor. 7. If I say so, I be guilty of falsehood.
8. You be disappointed if you see it. 9. he be allowed to go on? 10. you be unhappy,
if I do not come?
+Direction+._Correct the following errors, and give your reasons_:
1. Where will I leave you? 2. Will I be in time? 3. It was requested that no person would leave his seat. 4.
They requested that the appointment would be given to a man who should be known to his party. 5. When will
we get through this tedious controversy? 6. I think we will have rain.
*****
LESSON 142.
CONSTRUCTION OF NUMBER AND PERSON FORMS.
AGREEMENT.VERBSPRONOUNS.
+Caution+.A verb must agree with its subject in number and person.
Part III_.]
176
+Remarks+.Practically, this rule applies to but few forms. +Are+ and +were+ are the only plural forms
retained by the English verb. In the common style, most verbs have one person form, made by adding +s+ or
+es+ (_has_, in the present perfect tense, is a contraction of the indicative present_ha_(_ve_)_s_). The verb
be has +am+ (first person) and +is+ (third person).
In the solemn style, the second person singular takes the ending +est+, +st+, or +t+, and, in the indicative
present, the third person singular adds +eth+. (See Lessons 134 and 135.)
Need and _dare_, when followed by an infinitive without _to_, are generally used instead of needs and
_dares_; as, He need not do it; He dare not do it.
+Caution+.A collective noun requires a verb in the plural when the individuals in the collection are thought
of; but, when the collection as a whole is thought of, the verb should be singular.
+Examples+. l. The multitude were of one mind. 2. The multitude was too large to number. 3. A number
were inclined to turn back, 4. The number present was not ascertained.
+Caution+.When a verb has two or more subjects connected by _and_, it must agree with them in the
plural.
+Exceptions+.l. When the connected subjects are different names of the same thing, or when they name
several things taken as one whole, the verb must be singular; as, My old friend and schoolmate is in town.
Bread and milk is excellent food.
2. When the connected subjects are preceded by _each, every, many a_, or _no_, they are taken separately,
and the verb agrees with the nearest; as, _Every man, woman, and child was_ lost.
3. When the subjects are emphatically distinguished, the verb agrees with the first and is understood with the
second; as, _Time, and patience also, is_ needed. (The same is true of subjects connected by _as well as_; as,
_Time, as well as patience, is_ needed.)
4. When one of the subjects is affirmative and the other negative, the verb agrees with the affirmative; as,
_Books, and not pleasure_, occupy his time.
5. When several subjects follow the verb, each subject may be emphasized by making the verb agree with that
which stands nearest; as, Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory.
+Remark+.When one of two or more subjects connected by and is of the first person, the verb is in the first
person; when one of the subjects is of the second person, and none of the first, the verb is in the second
person. _I, you, and he_ = _we_; you and he = you. We say, Mary and I shall (not _will_) be busy
tomorrow.
+Caution+.When two or more subjects are connected by or or _nor_, the verb agrees in person and number
with the nearest; as, Neither poverty nor wealth was desired; Neither he nor they were satisfied.
When the subjects require different forms of the verb, it is generally better to express the verb with each
subject or to recast the sentence.
+Remarks+.When a singular and a plural subject are used, the plural subject is generally placed next to the
verb.
In using pronouns of different persons, it is generally more polite for the speaker to mention the one addressed
Part III_.]
177
Part III_.]
178
Part III_.]
179
Lesson 114.Give examples of nouns having each two plurals differing in meaning. Some which have the
same form in both numbers. Some which have no plural. Some which are always plural. What is said of the
number of collective nouns?
Lesson 116.In what four ways may the number of nouns be determined? Illustrate.
Lesson 117.What is Gender? Define the different genders. What is the difference between sex and gender?
The gender of English nouns follows what? Have English nouns a neuter form? Have all English nouns a
masculine and a feminine form? In what three ways may the masculine of nouns be distinguished from the
feminine? Illustrate. Give the three gender forms of the pronoun.
Lesson 118.How is gender in grammar important? When is the pronoun of the masculine gender used?
When is the neuter pronoun it used? By the aid of what pronouns are inanimate things personified? In
personification, when is the masculine pronoun used, and when is the feminine? Illustrate. What is the
Caution relating to gender?
Lesson 119.What is Person? Is the person of nouns marked by form? Define the three persons. When is a
noun in the first person? In the second person? What classes of words have distinctive person forms? Why is
person regarded in grammar? What is Case? Define the three cases. What is the case of a noun used
independently? Of an explanatory modifier? Of an objective complement? Of a noun or pronoun used as
attribute complement? Illustrate all these.
Lesson 121.What is Parsing? Illustrate the parsing of nouns.
*****
LESSON 144.
REVIEW QUESTIONS.
Lesson 122.How many case forms have nouns, and what are they? How is the possessive of nouns in the
singular formed? Of nouns in the plural? Illustrate. What is the possessive sign? To which word of compound
names or of groups of words treated as such is the sign added? Illustrate. Instead of the possessive form, what
may be used? Illustrate.
Lesson 123.In what case alone can mistakes in the construction of nouns occur? Illustrate the Cautions
relating to possessive forms.
Lesson 124.What is Declension? Decline girl and tooth. Decline the several personal pronouns, the relative
and the interrogative. What adjective pronouns are declined wholly or in part? Illustrate.
Lesson 125.What words in the language have each three different case forms? What are the nominative,
and what the objective, forms of the pronouns?
Lesson 127.What one modification have adjectives? What is Comparison? Define the three degrees. How
are adjectives regularly compared? What are the Rules for Spelling? Illustrate them. How are adjectives of
more than one syllable generally compared? How are degrees of diminution expressed? Can all adjectives be
compared? Illustrate. How are some adverbs compared? Illustrate the irregular comparison of adjectives and
adverbs.
Lesson 128.To how many things does the comparative degree refer? What does it imply? Explain the office
of the superlative. What word usually follows the comparative, and what the superlative? Give the Cautions
Part III_.]
180
relating to the use of comparatives and superlatives, and illustrate them fully.
Lesson 129.What is Voice? Of what class of verbs is it a modification? Name and define the two voices.
When is the one voice used, and when the other? Into what may the passive form be resolved? Illustrate. What
may be mistaken for a verb in the passive voice? Illustrate.
Lesson 130.In changing a verb from the active to the passive, what does the object complement become?
How may an intransitive verb sometimes be made transitive? Illustrate.
*****
LESSON 145.
REVIEW QUESTIONS.
Lesson 131.What is Mode? Define the four modes. What is Tense? Define the six tenses. Define the
infinitive. Define the participle. Define the classes of participles. What are the number and person of a verb?
Lesson 132.What is Conjugation? Synopsis? What are auxiliary verbs? Name them. What are the principal
parts of a verb? What are redundant and what are defective verbs?
Lesson 134.How many inflectional forms may irregular verbs have? How many have regular verbs? What
is said of the subjunctive mode? Of to with the infinitive? How is a verb conjugated in the emphatic form?
Lesson 136.How is a verb conjugated in the progressive form? How is a transitive verb conjugated in the
passive voice? Give an example of a verb in the progressive form with a passive meaning. What does the
progressive form denote? Can all verbs be conjugated in this form? Why? Give all the participles of the verbs
_choose_, _break_, _drive_, _read_, lift.
Lesson 137.How may a verb be conjugated interrogatively? Negatively? Illustrate. How may a question
with negation be expressed in the indicative and potential modes?
Lesson 138.Into what may the compound, or periphrastic, forms of the verb be resolved? Illustrate fully.
What is said of the participle in _have written_, _had written_, etc.? Give and illustrate the several uses of the
six tenses.
Lesson 140.Show how the general Caution for the use of the verb is frequently violated. When does a
conditional or a concessive clause require the verb to be in the indicative? Illustrate. When is the subjunctive
used? Illustrate the many uses of the subjunctive.
Lesson 141.Give and illustrate the general Caution relating to mode and tense forms. Give and illustrate the
Caution in regard to will and _would_, shall and should.
Lesson 142.Give and illustrate the Cautions relating to the agreement of verbs and pronouns. Illustrate the
exceptions and the Remarks.
*****
ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES FOR ANALYSIS.
+Suggestions for the Study of the following Selections.+
Part III_.]
181
+TO THE TEACHER+.The pupil has now reached a point where he can afford to drop the diagramits
mission for him is fulfilled. For him to continue its use with these "Additional Examples," unless it be to
outline the relations of clauses or illustrate peculiar constructions, is needless; he will merely be repeating that
with which he is already familiar.
These extracts are not given for full analysis or parsing. This, also, the pupil would find profitless, and for the
same reason. One gains nothing in doing what he already does well enoughprogress is not made in
climbing the wheel of a treadmill. But the pupil may here review what has been taught him of the uses of
adjective pronouns, of the relatives in restrictive and in unrestrictive clauses, of certain idioms, of double
negatives, of the split infinitive, of the subjunctive mode, of the distinctions in meaning between allied verbs,
as lie and _lay_, of certain prepositions, of punctuation, etc. He should study the general character of each
sentence, its divisions and subdivisions, the relations of the independent and the dependent parts, and their
connection, order, etc. He should note the +periodic structure+ of some of these sentencesof (4) or (19), for
instancethe meaning of which remains in suspense till near or at the close. He should note in contrast the
+loose structure+ of othersfor example, the last sentence in (20)a sentence that has several points at any
one of which a complete thought has been expressed, but the part of the sentence following does not, by itself,
make complete sense. Let him try to see which structure is the more natural, and which is the more forcible,
and why; and what style gains by a judicious blending of the two.
Especially should the pupil look at the thought in these prose extracts and at the manner in which it is
expressed. This will lead him to take a step or two over into the field of literature. If the attempt is made, one
condition seems imperativethe pupil should thoroughly understand what the author says. We know no
better way to secure this than to exact of him a careful reproduction in his own words of the author's thought.
This will reveal to him the differences between his work and the original; and bring into relief the peculiarity
of each author's stylethe stateliness of De Quincey's, for instance, the vividness of Webster's, the oratorical
character of Macaulay's, the ruggedness of Carlyle's, the poetical beauty of Emerson's, the humor of Irving's,
and the brilliancy of Holmes'sthe last lines from whom are purposely stilted, as we learn from the context.
The pupil may see how ellipses and transpositions and imagery abound in poetry, and how, in the use of these
particulars, poets differ from each other. He may note that poems are not pitched in the same keythat the
extracts from Wordsworth and Goldsmith and Cowper, for example, deal with common facts and in a homely
way, that the one from Lowell is in a higher key, while that from Shelley is all imagination, and is crowded
with audacious imagery, all exquisite except in the first line, where the moon, converted by metaphor into a
maiden, has that said of her that is inconsistent with her in her new character.
1. It is thought by some people that all those stars which you see glittering so restlessly on a keen, frosty night
in a high latitude, and which seem to have been sown broadcast with as much carelessness as grain lies on a
threshingfloor, here showing vast zaarahs of desert blue sky, there again lying close, and to some eyes
presenting
"The beauteous semblance of a flock at rest,"
are, in fact, gathered into zones or _strata_; that our own wicked little earth, with the whole of our peculiar
solar system, is a part of such a zone; and that all this perfect geometry of the heavens, these radii in the
mighty wheel, would become apparent, if we, the spectators, could but survey it from the true center; which
center may be far too distant for any vision of man, naked or armed, to reach.De Quincey 2. On this
question of principle, while actual suffering was yet afar off, they [our fathers] raised their flag against a
power to which, for purposes of foreign conquest and subjugation, Rome, in the height of her glory, is not to
be compareda power which has dotted over the surface of the whole globe with her possessions and
military posts; whose morning drumbeat, following the sun and keeping company with the hours, circles the
earth with one continuous and unbroken strain of the martial airs of England.Webster.
Part III_.]
182
3. In some faraway and yet undreamtof hour, I can even imagine that England may cast all thoughts of
possessive wealth back to the barbaric nations among whom they first arose; and that, while the sands of the
Indus and adamant of Golconda may yet stiffen the housings of the charger and flash from the turban of the
slave, she, as a Christian mother, may at last attain to the virtues and the treasures of a Heathen one, and be
able to lead forth her Sons, saying, "These are my Jewels."Ruskin.
4. And, when those who have rivaled her [Athens's] greatness shall have shared her fate; when civilization and
knowledge shall have fixed their abode in distant continents; when the scepter shall have passed away from
England; when, perhaps, travelers from distant regions shall in vain labor to decipher on some moldering
pedestal the name of our proudest chief, shall hear savage hymns chanted to some misshapen idol over the
ruined dome of our proudest temple, and shall see a single naked fisherman wash his nets in the river of the
ten thousand masts,her influence and her glory will still survive, fresh in eternal youth, exempt from
mutability and decay, immortal as the intellectual principle from which they derived their origin, and over
which they exercise their control.Macaulay.
5. To him who in the love of Nature holds Communion with her visible forms, she speaks A various language;
for his gayer hours She has a voice of gladness and a smile And eloquence of beauty, and she glides Into his
darker musings with a mild And healing sympathy, that steals away Their sharpness ere he is aware. When
thoughts Of the last, bitter hour come like a blight Over thy spirit, and sad images Of the stern agony and
shroud and pall And breathless darkness and the narrow house Make thee to shudder and grow sick at
heart, Go forth under the open sky, and list To Nature's teachings, while from all around Earth and her
waters and the depths of air Comes a still voice.Bryant.
6. Pleasant it was, when woods were green, And winds were soft and low, To lie amid some sylvan scene,
Where, the long drooping boughs between, Shadows dark and sunlight sheen Alternate come and go; Or
where the denser grove receives No sunlight from above, But the dark foliage interweaves In one unbroken
roof of leaves, Underneath whose sloping eaves The shadows hardly move.Longfellow.
7. I like the lad who, when his father thought To clip his morning nap by hackneyed praise Of vagrant worm
by early songster caught, Cried, "Served him right! 'tis not at all surprising; The worm was punished, sir, for
early rising."Saxe.
8. There were communities, scarce known by name In these degenerate days, but once farfamed, Where
liberty and justice, hand in hand, Ordered the common weal; where great men grew Up to their natural
eminence, and none Saving the wise, just, eloquent, were great; Where power was of God's gift to whom he
gave Supremacy of meritthe sole means And broad highway to power, that ever then Was meritoriously
administered, Whilst all its instruments, from first to last, The tools of state for service high or low, Were
chosen for their aptness to those ends Which virtue meditates.Henry Taylor.
9. Stranger, these gloomy boughs Had charms for him; and here he loved to sit, His only visitant a straggling
sheep, The stonechat, or the glancing sandpiper; And on these barren rocks, with fern and heath And
juniper and thistle sprinkled o'er, Fixing his downcast eye, he many an hour A morbid pleasure nourished,
tracing here An emblem of his own unfruitful life; And, lifting up his head, he then would gaze On the more
distant scene,how lovely 't is Thou seest,and he would gaze till it became Far lovelier, and his heart
could not sustain The beauty, still more beauteous.Wordsworth.
10. But, when the next sun brake from underground, Then, those two brethren slowly with bent brows
Accompanying, the sad chariotbier Past like a shadow thro' the field, that shone Fullsummer, to that stream
whereon the barge, Pall'd all its length in blackest samite, lay. There sat the lifelong creature of the house,
Loyal, the dumb old servitor, on deck, Winking his eyes, and twisted all his face. So those two brethren from
the chariot took And on the black decks laid her in her bed, Set in her hand a lily, o'er her hung The silken
case with braided blazonings, And kiss'd her quiet brows, and, saying to her, "Sister, farewell forever," and
Part III_.]
183
again, "Farewell, sweet sister," parted all in tears.Tennyson 11. Good name in man and woman, dear my
lord, Is the immediate jewel of their souls. Who steals my purse steals trash; 't is something, nothing; 'T was
mine, 't is his, and has been slave to thousands; But he that filches from me my good name Robs me of that
which not enriches him, And makes me poor indeed.Shakespeare.
12. When I consider how my light is spent Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide, And that one talent,
which is death to hide, Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent To serve therewith my Maker, and
present My true account, lest he, returning, chide, "Doth God exact daylabor, light denied?" I fondly ask:
but Patience, to prevent That murmur, soon replies, "God doth not need Either man's work or his own gifts;
who best Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best: his state Is kingly; thousands at his bidding speed, And post
o'er land and ocean without rest; They also serve who only stand and wait." Milton.Sonnet on his
Blindness.
13. Ah! on Thanksgiving Day, when from East and from West, From North and from South come the pilgrim
and guest; When the grayhaired NewEnglander sees round his board The old broken links of affection
restored; When the carewearied man seeks his mother once more, And the worn matron smiles where the
girl smiled before, What moistens the lip, and what brightens the eye? What calls back the past like the rich
pumpkinpie? Whittier.
14. That orbed maiden with white fire laden, Whom mortals call the moon, Glides glimmering o'er my
fleecelike floor, By the midnight breezes strewn; And wherever the beat of her unseen feet, Which only the
angels hear, May have broken the woof of my tent's thin roof, The stars peep behind her and peer; And I laugh
to see them whirl and flee Like a swarm of golden bees, When I widen the rent in my windbuilt tent, Till the
calm rivers, lakes, and seas, Like strips of the sky fallen through me on high, Are each paved with the moon
and these. _Shelley.The Cloud_.
15. Sweet was the sound, when oft, at evening's close, Up yonder hill the village murmur rose. There, as I
passed with careless steps and slow, The mingling notes came softened from below; The swain responsive as
the milkmaid sung, The sober herd that lowed to meet their young, The noisy geese that gabbled o'er the
pool, The playful children just let loose from school, The watchdog's voice that bayed the whispering wind,
And the loud laugh that spoke the vacant mind, These all in sweet confusion sought the shade, And filled
each pause the nightingale had made. Goldsmith.
16. To sit on rocks, to muse o'er flood and fell, To slowly trace the forest's shady scene, Where things that
own not man's dominion dwell, And mortal foot hath ne'er or rarely been; To climb the trackless mountain all
unseen, With the wild flock that never needs a fold; Alone o'er steeps and foaming falls to lean; This is not
solitude; 't is but to hold Converse with nature's charms, and view her stores unrolled. Byron.
17. The drawbridge dropped with a surly clang, And through the dark arch a charger sprang, Bearing Sir
Launfal, the maiden knight, In his gilded mail, that flamed so bright It seemed the dark castle had gathered all
Those shafts the fierce sun had shot over its wall In his siege of three hundred summers long, And, binding
them all in one blazing sheaf, Had cast them forth; so, young and strong And lightsome as a locust leaf, Sir
Launfal flashed forth in his maiden mail To seek in all climes for the Holy Grail.Lowell.
18. Be it a weakness, it deserves some praise, We love the playplace of our early days; The scene is
touching, and the heart is stone That feels not at the sight, and feels at none. The wall on which we tried our
graving skill, The very name we carved subsisting still; The bench on which we sat while deep employed,
Tho' mangled, hacked, and hewed, not yet destroyed; The little ones, unbuttoned, glowing hot, Playing our
games, and on the very spot, As happy as we once, to kneel and draw The chalky ring and knuckle down at
taw, To pitch the ball into the grounded hat, Or drive it devious with a dexterous pat; The pleasing
spectacle at once excites Such recollection of our own delights That, viewing it, we seem almost t' obtain Our
innocent, sweet, simple years again.Cowper.
Part III_.]
184
19. Considering our present advanced state of culture, and how the torch of science has now been brandished
and borne about, with more or less effect, for five thousand years and upwards; how, in these times especially,
not only the torch still burns, and perhaps more fiercely than ever, but innumerable rushlights and
sulphurmatches, kindled thereat, are also glancing in every direction, so that not the smallest cranny or
doghole in nature or art can remain unilluminated,it might strike the reflective mind with some surprise that
hitherto little or nothing of a fundamental character, whether in the way of philosophy or history, has been
written on the subject of Clothes.Carlyle.
20. When we see one word of a frail man on the throne of France tearing a hundred thousand sons from their
homes, breaking asunder the sacred ties of domestic life, sentencing myriads of the young to make murder
their calling and rapacity their means of support, and extorting from nations their treasures to extend this
ruinous sway, we are ready to ask ourselves, Is not this a dream? and, when the sad reality comes home to us,
we blush for a race which can stoop to such an abject lot. At length, indeed, we see the tyrant humbled,
stripped of power, but stripped by those who, in the main, are not unwilling to play the despot on a narrower
scale, and to break down the spirit of nations under the same iron sway.Channing.
21. There are days which occur in this climate, at almost any season of the year, wherein the world reaches its
perfection; when the air, the heavenly bodies, and the earth make a harmony, as if Nature would indulge her
offspring; when, in these bleak upper sides of the planet, nothing is to desire that we have heard of the
happiest latitudes, and we bask in the shining hours of Florida and Cuba; when everything that has life gives
sign of satisfaction, and the cattle that lie on the ground seem to have great and tranquil
thoughts.Emerson.
22. Did you never, in walking in the fields, come across a large flat stone, which had lain, nobody knows how
long, just where you found it, with the grass forming a little hedge, as it were, all round it, close to its edges;
and have you not, in obedience to a kind of feeling that told you it had been lying there long enough,
insinuated your stick or your foot or your fingers under its edge, and turned it over as a housewife turns a
cake, when she says to herself, "It's done brown enough by this time"? But no sooner is the stone turned and
the wholesome light of day let upon this compressed and blinded community of creeping things than all of
them which enjoy the luxury of legsand some of them have a good manyrush round wildly, butting each
other and everything in their way, and end in a general stampede for underground retreats from the region
poisoned by sunshine. Next year you will find the grass growing tall and green where the stone lay; the
groundbird builds her nest where the beetle had his hole; the dandelion and the buttercup are growing there,
and the broad fans of insectangels open and shut over their golden disks, as the rhythmic waves of blissful
consciousness pulsate through their glorified being.Holmes.
23. There is a different and sterner path;I know not whether there be any now qualified to tread it; I am not
sure that even one has ever followed it implicitly, in view of the certain meagerness of its temporal rewards,
and the haste wherewith any fame acquired in a sphere so thoroughly ephemeral as the Editor's must be
shrouded by the dark waters of oblivion. This path demands an ear ever open to the plaints of the wronged and
the suffering, though they can never repay advocacy, and those who mainly support newspapers will be
annoyed and often exposed by it; a heart as sensitive to oppression and degradation in the next street as if they
were practiced in Brazil or Japan; a pen as ready to expose and reprove the crimes whereby wealth is amassed
and luxury enjoyed in our own country at this hour as if they had been committed only by Turks or pagans in
Asia some centuries ago.Greeley.
24. To sweeten the beverage, a lump of sugar was laid beside each cup, and the company alternately nibbled
and sipped with great decorum, until an improvement was introduced by a shrewd and economical old lady,
which was to suspend a large lump directly over the teatable, by a string from the ceiling, so that it could be
swung from mouth to mouthan ingenious expedient, which is still kept up by some families in Albany, but
which prevails without exception in Communipaw, Bergen, Platbush, and all our uncontaminated Dutch
villages.Irving.
Part III_.]
185
*****
COMPOSITION.
LESSON 146.
SUMMARY OF RULES FOR CAPITAL LETTERS AND PUNCTUATION.
CAPITAL LETTERS, TERMINAL MARKS, AND THE COMMA.
+Capital Letters+.The first word of (1) a sentence, (2) a line of poetry, (3) a direct quotation making
complete sense or a direct question introduced into a sentence, and (4) phrases or clauses separately numbered
or paragraphed should begin with a capital letter. Begin with a capital letter (5) proper names (including all
names of the Deity), and words derived from them, (6) names of things vividly personified, and (7) most
abbreviations. Write in capital letters (8) the words I and 0, and (9) numbers in the Roman notation.
[Footnote: Small letters are often used in referring to sections, chapters, etc.]
+Period+.Place a period after (1) a declarative or an imperative sentence, (2) an abbreviation, (3) a number
written in the Roman notation, and (4) Arabic figures used to enumerate.
+Interrogation Point+.Every direct interrogative sentence or clause should be followed by an interrogation
point.
+Exclamation Point+.All exclamatory expressions must be followed by the exclamation point.
+Comma+.Set off by the comma (1) an explanatory modifier which does not restrict the modified term or
combine closely with it; (2) a participle used as an adjective modifier, with the words belonging to it, unless
restrictive; (3) the adjective clause when not restrictive; (4) the adverb clause, unless it closely follows and
restricts the word it modifies; (5) a phrase out of its usual order or not closely connected with the word it
modifies; (6) a word or phrase independent or nearly so; (7) a direct quotation introduced into a sentence,
unless formally introduced; (8) a noun clause used as an attribute complement; and (9) a term connected to
another by or and having the same meaning. Separate by the comma (10) connected words and phrases, unless
all the conjunctions are expressed; (11) coordinate clauses when short and closely connected; and (12) the
parts of a compound predicate, and other phrases, when long or differently modified. Use the comma (13) to
denote an omission of words; (14) after _as_, _namely_, etc., introducing illustrations; and (15) when it is
needed to prevent ambiguity.
+Direction+._Give the Rule for each capital letter and each mark of punctuation in these sentences, except
the colon, the semicolon, and the quotation marks_:
1. Francis II., Charles IX., and Henry III., three sons of Catherine de Medici and Henry II., sat upon the
French throne. 2. The pupil asked, "When shall I use _O_, and when shall I use _oh?_" 3. Purity of style
forbids us to use: 1. Foreign words; 2. Obsolete words; 3. Low words, or slang. 4. It is easy, Mistress Dial, for
you, who have always, as everybody knows, set yourself up above me, to accuse me of laziness. 5. He rushed
into the field, and, foremost fighting, fell. 6. The Holy Land was, indeed, among the early conquests of the
Saracens, Caliph Omar having, in 637 A. D., taken Jerusalem. 7. He who teaches, often learns himself. 8. San
Salvador, Oct. 12, 1492. 9. Some letters are superfluous; as, c and q. 10. No sleep till morn, when Youth and
Pleasure meet To chase the glowing hours with flying feet!
Direction._Use capital letters and the proper marks of punctuation in these sentences, and give your
reasons:_
Part III_.]
186
1. and lo from the assembled crowd there rose a shout prolonged and loud that to the ocean seemed to say take
her o bridegroom old and gray 2. a large rough mantle of sheepskin fastened around the loins by a girdle or
belt of hide was the only covering of that strange solitary man elijah the tishbite 3. The result however of the
three years' reign or tyranny of jas ii was that wm of orange came over from holland and without shedding a
drop of blood became a d 1688 wm in of england 4. o has three sounds: 1. that in _not_; 2. that in _note_; 3.
that in move 5. lowell asks and what is so rare as a day in June 6. spring is a fickle mistress but summer is
more staid 7. if i may judge by his gorgeous colors and the exquisite sweetness and variety of his music
autumn is i should say the poet of the family 8. new york apr 30 1789 9. some letters stand each for many
sounds; as a and o * * * * *
LESSON 147.
SUMMARY OF RULESCONTINUED.
SEMICOLON AND COLON.
+Semicolon+.Coordinate clauses, (1) when slightly connected, or (2) when themselves divided by the
comma, must be separated by the semicolon. Use the semicolon (3) between serial phrases or clauses having a
common dependence on something which precedes or follows; and (4) before _as_, _to wit_, _namely_, i. e.,
and _that is_, when they introduce examples or illustrations.
+Direction+._Justify each capital letter and each mark of punctuation (except the colon) in these
sentences_:
1. It may cost treasure, and it may cost blood; but it will stand, and it will richly compensate for both. 2. Some
words are delightful to the ear; as, _Ontario_, _golden_, oriole. 3. The shouts of revelry had died away; the
roar of the lion had ceased; the last loiterer had retired from the banquet; and the lights in the palace of the
victor were extinguished. 4. Send it to the public halls; proclaim it there; let them hear it who heard the first
roar of the enemy's cannon; let them see it who saw their brothers and their sons fall on the field of Bunker
Hill: and the very walls will cry out in its support.
+Direction+._Use capital letters and the proper marks of punctuation in these sentences, and give your
reasons_:
1. all parts of a plant reduce to three namely root stem and leaf 2. when the world is dark with tempests when
thunder rolls and lightning flies thou lookest in thy beauty from the clouds and laughest at the storm 3. the
oaks of the mountains fall the mountains themselves decay with years the ocean shrinks and grows again the
moon herself is lost in heaven 4. kennedy taking from her a handkerchief edged with gold pinned it over her
eyes the executioners holding her by the arms led her to the block and the queen kneeling down said
repeatedly with a firm voice into thy hands o lord i commend my spirit
+Colon+.Use the colon (1) between the parts of a sentence when these parts are themselves divided by the
semicolon, and (2) before a quotation or an enumeration of particulars when formally introduced.
+Direction+._Justify each capital letter and each mark of punctuation in these sentences_:
1. You may swell every expense, and strain every effort, still more extravagantly; accumulate every assistance
you can beg and borrow; traffic and barter with every little, pitiful German prince that sells and sends his
subjects to the shambles of a foreign country: your efforts are forever vain and impotent.
2. This is a precept of Socrates: "Know thyself."
Part III_.]
187
+Direction+._Use capital letters and the proper marks of punctuation in these sentences, and give your
reasons_:
1. the advice given ran thus take care of the minutes and the hours will take care of themselves 2. we may
abound in meetings and movements enthusiastic gatherings in the field and forest may kindle all minds with a
common sentiment but it is all in vain if men do not retire from the tumult to the silent culture of every right
disposition
+Direction+._Write sentences illustrating the several uses of the semicolon, the colon, and the comma_.
*****
LESSON 148.
SUMMARY OF RULESCONTINUED.
THE DASH, MARKS OF PARENTHESIS, APOSTROPHE, HYPHEN, QUOTATION MARKS, AND
BRACKETS.
+Dash+.Use the dash where there is an omission (1) of letters or figures, and (2) of such words as _as_,
_namely_, or _that is_, introducing illustrations or equivalent expressions. Use the dash (3) where the
sentence breaks off abruptly, and the same thought is resumed after a slight suspension, or another takes its
place; and (4) before a word or phrase repeated at intervals for emphasis. The dash may be used (5) instead of
marks of parenthesis, and may (6) follow other marks, adding to their force.
+Direction+._Justify each capital letter and each mark of punctuation in these sentences:_
1. The most noted kings of Israel were the first threeSaul; David, and Solomon. 2. When Mrs. B
heard of her son's disgrace, she fainted away. 3. And"This to me?" he said. 4. Assyria, Greece, Rome,
Carthagewhat are they? 5. I do not rise to supplicate you to be merciful toward the nation to which I
belong,toward a nation which, though subject to England, yet is distinct from it. 6. We know the usesand
sweet they areof adversity. 7. His place business is 225229 High street.
+Direction+._Use capital letters and the proper marks of punctuation in these sentences, and give your
reasons_:
1. the human species is composed of two distinct races those who borrow and those who lend 2. this bill this
infamous bill the way it has been received by the house the manner in which its opponents have been treated
the personalities to which they have been subjected all these things dissipate my doubts 3. the account of a
_____'s shame fills pp 1 19 4. lord marmion turned well was his need and dashed the rowels in his steed
+Marks of Parenthesis+.Marks of parenthesis may be used to inclose what has no essential connection with
the rest of the sentence.
+Apostrophe+.Use the apostrophe (1) to mark the omission of letters, (2) in the pluralizing of letters,
figures, and characters, and (3) to distinguish the possessive from other cases.
+Hyphen+.Use the hyphen () (1) to join the parts of compound words, and (2) between syllables when a
word is divided.
+Quotation Marks+.Use quotation marks to inclose a copied word or passage. If the quotation contains a
quotation, the latter is inclosed within single marks. (See Lesson 74.)
Part III_.]
188
+Brackets+.Use brackets [ ] to inclose what, in quoting another's words, you insert by way of explanation
or correction.
+Direction+._Justify the marks of punctuation used in these sentences_:
1. Luke says, Acts xxi. 15, "We took up our carriages [luggage], and went up to Jerusalem." 2. The last
sentence of the composition was, "I close in the words of Patrick Henry, 'Give me liberty, or give me death.'"
3. _Redhot_ is a compound adjective. 4. Telegraph is divided thus: _tel__e_graph. 5. The profound
learning of Sir William Jones (he was master of twentyeight languages) was the wonder of his
contemporaries. 6. By means of the apostrophe you know that love in _mother's love_ is a noun, and that i's
isn't a verb.
+Direction+._Use capital letters and the proper marks of punctuation in these sentences, and give your
reasons_:
1. next to a conscience void of offense without which by the bye life isnt worth the living is the enjoyment of
the social feelings 2. man the life boat 3. don't neglect in writing to dot your is cross your ts and make your 7s
unlike your 9s and don't in speaking omit the hs from such words as which when and why or insert rs in law
saw and raw 4. the scriptures tell us take no thought anxiety for the morrow 5. The speaker said american
oratory rose to its high water mark in that great speech ending liberty and union now and forever one and
inseparable
*****
LESSON 149.
CAPITAL LETTERS AND PUNCTUATIONREVIEW.
+Direction+._Give the reason for each capital letter and each mark of punctuation in these sentences_:
1. A bigot's mind is like the pupil of the eye; the more light you pour upon it, the more it contracts. 2. This is
the motto of the University of Oxford: "The Lord is my light." 3. The only fault ever found with him is, that
he sometimes fights ahead of his orders. 4. The land flowing with "milk and honey" (see Numbers xiv. 8) was
a long, narrow strip, lying along the eastern edge, or coast, of the Mediterranean, and consisted of three
divisions; namely, 1. On the north, Galilee; 2. On the south, Judea; 3, In the middle, Samaria. 5. "What a
lesson," Trench well says, "the word 'diligence' contains!" 6. An honest man, my neighbor,there he
stands Was struckstruck like a dog, by one who wore The badge of Ursini. 7. Thou, too, sail on, 0 Ship
of State; Sail on, 0 Union, strong and great. 8. O'Connell asks, "The clause which does away with trial by
jurywhat, in the name of Hn, is it, if it is not the establishment of a revolutionary tribunal?" 9. There
are only three departments of the mindthe intellect, the feelings, and the will. 10. Thistrial! 11. American
nationality has made the desert to bud and blossom as the rose; it has quickened to life the giant brood of
useful arts; it has whitened lake and ocean with the sails of a daring, new, and lawful trade; it has extended to
exiles, flying as clouds, the asylum of our better liberty. 12. As I saw him [Weoster, the day before his great
reply to Col. Hayne of South Carolina] in the evening, (if I may borrow an illustration from his favorite
amusement) he was as unconcerned and as free of spirit as some here present have seen him while floating in
his fishingboat along a hazy shore, gently rocking on the tranquil tide, dropping his line here and there, with
the varying fortune of the sport. The next morning he was like some mighty admiral, dark and terrible, casting
the long shadow of his frowning tiers far over the sea, that seemed to sink beneath him; his broad pendant
[pennant] streaming at the main, the stars and the stripes at the fore, the mizzen, and the peak; and bearing
down like a tempest upon his antagonist, with all his canvas strained to the wind, and all his thunders roaring
from his broadsides. 13. The "beatitudes" are found in Matt. v. 311.
Part III_.]
189
TO THE TEACHER.If further work in punctuation is needed, require the pupils to justify the punctuation
of the sentences beginning page 314.
*****
LESSON 150.
QUALITIES OF STYLE.
+Style+ is the manner in which one expresses himself. Styles differ as men differ. But there are some cardinal
qualities that all good style must possess.
I. +Perspicuity.+Perspicuity is opposed to obscurity of all kinds; it means clearness of expression. It
demands that the thought in the sentence shall be plainly seen through the words of the sentence. Perspicuity
is an indispensable quality of style; if the thought is not understood, or it is misunderstood, its expression
might better have been left unattempted. Perspicuity depends mainly upon these few things:
1. +One's Clear Understanding of What One Attempts to Say.+You cannot express to others more than you
thoroughly know, or make your thought clearer to them than it is to yourself.
2. +The Unity of the Sentence.+Many thoughts, or thoughts having no natural and close connection with
each other, should not be crowded into one sentence.
3. +The Use of the Right Words.+Use such words as convey your thoughteach word expressing exactly
your idea, no more, no less, no other. Use words in the senses recognized by the best authority. Do not omit
words when they are needed, and do not use a superfluity of them. Be cautious in the use of _he_, _she_, _it_,
and they. Use simple wordswords which those who are addressed can readily understand. Avoid what are
called bookish, inkhorn, terms; shun words that have passed out of use, and those that have no footing in the
languageforeign words, words newly coined, and slang.
4. +A Happy Arrangement.+The relations of single words to each other, of phrases to the words they
modify, and of clauses to one another should be obvious at a glance. The sentence should not need
rearrangement in order to disclose the meaning. Sentences should stand in the paragraph so that the beginning
of each shall tally exactly in thought with the sentence that precedes; and the ending of each, with the sentence
that follows. Every paragraph should be a unit in thought, distinct from other paragraphs, holding to them the
relation that its own sentences hold to one another, the relation that the several parts of each sentence hold to
one another.
II. +Energy+.By energy we mean force, vigor, of expression. In ordinary discourse, it is not often sought,
and in no discourse is it constantly sought. We use energy when we wish to convince the intellect, arouse the
feelings, and capture the willlead one to do something. When energetic, we select words and images for
strength and not for beauty; choose specific, and not general, terms; prefer the concrete to the abstract; use
few words and crowd these with meaning; place subordinate clauses before the independent; and put the
strongest word in the clause, the strongest clause in the sentence, the strongest sentence in the paragraph, and
the strongest paragraph in the discourse, last. Energetic thought seeks variety of expression, is usually charged
with intense feeling, and requires impassioned delivery.
III. +ImageryFigures of Speech+.Things stand in many relations to each other. Some +things are (1) like
each other+ in some particular; other +things are (2) unlike each other+ in some particular; and still other
+things stand to each other (3)+ in some +other+ noteworthy +relation than+ that of +likeness+ or
+unlikeness+. Things long seen and associated by us in any of these relations come at last readily to suggest
each other. +Figures of Speech+ are those expressions in which, departing from our ordinary manner in
Part III_.]
190
speaking of things, we assert or assume any of these notable relations. The first and great service of imagery is
to the thoughtit makes the thought clearer and stronger. Imagery adds beauty to stylea diamond brooch
may adorn as well as do duty to the dress.
A +Simile+, or +Comparison+, is a figure of speech in which we point out or assert a likeness between things
otherwise unlike; as, The gloom of despondency hung like a cloud over the land.
A +Metaphor+ is a figure of speech in which, assuming the likeness between two things, we bring over and
apply to one of them the term that denotes the other; as, A stately squadron of snowy geese were riding in an
adjoining pond.
A +Personification+ is a figure of speech in which things are raised to a plane of being above their ownto
or toward that of persons. It +raises+ (1) +mere things to+ the plane of +animals+; as, The sea licks your feet,
its huge flanks purr pleasantly for you. It raises (2) +mere animals to+ the plane of +persons+; as, So talked
the spirited, sly Snake. It +raises+ (3) +mere things to+ the plane of +persons+; as, Earth fills her lap with
pleasures of her own.
An +Antithesis+ is a figure of speech in which things mutually opposed in some particular are set over against
each other; as, The mountains give their lost children berries and _water_; the sea mocks their thirst and lets
them die.
A +Metonymy+ is a figure of speech in which the name of one thing connected to another by a relation other
than likeness or unlikeness is brought over and applied to that other. The most important of these relations are
(1) that of the +sign+ to the +thing signified+; (2) that of +cause+ to +effect+; (3) that of +instrument+ to the
+user+ of it; (4) that of +container+ to the +thing contained+; (5) that of +material+ to the +thing made out of
it+; (6) that of +contiguity+; (7) that of the +abstract+ to the +concrete+; and (8) that of +part+ to the
+whole+ or of +whole+ to the +part+.
This last relation has been thought so important that the metonymy based upon it has received a distinct
name+Synecdoche+.
+IV. Variety+.Variety is a quality of style opposed to monotonous uniformity. Nothing in discourse pleases
us more than light and shade. In discourse properly varied, the same word does not appear with offensive
frequency; long words alternate with short; the usual order now and then yields to the transposed; the verb in
the assertive form frequently gives way to the participle and the infinitive, which assume; figures of speech
sparkle here and there in a setting of plain language; the full method of statement is followed by the
contracted; impassioned language is succeeded by the unemotional; long sentences stand side by side with
short, and loose sentences with periods; declarative sentences are relieved by interrogative and exclamatory,
and simple sentences by compound and complex; clauses have no rigidly fixed position; and sentences heavy
with meaning and moving slowly are elbow to elbow with the light and tripping. In a word, no one form or
method or matter is continued so long as to weary, and the reader is kept fresh and interested throughout.
Variety is restful to the reader or hearer and therefore adds greatly to the clearness and to the force of what is
addressed to him.
TO THE TEACHER.Question the pupils upon every point taken up in this Lesson and require them to give
illustrations where it is possible for them to do so.
*****
LESSON 151.
PERSPICUITYCRITICISM.
Part III_.]
191
+General Direction+.In all your work in Composition attend carefully to the punctuation.
+Direction+._Point out the faults, and recast these sentences, making them clear_:
[Footnote: These four sentences and others in these Lessons, given just as we found them, have been culled
from school compositions.]
1. He was locked in and so he sat still till the guard came and let him out, as soon as he stepped out on the
ground, he saw the dead and dying laying about everywhere. 2. They used to ring a large bell at six o'clock in
the morning for us to get up, then we had half an hour to dress in, after which we would go to Chapel
exercises, then breakfast, school would commence at nine o'clock and closed at four in the afternoon allowing
an hour for dinner from one until two then we would resume our studies until four in the afternoon. 3. Jewelry
was worn in the time of King Pharaoh which is many thousand years before Christ in the time when the
Israelites left they borrowed all the jewels of the Egyptians which were made of gold and silver. 4. When it is
made of gold they can not of pure gold but has to be mixed with some other metal which is generally copper
which turns it a reddish hue in some countries they use silver which gives it a whitish hue but in the United
States and England they use both silver and copper but the English coins are the finest.
+Direction+._Point out the faults, and recast these sentences, making them clear_:
(If any one of the sentences has several meanings, give these.)
1. James's son, Charles I., before the breath was out of his body was proclaimed king in his stead. 2. He told
the coachman that he would be the death of him, if he did not take care what he was about, and mind what he
said. 3. Richelieu said to the king that Mazarin would carry out his policy. 4. He was overjoyed to see him,
and he sent for one of his workmen, and told him to consider himself at his service. 5. Blake answered the
Spanish priest that if he had sent in a complaint, he would have punished the sailors severely; but he took it ill
that he set the Spaniards on to punish them.
+Direction+._So place these subordinate clauses that they will remove the obscurity, and then see in how
many ways each sentence can be arranged_:
1. The moon cast a pale light on the graves that were scattered around, as it peered above the horizon. 2. A
large number of seats were occupied by pupils that had no backs. 3. Crusoe was surprised at seeing five
canoes on the shore in which there were savages. 4. This tendency will be headed off by approximations
which will be made from time to time of the written word to the spoken. 5. People had to travel on horseback
and in wagons, which was a very slow way, if they traveled at all. 6. How can brethren partake of their
Father's blessing that curse each other? 7. Two men will be tried for crimes in this town which are punishable
with death, if a full court should attend.
Direction._Each of these sentences may have two meanings, supply the two ellipses in each sentence, and
remove the ambiguity:_
1. Let us trust no strength less than thine. 2. Study had more attraction for him than his friend. 3. He did not
like the new teacher so well as his playmates. 4. He aimed at nothing less than the crown. 5. Lovest thou me
more than these?
*****
LESSON 152.
PERSPICUITYCRITICISM.
Part III_.]
192
Direction._So place these italicized phrases that they will remove the obscurity, and then see in how many
ways each sentence can be arranged:_
1. These designs any man who is a Briton in any situation ought to disavow. 2. The chief priests, mocking,
said among themselves _with the scribes_, "He saved," etc. 3. Hay is given to horses as well as corn to
distend the stomach. 4. Boston has forty first class grammarschools, exclusive of Dorchester. 5. He rode to
town, and drove twelve cows on horseback. 6. He could not face an enraged father in spite of his effrontery. 7.
Two owls sat upon a tree which grew near an old wall out of a heap of rubbish. 8. I spent most on the river
and in the river of the time I stayed there. 9. He wanted to go to sea, although it was contrary to the wishes of
his parents, at the age of eighteen. 10. I have a wife and six children, and I have never seen _one of them._
+Direction.+_So place the italicized words and phrases in each sentence that they will help to convey what
you think is the author's thought, and then see in how many ways each sentence can be arranged:_
1. In Paris, every lady in full dress rides. 2. I saw my friend when I was in Boston walking down Tremont
street. 3. The Prince of Wales was forbidden to become king or any other man. 4. What is his coming or
going _to you_? 5. We do those things frequently which we repent of afterwards. 6. I rushed out leaving the
wretch with his tale half told, _horrorstricken at his crime_. 7. Exclamation points are scattered up and down
the page by compositors _without any mercy._ 8. I want to make a present to one who is fond of chickens for
a Christmas gift.
+Direction.+_Make these sentences clear by using simpler words and phrases:_
1. A devastating conflagration raged. 2. He conducted her to the altar of Hymen. 3. A donkey has an
abnormal elongation of auricular appendages. 4. Are you _excavating a subterranean canal?_ 5. He had no
capillary substance on the summit of his head. 6. He made a sad faux pas. 7. A network is anything
_reticulated or decussated, with interstices at equal distances between the intersections_. 8. Diligence is the
sine qua non of success. 9. She has donned the habiliments of woe. 10. The deceased was today _deposited
in his last restingplace_. 11. The inmates proceeded to the sanctuary. 12. I have partaken of my morning
repast. 13. He took the initiative in inaugurating the ceremony.
*****
LESSON 153.
ENERGYCRITICISM.
+Direction+._Expand these brief expressions into sentences full of long words, and note the loss of
energy_:
1. To your tents, 0 Israel! 2. Up, boys, and at them! 3. Indeed! 4. Bah! 5. Don't give up the ship! 6. Murder
will out. 7. Oh! 8. Silence there! 9. Hurrah! 10. Death or free speech! 11. Rascal! 12. No matter. 13. Least
said, soonest mended. 14. Death to the tyrant! 15. I'll none of it. 16. Help, ho! 17. Shame on you! 18. First
come, first served.
+Direction+._Condense each of these italicized expressions into one or two words, and note the gain_:
1. He shuffled off this mortal coil yesterday. 2. The author surpassed all those who were living at the same
time with him. 3. To say that revelation is a thing which there is no need of is to talk wildly. 4. He departed
this life. 5. Some say that ever _'gainst that season comes wherein our Saviour's birth is celebrated_ this bird
of dawning singeth all night long.
Part III_.]
193
+Direction+._Change these specific words to general terms, and note the loss in energy_:
1. Don't fire till you see the whites of their eyes. 2. Break down the _dikes_, give Holland back to ocean. 3.
Three hundred men held the hosts of Xerxes at bay. 4. I sat at her _cradle_, I followed her hearse. 5. Their
daggers have stabbed Caesar. 6. When I'm _mad_, I weigh a ton. 7. Burn Moscow, starve back the invaders.
8. There's no use in crying over spilt milk. 9. In proportion as men delight in battles and _bullfights_ will
they punish by _hanging, burning_, and the rack.
+Direction+._Change these general terms to specific words, and note the gain in energy_:
1. Anne Boleyn was executed. 2. It were better for him that a heavy weight were fastened to him and that he
were submerged in the waste of waters. 3. The capital of the chosen people was destroyed by a Roman
general. 4. Consider the flowers how they increase in size. 5. Caesar was slain by the conspirators. 6. The
cities of the plain were annihilated.
+Direction+._Arrange these words, phrases, and clauses in the order of their strength, placing the strongest
last, and note the gain in energy_:
1. The nations of the earth repelled, surrounded, pursued, and resisted him. 2. He was no longer consul nor
citizen nor general nor even an emperor, but a prisoner and an exile. 3. I shall die an American; I live an
American; I was born an American. 4. All that I am, all that I hope to be, and all that I have in this life, I am
now ready here to stake upon it. 5. I shall defend it without this House, in all places, and within this House; at
all times, in time of peace and in time of war. 6. We must fight if we wish to be free, if we mean to preserve
inviolate our rights, if we do not mean to abandon the struggle.
*****
LESSON 154.
FIGURES OF SPEECHCRITICISM.
+Direction+._Name the figures of speech, and then recast a few sentences, using plain language, and note
the loss of beauty and force_:
1. Lend me your ears. 2. Please address the chair. 3. The robin knows when your grapes have cooked long
enough in the sun. 4. A day will come when bullets and bombs shall be replaced by ballots. 5. _Genius
creates; taste appreciates what is created_. 6. Caesar were no lion were not Romans hinds. 7. The soul of
Jonathan was knit to that of David. 8. Traffic has lain down to rest. 9. Borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
10. He will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. 11. Have you read Froude or _Freeman?_ 12.
The pen is mightier than the sword. 13. If I can _catch him once upon the hip_, I will feed fat the ancient
grudge I bear him. 14. The destinies of mankind were _trembling in the balance_, while death fell in showers.
15. The threaded steel flies swiftly. 16. O Cassius, you are yoked with a lamb that carries anger as the flint
bears fire. 17. I called the New World into existence to redress the balance of the Old_. 18. Nations shall _beat
their swords into plowshares_, and _their spears into pruninghooks_. 19. The Morn in _russet mantle clad
walks o'er the dew_ of yon high eastern hill. 20. _Homer_, like the _Nile_, pours out his riches with a
_sudden overflow; Virgil_, like a _river in its banks_, with a constant stream. 21. The air bites shrewdly. 22.
He doth bestride the narrow world like a Colossus. 23. My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar. 24. All
hands to the pumps! 25. The _grayeyed Morn smiles_ on the frowning Night. 26. The good is often buried
with men's bones. 27. Beware of the bottle. 28. All nations respect our flag. 29. The marble speaks. 30. I have
no spur to prick the sides of my intent. 31. I am as constant as the northern star. 32. Then burst his mighty
heart. 33. The ice is covered with health and beauty on skates. 34. Lentulus returned with victorious eagles.
35. Death hath sucked the honey of thy breath. 36. Our chains are forged. 37. I have bought golden opinions.
Part III_.]
194
38. The hearth blazed high. 39. His words fell softer than snows on the brine. 40. _Night's candles are burnt
out_, and jocund Day stands tiptoe on the misty mountain top.
+Direction+._In the first four sentences, use similes; in the second four, metaphors; in the third four,
personifications; in the last eight, metonymies:_
1. He flew with the swiftness of an arrow. 2. In battle some men _are brave_, others are cowardly. 3. His head
is as full of plans as it can hold. 4. I heard a loud noise. 5. Boston is the place where American liberty began.
6. Our dispositions should grow mild as we grow old. 7. The stars can no longer be seen. 8. In battle some
men are _brave_, others are cowardly. 9. The cock tears up the ground for his family of hens and chickens. 10.
The waves were still. 11. The oak stretches out its strong branches. 12. The flowers are the sweet and pretty
growths of the earth and sun. 13. English vessels plow the seas of the two hemispheres. 14. Have you read
_Lamb's Essays_? 15. The water is boiling. 16. We have prostrated ourselves before the king. 17. Wretched
people shiver in their lair of straw. 18. The soldier is giving way to the husbandman. 19. Swords flashed, and
bullets fell. 20. His banner led the spearmen no more.
+Remark+.If what is begun as a metaphor is not completed as begun, but is completed by a part of another
metaphor or by plain language, we have what, is called a mixed metaphor. It requires great care to avoid this
very common error.
+Direction+._Correct these errors_:
1. The devouring fire uprooted the stubble. 2. The brittle thread of life may be cut asunder. 3. All the ripe fruit
of threescore years was blighted in a day. 4. Unravel the obscurities of this knotty question. 5. We must
apply the axe to the fountain of this evil. 6. The man stalks into court like a motionless statue, with the cloak
of hypocrisy in his mouth. 7. The thin mantle of snow dissolved. 8. I smell a _rat_, I see him brewing in the
air, but I shall yet nip him in the bud.
*****
LESSON 155.
VARIETY IN EXPRESSION.
+Remark+.You learned in Lessons 52, 53, 54 that the usual order may give way to the transposed; in 55,
56, that one kind of simple sentence may be changed to another; in 57, that simple sentences may be
contracted; in 61, that adjectives may be expanded into clauses; in 67, that an adverb clause may stand before,
between the parts of, and after, the independent clause; in 68, that an adverb clause may be contracted to a
participle, a participle phrase, an absolute phrase, a prepositional phrase, that it may be contracted by the
omission of words, and may be changed to an adjective clause or phrase; in 73, that a noun clause as subject
may stand last, and as object complement may stand first, that it may be made prominent, and may be
contracted; in 74, that direct quotations and questions may be changed to indirect, and indirect to direct; in 77,
that compound sentences may be formed out of simple sentences, may be contracted to simple sentences, and
may be changed to complex sentences; in 79, that participles, absolute phrases, and infinitives may be
expanded into different kinds of clauses; and, in 130, that a verb may change its voice.
+Direction+.Illustrate all these changes.
+Direction+._Recast these sentences, avoiding offensive repetitions of the same word or the same
sounds_:
1. We have to have money to have a horse. 2. We sailed across a bay and sailed up a creek and sailed back
Part III_.]
195
and sailed in all about fourteen miles. 3. It is then put into stacks, or it is put into barns either to use it to feed
it to the stock or to sell it. 4. This day we undertake to render an account to the widows and orphans whom our
decision will make; to the wretches that will be roasted at the stake. 5. The news of the battle of Bunker Hill,
fought on the 17th of June in the year of our Lord 1775, roused the patriotism of the people to a high pitch of
enthusiasm.
+Direction+._Using other words wholly or in part, see in how many ways you can express the thoughts
contained in these sentences_:
1. In the profusion and recklessness of her lies, Elizabeth had no peer in England. 2. Henry IV. said that James
I. was the wisest fool in Christendom. 3. Cowper's letters are charming because they are simple and natural. 4.
George IV., though he was pronounced the first gentleman in Europe, was, nevertheless, a snob.
*****
LESSON 156.
THE PARAGRAPH.
+The Paragraph+.The clauses of complex sentences are so closely united in meaning that frequently they
are not to be separated from each other even by the comma. The clauses of compound sentences are less
closely uniteda comma, a semicolon, or a colon is needed to divide them.
Between sentences there exists a wider separation in meaning, marked by a period or other terminal point. But
even sentences may be connected, the bond which unites them being their common relation to the thought
which jointly they develop. Sentences thus related are grouped together and form, as you have already
learned, what we call a Paragraph, marked by beginning the first word a little to the right of the marginal line.
+Direction+._Notice the facts which this paragraph contains, and the relation to each other of the clauses
and the sentences expressing these facts_:
After a breeze of some sixty hours from the north and northwest, the wind died away about four o'clock
yesterday afternoon. The calm continued till about nine in the evening. The mercury in the barometer fell, in
the meantime, at an extraordinary rate; and the captain predicted that we should encounter a gale from the
southeast. The gale came on about eleven o'clock; not violent at first, but increasing every moment.
1. A breeze from the north and northwest. 2. The wind died away. 3. A calm. 4. Barometer fell. 5. The captain
predicted a gale. 6. It came on. 7. It increased in violence.
+Direction+.Give and number the facts contained in the paragraph below:
I awoke with a confused recollection of a good deal of rolling and thumping in the night, occasioned by the
dashing of the waves against the ship. Hurrying on my clothes, I found such of the passengers as could stand,
at the doors of the hurricanehouse, holding on, and looking out in the utmost consternation. It was still quite
dark. Four of the sails were already in ribbons: the winds whistling through the cordage; the rain dashing
furiously and in torrents; the noise and spray scarcely less than I found them under the great sheet at Niagara.
+Direction+._Weave the facts below into a paragraph, supplying all you need to make the narrative
smooth_:
Rip's beard was grizzled. Fowlingpiece rusty. Dress uncouth. Women and children at his heels. Attracted
attention. Was eyed from head to foot. Was asked on which side he voted. Whether he was Federal or
Part III_.]
196
Part III_.]
197
1629 appointed governor of Nieuw Nederlandts. Arrived in June at New AmsterdamNew York city.
II. +Person+.Was five feet six inches high, six feet five in circumference. Head spherical, and too large for
any neck. Nature set it on the backbone. Body capacious. Legs short and sturdy. A beerbarrel on skids.
Face a vast, unfurrowed expanse. No lines of thought. Two small, gray eyes. Cheeks had taken toll of all that
had entered his mouth. Mottled and streaked with dusky red.
III. +Habits+.Regular. Four meals daily, each an hour long. Smoked and doubted eight hours. Slept twelve.
As selfcontained as an oyster. Rarely spoke save in monosyllables. But never said a foolish thing. Never
laughed. Perplexed by a joke. Conceived everything on a grand scale. When a question was asked, would put
on a mysterious look. Shake his head. Smoke in silence. Observe, at length, he had doubts. Presided at the
council, in state. Swayed a Turkish pipe instead of a scepter. Known to sit with eyes closed two hours.
Internal commotion shown by guttural sounds. Noises of contending doubts, admirers said.
IV. +Exploits.+Settled a dispute about accounts thus: sent for the parties; each produced his accountbook;
Van T. weighed the books; counted the leaves; equally heavy; equally thick; made each give the other a
receipt; and the constable pay the costs. Demanded why Van Rensselaer seized Bear's Island. Battled with
doubts regarding the Yankees. Smoked and breathed his last together.
+Direction.+_Weave these facts into four paragraphs, write on the margin the special topic of each, and
over the whole what you think it the general subject of the theme:_
The prophets of Baal accept Elijah's challenge. They dress a bullock. Call on Baal. Are mocked by Elijah.
Leap upon the altar. Cut themselves. Blood. Cry till the time of the evening sacrifice. No answer by fire.
Elijah commands the people to come near. Repairs an old altar with twelve stones, one for each tribe. Digs a
trench. Sacrifices. Pours water three times upon it. Prays. Fire falls, consumes flesh, wood, stones, dust, licks
up water. People see it. Fall on their faces. Cry out twice, "The Lord, he is the God." Take the prophets to the
brook Kishon, where they are slain. Elijah ascends Mount Carrael. Bows in prayer. "Go up now, look toward
the sea." Servant reports, "There is nothing." "Go again seven times." "Behold there ariseth a little cloud out
of the sea, like a man's hand." Orders Ahab to prepare his chariot. Girding up his loins, he runs before Ahab to
Jezreel.
*****
LESSON 159.
PARAGRAPHS AND THE THEME.
+Direction.+_Weave these facts into as many paragraphs as you think there should be, using the variety of
expression insisted on in Lesson 150, and write on the margin of each paragraph the speciai topic, and over
the whole the general subject of the theme:_
Fort Ticonderoga on a peninsula. Formed by the outlet of Lake George and by Lake Champlain. Fronts south;
water on three sides. Separated by Lake Champlain from Mount Independence, and by the outlet, from Mount
Defiance. Fort one hundred feet above the water. May 7, 1775, two hundred and seventy men meet at
Castleton, Vermont. All but fortysix, Green Mountain boys. Meet to plan and execute an attack upon Fort T.
Allen and Arnold there. Each claims the command. Question left to the officers. Allen chosen. On evening of
the 9th, they reach the lake. Difficulty in crossing. Send for a scow. Seize a boat at anchor. Search, and find
small row boats. Only eightythree able to cross. Day is dawning when these reach the shore. Not prudent to
wait. Allen orders all who will follow him to poise their firelocks. Every man responds. Nathan Beman, a lad,
guides them to the fort. Sentinel snaps his gun at A. Misses fire. Sentinel retreats. They follow. Rush upon the
parade ground. Form. Loud cheer. A. climbs the stairs. Orders La Place, it is said, in the name of the great
Part III_.]
198
Jehovah and the Continental Congress, to surrender. Capture fortyeight men. One hundred and twenty
cannon. Used next winter at the siege of Boston. Several swords and howitzers, small arms, and ammunition.
+Direction+._These facts are thrown together promiscuously. Classify them as they seem to you to be
related. Determine the number of paragraphs and their order, and then do as directed above_:
Joseph was Jacob's favorite. Wore fine garments. One day was sent to inquire after the other sons. They were
at a distance, tending the flocks. Joseph used to dream. They saw him coming. Plotted to kill him. In one
dream his brothers' sheaves bowed to his. In another the sun, moon, and stars bowed to him. Plotted to throw
his body into a pit. Agreed to report to their father that some beast had devoured Joseph. Joseph foolishly told
these to his brothers. Hated him because of the dreams and their father's partiality. While the brothers were
eating, Ishmaelites approached. They sat down to eat. Were going down into Egypt. Camels loaded with
spices. At the intercession of Reuben they did not kill Joseph. Threw him alive into a pit. Ishmaelites took him
down into Egypt. Sold him to Potiphar. Judah advised that he be raised from the pit. Jacob recognized the
coat. Refused comfort. Rent his clothes and put on sackcloth. They took his coat. Killed a kid and dipped the
coat in its blood. Brought it to Jacob. "This have we found; know now whether it be thy son's coat or no."
*****
LESSON 160.
PARAGRAPHS AND THE THEME.
+Direction+._Classify these promiscuous facts, determine carefully the number and the order of the
paragraphs, and then do as directed above_:
Trafalgar a Spanish promontory. Near the Straits of Gibraltar. Off Trafalgar, fleets of Spain and France,
October 21, 1805. Nelson in command of the English fleet. The combined fleets in close line of battle.
Collingwood second in command. Had more and larger cannon than the English. English fleet twentyseven
sail of the line and four frigates. Thirtythree sail of the line and seven frigates. He signaled those memorable
words: "England expects every man to do his duty." Enemy had four thousand troops. Signal received with a
shout. They bore down. The best riflemen in the enemy's boats. C. steered for the center. C. in the Royal
Sovereign led the lee line of thirteen ships. A raking fire opened upon the Victory. N. in the Victory led the
weather line. C. engaged the Santa Anna. Delighted at being the first in the fire. At 1.15 N. shot through the
shoulder and back. At 12 the Victory opened fire. N.'s secretary the first to fall. Fifty fell before a shot was
returned. "They have done for me at last, Hardy," said N. They bore him below. At 2.25 ten of the enemy had
struck. The wound was mortal. At 4 fifteen had struck. The victory that cost the British 1,587 men won. These
were his last words. At 4.30 he expired. "How goes the day with us?" he asked Hardy. "I hope none of our
ships have struck." N.'s death was more than a public calamity. "I am a dead man, Hardy," he said.
Englishmen turned pale at the news. Most triumphant death that of a martyr. He shook hands with Hardy.
"Kiss me, Hardy." They mourned as for a dear friend. Kissed him on the cheek. Most awful death that of the
martyr patriot. The loss seemed a personal one. Knelt down again and kissed his forehead. His articulation
difficult. Heard to say, "Thank God, I have done my duty." Seemed as if they had not known how deeply they
loved him. Most splendid death that of the hero in the hour of victory. Has left a name which is our pride. An
example which is our shield and strength. Buried him in St. Paul's. Thus the spirits of the great and the wise
live after them.
TO THE TEACHERContinue this work as long as it is needed. Take any book, and read to the class items
of facts. Require them to use the imagination and whatever graces of style are at their command, in weaving
these facts together.
*****
Part III_.]
199
LESSON 161.
ANALYSIS OF THE SUBJECT OF THE THEME.
+Analysis of the Subject+.A Theme is made up of groups of sentences called Paragraphs. The sentences of
each paragraph are related to each other, because they jointly develop a single point, or thought. And the
paragraphs are related to each other, because these points which they develop are divisions of the one general
subject of the Theme.
After the subject has been chosen, and before writing upon it, it must be resolved into the main thoughts
which compose it. Upon the thoroughness of this analysis and the natural arrangement of the thoughts thus
derived, depends largely the worth of the theme. These points form, when arranged, the +Framework+ of the
theme.
Suppose you had taken The Armada as your subject. Perhaps you could say under these heads all you wish: 1.
What the Armada was. 2. When and by whom equipped. 3. Its purpose. 4. Its sail over the Bay of Biscay and
entrance into the English Channel. 5. _The attack upon it by Admiral Howard and his great CaptainsDrake
and Hawkins_. 6. Its dispersion and partial destruction by the storm. 7. The return to Spain of the surviving
ships and men. 8. The consequences to England and to Spain.
Perhaps the 1st point could include the 2d and the 3d. Be careful not to split your general subject up into very
many parts. See, too, that no point is repeated, that no point foreign to the subject is introduced, and that all
the points together exhaust the subject as nearly as may be. Look to the arrangement of the points. There is a
natural order; (6) could not precede (5); nor (5), (4); nor (4), (1).
TO THE TEACHER.Question the pupils carefully upon every point taken up in this Lesson.
+Direction+._Prepare the framework of a theme on each of these subjects_:
1. The Arrest of Major Andre. 2. A Winter in the Arctic Region.
*****
LESSON 162.
ANALYSIS OF SUBJECTS.
+Direction+._Prepare the framework of a theme on each of these subjects_:
1. Battle of Plattsburg. 2. A Day's Nutting. 3. What Does a Proper Care for One's Health Demand?
*****
LESSON 163.
ANALYSIS OF SUBJECTS.
+Direction+._Prepare the framework of a theme on each of these subjects_:
1. A Visit to the Moon. 2. Reasons why one Should Not Smoke, 3. What Does a Proper Observance of
Sunday Require of One?
Part III_.]
200
*****
LESSON 164.
ANALYSIS OF SUBJECTS.
+Direction+._Prepare the framework of a theme on each of these subjects_:
1. The Gulf Stream. 2. A Descent into a Whirlpool. 3. What are Books Good for?
*****
LESSON 165.
HOW TO WRITE A THEME.
+I. Choose a Subject+.Choose your subject long before you are to write. Avoid a full, round term like
Patriotism or _Duty_; take a fragment of it; as, _How can a Boy be Patriotic?_ or Duties which we
Schoolmates owe Each Other. The subject should be on your level, should be interesting and suggestive to
you, and should instantly start in your mind many trains of thought.
+II. Accumulate the Material+.Begin to think about your subject. Turn it over in your mind in leisure
moments, and, as thoughts flash upon you, jot them down in your blankbook. If any of these seem broad
enough for the main points, or heads, indicate this. Talk with no one on the subject, and read nothing on it, till
you have thought yourself empty; and even then you should note down what the conversation or reading
suggests, rather than what you have heard or read.
+III. Construct a Framework+.Before writing hunt through your material for the main points, or heads. See
to what general truths or thoughts these jottings and those jottings point. Perhaps this or that thought, as it
stands, includes enough to serve as a head. Be sure, at any rate, that by brooding over your material, and by
further thinking upon the subject, you get at all the general thoughts into which, as it seems to you, the subject
should be analyzed. Study these points carefully. See that no two overlap each other, that no one appears
twice, that no one has been raised to the dignity of a head which should stand under some head, and that no
one is irrelevant. Study now to find the natural order in which these points should stand. Let no point, to the
clear understanding of which some other point is necessary, precede that other. If developing all the points
would make your theme too long, study to see what points you can omit without abrupt break or essential loss.
+IV. Write+.Give your whole attention to your work as you write, and other thoughts will occur to you,
and better ways of putting the thoughts already noted down. In expanding the main points into paragraphs, be
sure that everything falls under its appropriate head. Cast out irrelevant matter. Do not strain after effect or
strive to seem wiser than you are. Use familiar words, and place these, your phrases, and your clauses, where
they will make your thought the clearest. As occasion calls, change from the usual order to the transposed, and
let sentences, simple, complex, and compound, long and short, stand shoulder to shoulder in the paragraph.
Express yourself easilyonly now and then putting your thought forcibly and with feeling. Let a fresh image
here and there relieve the uniformity of plain language. One sentence should follow another without abrupt
break; and, if continuative of it, adversative to it, or an inference from it, and the hearer needs to be advised of
this, let it swing into position on the hinge of a fitting connective. Of course, your sentences must pass rigid
muster in syntax; and you must look sharply to the spelling, to the use of capital letters, and to punctuation.
+V. Attend to the Mechanical Execution+.Keep your pages clean, and let your handwriting be clear. On the
left of the page leave a margin of an inch for corrections. Do not write on the fourth page; if you exceed three
pages, use another sheet. When the writing is done, double the lower half of the sheet over the upper, and fold
Part III_.]
201
through the middle; then bring the top down to the middle and fold again. Bring the righthand end toward
you, and across the top write your name and the date. This superscription will be at the top of the fourth page,
at the righthand corner, and at right angles to the ruled lines.
TO THE TEACHER.Question the pupils closely upon every point in this Lesson.
Additional Subjects for Themes.
1. Apples and Nuts. 2. A Pleasant Evening. 3. My Walk to School. 4. Pluck. 5. School Friendships. 6. When
my Ship Comes In. 7. Ancient and Modern Warfare. 8. The View from my Window. 9. Homes without
Hands. 10. I Can. 11. My Friend Jack. 12. John Chinaman. 13. Irish Characters. 14. Robin Hood. 15. A Visit
to Olympus. 16. Monday Morning. 17. My Native Town. 18. Over the Sea. 19. Up in a Balloon. 20. Queer
People. 21. Our Minister. 22. A Plea for Puss. 23. Castles in Spain. 24. Young America. 25. Black Diamonds.
26. Mosquitoes. 27. A Day in the Woods. 28. A Boy's Trials. 29. The Yankee. 30. Robinson Crusoe. 31.
Street Arabs. 32. Legerdemain. 33. Our Neighborhood. 34. Examinations. 35. Theatregoing. 36. Donkeys.
37. The Southern Negro. 38. A Rainy Saturday. 39. The Early Bird Catches the Worm. 40. Spring Sports 41.
How Horatius Kept the Bridge. 42. Jack Frost 43. My First Sea Voyage. 44. Monkeys. 45. Grandmothers. 46.
The Boy of the Story Book. 47. Famous Streets. 48. Pigeons. 49. Jack and Gill. 50. Make Haste Slowly. 51.
Commerce. 52. The Ship of the Desert. 53. Winter Sports. 54. A Visit to Neptune. 55. Whiskers. 56. Gypsies.
57. Cities of the Dead. 58. Street Cries. 59. The World Owes me A Living. 60. Politeness. 61. Cleanliness
Akin to Godliness. 62. Fighting Windmills. 63. Along the Docks. 64. Maple Sugar. 65. Umbrellas. 66. A
Girl's Trials. 67. A Spider's Web. 68. The Story of Ruth. 69. Clouds. 70. A Country Store. 71. Timepieces. 72.
Bulls and Bears. 73. Bore. 74. Our Sunday School. 75. The Making of Beer. 76. Autumn's Colors. 77. The
Watched Pot Never Boils. 78. The Mission of Birds. 79. Parasites. 80. Wellbegun is Halfdone. 81. The
Tides. 82. The Schoolmaster in "The Deserted Village." 83. A Day on a Trout Stream. 84. A Stitch in Time
Saves Nine. 85. Of What Use are Flowers? 86. A Descent in a Diving Bell.
*****
LESSON 166.
LETTERWRITING.
Letters need special treatment. In writing a letter there are five things to considerThe Heading, The
Introduction, The Body of the Letter, The Conclusion, and The Superscription.
THE HEADING.
+Parts+.The Heading consists of the name of the +Place+ at which the letter is written, and the +Date+. If
you write from a city, give the doornumber, the name of the street, the name of the city, and the name of the
state. If you are at a Hotel or a School or any other wellknown Institution, its name may take the place of the
doornumber and the name of the street; as may also the number of your postoffice box. If you write from a
village or other country place, give your postoffice address, the name of the county, and that of the state.
The Date consists of the month, the day of the month, and the year.
+How Written+.Begin the Heading about an inch and a half from the top of the pageon the first ruled
line of commercial note. If the letter occupies but a few lines of a single page, you may begin the Heading
lower down. Begin the first line of the Heading a little to the left of the middle of the page. If it occupies more
than one line, the second line should begin farther to the right than the first, and the third farther to the right
than the second.
Part III_.]
202
The doornumber, the day of month, and the year are written in figures; the rest, in words. Bach important
word begins with a capital letter, each item is set off by the comma, and the whole closes with a period.
+Direction+._Study what has teen said, and write the following headings according to these models:_
1. Ripton, Addison Co., Vt., July 10, 1895.
2. 250 Broadway, N. T., June 6, 1890.
3. Saco, Me., Feb. 25, 1887.
4. Polytechnic Institute, Brooklyn, N. Y., May 3, 1888.
1. ann arbor 5 July 1820 michigan 2. champlain co clinton n y jan 14 1800 3. p o box 2678 1860 oct 19
chicago 4. philadelphia 670 1858 chestnut st 16 apr 5. saint nicholas new york 1 hotel nov 1855
THE INTRODUCTION.
+Parts+.The Introduction consists of the +Address+the Name, the Title, and the Place of Business or
Residence of the one addressedand the +Salutation+. Titles of respect and courtesy should appear in the
Address. Prefix _Mr._ to a man's name, _Messrs._ to the names of several gentlemen; Master to the name of a
young lad; Miss to that of an unmarried lady; _Mrs._ to that of a married lady; Misses to the names of several
young ladies; and Mesdames to those of several married or elderly ladies. Prefix _Dr._ to the name of a
physician (but never _Mr. Dr._), or write _M.D._ after it. Prefix _Rev._ to the name of a clergyman, or _Rev.
Mr._ if you do not know his Christian name; _Rev. Dr._ if he is a Doctor of Divinity, or write _Rev._ before
the name and _D.D._ after it. Prefix His Excellency to the name of the President, [Footnote: The preferred
form of addressing the President is, _To the President, Executive Mansion, Washington, D. C._; the Salutation
is simply, _Mr. President._ ] and to that of a Governor or of an Ambassador; _Hon._ to the name of a Cabinet
Officer, a Member of Congress, a State Senator, a Law Judge, or a Mayor. If two literary or professional titles
are added to a name, let them stand in the order in which they were conferredthis is the order of a few
common ones: _A.M., Ph.D., D.D., LL.D._ Guard against an excessive use of titles the higher implies the
lower.
Salutations vary with the station of the one addressed, or the writer's degree of intimacy with him. Strangers
may be addressed as _Sir, Dear Sir, Rev. Sir, General, Madam_, etc.; acquaintances as _Dear Sir, Dear
Madam_, etc.; friends as _My dear Sir, My dear Madam, My dear Jones_, etc.; and near relatives and other
dear friends as _My dear Wife, My dear Boy, Dearest Ellen_, etc.
+How Written+.The Address may follow the Heading, beginning on the next line, and standing on the left
side of the page; or it may stand in corresponding position after the Body of the Letter and the Conclusion. If
the letter is of an official character or is written to an intimate friend, the Address may appropriately be placed
at the bottom of the letter; but in ordinary business letters, it should be placed at the top and as directed above.
Never omit it from the letter except when the letter is written in the third person. There should be a narrow
margin on the left side of the page, and the Address should begin on the marginal line. If the Address occupies
more than one line, the initial words of these lines should slope to the right.
Begin the Salutation on the marginal line or a little to the right of it when the Address occupies three lines; on
the marginal line or farther to the right or to the left than the second line of the Address when this occupies
two lines; a little to the right of the marginal line when the Address occupies one line; on the marginal line
when the Address stands below.
Every important word in the Address should begin with a capital letter. All the items of it should be set off by
Part III_.]
203
the comma; and, as it is an abbreviated sentence, it should close with a period. Every important word in the
Salutation should begin with a capital letter, and the whole should be followed by a comma, or by a comma
and a dash.
+Direction+.Write these introductions according to the models: 1. Prof. March, Easton, Pa. My dear Sir,
2. Messrs. Smith & Jones, 771 Broadway, New York City. Gentlemen,
3. My dear Mother, When, etc.
4. Messrs. Vallette & Co., Middlebury, Vt. Dear Sirs,
1. mr george platt burlington iowa sir 2. mass Cambridge prof James r lowell my dear friend 3. messrs ivison
blakeman taylor & co gentlemen new york 4. rev brown dr the arlington Washington dear friend d c 5. col
John smith dear colonel n y auburn
*****
LESSON 167.
LETTERWRITINGCONTINUED.
THE BODY OF THE LETTER.
+The Beginning+.Begin the Body of the Letter at the end of the Salutation, and on the same line if the
Introduction is longin which case the comma after the Salutation should be followed by a dash,on the
line below if the Introduction is short.
+Style+.Be perspicuous. Paragraph and punctuate as in other kinds of writing. Avoid blots, erasures,
interlineations, cross lines, and all other offenses against epistolary propriety. The letter "bespeaks the man."
Letters of friendship should be colloquial, chatty, and familiar. Whatever is interesting to you will be
interesting to your friends, however trivial it may seem to a stranger.
Business letters should be brief, and the sentences short, concise, and to the point. Repeat nothing, and omit
nothing needful.
Official letters and formal notes should be more stately and ceremonious. In formal notes the third person is
generally used instead of the first and the second; there is no Introduction, no Conclusion, no Signature, only
the name of the Place and the Date at the bottom, on the left side of the page, thus:
_Mr. & Mrs. A. request the pleasure of Mr. B.'s company at a social gathering, on Tuesday evening, Nov.
15th, at eight o'clock.
32 Fifth Ave., Nov. 5_.
_Mr. B. accepts_ [Footnote: Or regrets that a previous engagement (or illness, or an unfortunate event)
prevents the acceptance of ; or regrets that on account of he is unable to accept .] _with
pleasure Mr. & Mrs. A.'s kind invitation for Tuesday evening, Nov. 15th._
_Wednesday morning, Nov. 9th_.
THE CONCLUSION.
Part III_.]
204
+Parts+.The Conclusion consists of the +Complimentary Close+ and the +Signature+. The forms of the
Complimentary Close are many, and are determined by the relations of the writer to the one addressed. In
letters of friendship you may use, _Your sincere, friend; Yours affectionately; Your loving son_ or
_daughter_, etc. In business letters you may use, _Yours; Yours truly; Truly yours; Yours respectfully; Very
respectfully yours_, etc. In official letters you should be more deferential. Use, _I have the honor to be, Sir,
your obedient servant; Very respectfully, your most obedient servant_; etc., etc.
The Signature consists of your Christian name and your surname. In addressing a stranger write your
Christian name in full. A lady addressing a stranger should prefix to her signature her title, _Mrs._ or Miss
(placing it within marks of parenthesis), unless in the letter she has indicated which of these titles her
correspondent is to use in reply.
+How Written+.The Conclusion should begin near the middle of the first line below the Body of the Letter,
and, if occupying two or more lines, should slope to the right like the Heading and the Address. Begin each
line of it with a capital letter, and punctuate as in other writing, following the whole with a period. The
Signature should be very plain.
+Direction+._Write two formal notesone inviting a friend to a social party, and one declining the
invitation._
+Direction+._Write the Conclusion of a letter of friendship, of a letter of business, and of an official letter,
carefully observing all that has been said above._
+Direction+._Write a letter of two or three lines to your father or your mother, and another to your
minister, talcing care to give properly the Heading in its two parts, the Introduction in its two parts, and the
Conclusion in its two parts. Let the Address in the letter to your father or your mother stand at the bottom._
*****
LESSON 168.
LETTERWRITINGCONTINUED.
THE SUPERSCRIPTION.
+Parts+.The Superscription is what is written on the outside of the envelope. It is the same as the Address,
consisting of the Name, the Title, and the full Directions of the one addressed.
+How Written+.The Superscription should begin just below the middle of the envelope and near the left
edgethe envelope lying with its closed side toward youand should occupy three or four lines. These lines
should slope to the right as in the Heading and the Address, the spaces between the lines should be the same,
and the last line should end near the lower righthand corner. On the first line the Name and the Title should
stand. If the one addressed is in a city, the doornumber and name of the street should be on the second line,
the name of the city on the third, and the name of the state on the fourth. If he is in the country, the name of
the postoffice should be on the second line, the name of the county on the third, the name of the state on the
fourth. The number of the post office box may take the place of the doornumber and the name of the street,
or, to avoid crowding, the number of the box or the name of the county may stand at the lower lefthand
corner. The titles following the name should be separated from it and from each other by the comma, and
every line should end with a comma except the last, which should be followed by a period. [Footnote: Some
omit punctuation after the parts of the Superscription. ] The lines should be straight, and every part of the
Superscription should be legible. Place the stamp at the upper righthand corner.
Part III_.]
205
Part III_.]
206
+For Cautions, Principles, and Examples respecting the cases of nouns and pronouns, see Lessons 119, 122,
123, 123. For Cautions and Examples to guide in the use of the different pronouns, see Lessons 86, 87.+
VI. A pronoun agrees with its antecedent in person, number, and gender.
+For Cautions, Principles, and Examples, see Lessons 118,142.+
VII. A verb agrees with its subject in person and number.
+For Cautions, Examples, and Exceptions, see Lesson 142.+
VIII. A participle assumes the action or being, and is used like an adjective or a noun.
+For Uses of the Participle, see Lessons 37, 38, 39.+
IX. An infinitive is generally introduced by _to_, and with it forms a phrase used as a noun, an adjective, or an
adverb.
+For Uses of the Infinitive, see Lessons 40, 41, 42.+
X. Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns.
+For Cautions and Examples respecting the use of adjectives and of comparative and superlative forms, see
Lessons 90, 91, 128.+
XI. Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or adverbs.
+For Cautions and Examples, see Lesson 93.+
XII. A preposition introduces a phrase modifier, and shows the relation, in sense, of its principal word to the
word modified.
+For Cautions, see Lessons 98, 99.+
XIII. Conjunctions connect words, phrases, or clauses.
+For Cautions and Examples, see Lessons 100, 107.+
XIV. Interjections are used independently.
CONJUGATION OF THE VERB.
+Remarks+.The scheme of conjugation presented below is from English textbooks. In some of these
books the forms introduced by should are classed, not as Future, but as Secondary Past Tense forms of the
Subjunctive.
If we substitute this scheme of conjugation for the simpler one given in the preceding pages, we still fail to get
a classification in which every form corresponds in use to its name. The following examples will illustrate:
He returns tomorrow. (Present = Future.)
When I have performed this, I will come to you. (Present Perfect = Future Perfect.)
Part III_.]
207
Part III_.]
208
determine the case function discharged by the infinitive; but these verbs, after passing through various shades
of meaning, have at last become little more than conventional symbols, so that it would be worse than useless
to attempt to analyze these periphrastic tenses of our moods."
A CONJUGATION OF TEACH.
Active Voice.
INDICATIVE MODE.
Present Indefinite............He teaches. Present Imperfect.............He is teaching. Present Perfect...............He has
taught. Present Perfect Continuous....He has been teaching.
Past Indefinite...............He taught. Past Imperfect................He was teaching. Past Perfect..................He had
taught. Past Perfect Continuous.......He had been teaching.
Future Indefinite.............He will teach. Future Imperfect..............He will be teaching. Future
Perfect................He will have taught. Future Perfect Continuous.....He will have been teaching.
SUBJUNCTIVE MODE.
Present Indefinite............(If) he teach. Present Imperfect.............(If) he be teaching. Present
Perfect...............(If) he have taught. Present Perfect Continuous....(If) he have been teaching.
Past Indefinite...............(If) he taught. Past Imperfect................(If) he were teaching. Past
Perfect..................(If) he had taught. Past Perfect Continuous.......(If) he had been teaching.
Future Indefinite.............(If) he should teach. Future Imperfect..............(If) he should be teaching. Future
Perfect................(If) he should have taught. Future Perfect Continuous.....(If) he should have been teaching.
IMPERATIVE MODE.
Present.......................Teach [thou].
INFINITIVE MODE.
Present Indefinite............(To) teach. Present Imperfect.............(To) be teaching. Present Perfect...............(To)
have taught. Present Perfect Continuous....(To) have been teaching.
PARTICIPLES.
Imperfect.....................Teaching. Perfect.......................Having taught. Perfect Continuous............Having been
teaching.
Passive Voice.
INDICATIVE MODE.
Present Indefinite............He is taught. Present Imperfect.............He is being taught. Present
Perfect...............He has been taught.
Past Indefinite...............He was taught. Past Imperfect................He was being taught. Past
Part III_.]
209
Part III_.]
210
of a sentence of subjects of themes +Antecedent+, a clause, phrase, or word (note) +Antithesis+ (note) Any
body (or _one_) _else's_ (note) +Apostrophe+ the +Appositives+ +Argumentative Style+ +Arrangement+
+Articles+ +classes+ definite indefinite errors in use of repeated when uses of _a_, or _an_, and the As
introductory conjunction relative pronoun (note) with clauses of degree, manner, and time with variety of
clauses _As ... as_, construction of _As it were_, construction of +Aspirates+ +Assumed Subject+, what
+Attribute Complement+ definition of diagram of +Auxiliary Verbs+
_Be_, conjugation of derivation of (note) Beside and besides distinguished (note) Best of the two Between
with three or more (note) +Brackets+, use of But adversative conjunction a preposition various uses of with or
without that with what incorrect for but that or but Can +Capital Letters+ in abbreviations in beginning
sentences in class names in compound names in names of the Deity in proper names in titles rule for I and O
summary of rules for +Case+ defined of attribute complement of explanatory modifier of noun or pronoun
independent of noun or pronoun used adverbially of objective complement +Cases+ definitions of in
AngloSaxon and in Latin +Case Forms+ errors in use of five pronouns have three nouns have two only eight
nominative only seven objective +Cause+, adverbs of +Cause Clauses+, divisible +Classification+ necessity
of not governed by logical relation +Clauses+ classes dependent independent complex and compound
+dependent+ adjective adverb noun +independent+ (the thought) in alternation in contrast in same line
inferred +Collective Nouns+ form of verb with of what number +Colon+ +Comma+, rules for +Comparison+
adjectives without it cautions to guide in definition of degree used with two degrees of, defined...257. 268
double, origin of double, to be shunned errors in use of forms of irregular when adverb used which form
preferred +Complement+ is what the modified is what +Complements+ attribute (subjective) object objective
+Complex Sentences+ definition treatment of +Compound Attribute Complement+ +Compound Object
Complement+ +Compound Personal Pronouns+ +Compound Predicate+, defined +Compound Relative
Pronouns+ +Compound Sentence+ changed to complex contracted defined treatment of +Compound
Subject+, defined +Condition Clauses without conjunction+ +Conjugation+ definition of forms of more
elaborate form +Conjunction a, definition of+ +Conjunctions+ +classes+ coordinate subordinate
+coordinate+ adversative alternative +Conjunctions+ (cont.) +coordinate+ copulative coordinate connect
sentences and paragraphs scheme for review +Conjunctive Adverbs+ are what offices of +Connectives+ apt
ones to be chosen +coordinate+ adversative alternative copulative errors in use of in correlation introductory
+subordinate+ of adjective clauses of adverb clauses of noun clauses +Consonants+, classes of +Contraction+
of +Sentences+ +Coordinate Conjunctions+ +Copulative+, meaning of +Copula+, what +Correlatives+,
errors in use of
D of the ed of verbs in past tense D of the ed of past participles _Dare_, without s form +Dash+ the
+Declarative Sentence+, defined +Declension+ defined of interrogative pronouns of nouns of personal
pronouns of relative pronouns +Degree+, adverbs of +Descriptive Style+ +Diminution+, degrees of
+Diagram+ a, what may be omitted _Do,_ idiomatic use of
Each other construction of with two or more Ed of past tense and participle Either and _neither_, pronouns
and conjunctions, with two or more Either may be used for each +Elocution+, object of +Energy+ defined
exercises in secured how +English Grammar+, definition of +Epigrams+ are what +Evidence+ distinguished
from +Cause+ +Exclamatory Sentences+ definition of order of words in +Expansion+ of absolute phrases of
infinitive phrases of participles of sentences +Explanatory Modifier+ definition of punctuation of
+Figures of Speech+ basis of definition illustrations of names of uses of _First two_, etc. +Force+ (see
+Energy+) For to +Gender+ defined distinguished from sex of names of animals of what importance of
pronouns, errors in used in personification +Gender Forms+ +Genders+, the three defined
_Had better, rather, sooner_ _Hand in hand_, construction of _Have written_, history of He or one after the
indefinite one +Humor+, in style +Hyphen+, use of
+Idea+ distinguished from object If for even if, although for whether omission of variety of uses +Imagery+,
Part III_.]
211
discussion of +Imperative Sentence+ definition of order of words in In and Into distinguished _In case that_,
construction of +Independent Clauses+ definition of joined without conjunction punctuated +Independent
Expressions+, punctuated +Indirect+, or +Dative+, Object +Inference+, expressed by an independent clause
+Infinitive+ (the), and assumed subject after for definition of double nature of old dative of use of present
perfect after past indicative why called infinitive +Infinitive Phrase+ after a preposition as adjective as
adjective modifier as adverb modifier as attribute complement as explanatory modifier as object complement
as objective complement as subject cleft or split does not with the noun form a clause expansion into clauses
independent _In order that_, construction of +Interjections+ +Interrogation Point+, use of +Interrogative
Pronouns+ declension definition list +Interrogative Sentences+ definition of order of words in +Intransitive
Verbs+, definition +Introductory Words+ +Invitations+, form of +Irregular Verbs+ definition of inflections of
list of persistence of It for a clause idiomatic use of use for animals and children vague _It is me_, _him_, etc.
_Just as_, construction of +Language+ definition of made up of words natural word _Last two_, etc. Lay and
lie _Less_, the final s of, and lesser Lest equaling that not various uses of with noun clause +Letters+, the
alphabet +Letters+ body of conclusion of heading of illustration of introduction of parts of superscription of
+LetterWriting+ +Loose Sentence+ _Many a_, explanation of +Manner+, adverbs of +Masculine Gender+
distinguished +Masculine Pronoun+, use of May +Metaphor+ definition of exercises in use of Methinks
+Metonymy+ definition of exercises in use of _Mine, thine, of mine_, etc +Mode+ is what +Modes+
+classes+, imperative indicative potential subjunctive definitions of imperative, no 2d and 3d persons
indicative, uses of potential omitted subjunctive +Modifications+, definition +Modified Complement+
+Modifiers+, definition different rank explanatory, punctuation Must _Myself_, explanatory
+N+, Saxon _ne_, the negative particle +Narrative Style+ +Natural Language+ _Need_, without s form
+Negation+ by adverbs +Negatives+, double No and _yes_, sentencewords No body (or _one_) _else's_
+Nominative Forms+, eight +Noun+ a, definition of +Nouns+ abstract as adjective modifiers as adverb
modifiers cases of classes of collective common and proper declension gender of number, kinds of person of
roots of scheme for general review +Noun Clauses+ as attribute complement as explanatory modifier as object
complement as principal term of prepositional phrase as subject connectives of contraction of definition of
position of punctuation of +Noun Modifier+ explanatory (appositive) explanatory of a sentence possessive
+Number+ definition of kinds of of noun agreeing with adjective of nouns determined of verbs shows what
_0_ and oh distinguished +Object+ and +Object Complement+ distinguished +Object+, indirect +Object+,
indirect, made subject +Object Complement+ becoming subject compound definition of retained after verb in
passive +Objective Forms+, seven +Objective Complement+ an infinitive phrase a participle becoming an
attribute complement definition of extended beyond its factitive sense Of in place of possessive sign not
always indicating possession _Of mine_, etc On condition that One another syntax of with two or more
_Only_, position of syntax of +Order+ (words and phrases) transposed usual _Other_, misuse of Ought
+Paragraph+ (the) composition of definition of topics and subtopics of unity of +Paragraphing+, exercises in
+Parallel Construction+ +Parenthesis+, marks of +Parenthetical Classes+, punctuation +Parsing+ definition of
first step in models for written +Participles+ adjectival as adjective modifiers as attribute complements as
mere adjectives as mere nouns as objective complements as prepositions as principal word in a phrase
definition of expansion of forms of in independent phrases misuse of modified by a and the modified by a
possessive nounal, called _gerunds, infinitives, verbal nouns_ place of punctuation of used in slurring
+Passive Voice+, idiomatic constructions +Period+, use of +Periodic Sentence+ +Person+ forms of a noun or
pronoun of a verb why regarded in the grammar +Personification+, the figure +Persons+, the three defined
+Perspicuity+ definition of exercises in +Phrases+ absolute adjective and adverb as prepositions complex and
compound definition of infinitive interchange with clauses interchange with words participial position of
prepositional punctuation of used independently verb +Place+, adverbs of +Plural Number+ +Plural+ ending,
origin foreign forms of formed irregularly formed regularly form same as singular forms treated as singular no
form for of compound words of letters, figures, etc. of proper names some originally singular some words
always two forms with different meaning without singular of like meaning +Possessive Ending+ added to
explanatory word ambiguity avoided by attached to the adjective confined to what error respecting errors in
use of of for of compound names origin of when omitted when pronounced es +Predicate+ adjective defined a
Part III_.]
212
verb or contains one compound definition of modified noun defined of two or more words +Preposition+ a,
defined +Prepositions+ becoming adverbs ending a sentence ending in ing errors in use of list of two before a
noun where sometimes found with verb before a noun +Pronoun+ a, defined +Pronouns+ agreement Nom.
and Obj. forms +classes+ adjective interrogative personal relative declension of denote relations errors in use
of need of number scheme for review vagueness of +Pronouns (Adjective)+ a (day) or two _all, both_, and
whole before of any body (or _one_) _else's_, etc. declension of definition of demonstrative distributive _each
other_, with two or more _either, neither_, with two or more either for each _first two, last three_, etc., _he_,
etc. after indefinite one indefinite none in both numbers _ones_, plural other and _than_, words between
_other two_, when one of three is taken partial list of such or so with adjectives +Pronouns (Interrogative)+
declension definition list +Pronouns (Personal)+ avoided when compound consistent use of declension
definition _its_, history of misuse of them for those my and _mine_, etc. order of _ours, yours_, etc., double
possessives +Pronouns (Personal)+ (cont.) use of compound used needlessly we hardly plural of I we instead
of I ye has given way to you +Pronouns (Relative)+ agreement of compound declension definition
discriminated in use omitted when same with same antecedent that in restrictive clauses that instead of who
and which what misused for that who and which restrictive and unrestrictive with omitted antecedents +Pun+,
a +Punctuation Marks+ exercises in summary of rules for +Qualities of Style+ +Question+, direct and indirect
+Quotation Marks+, use of +Quotations+ capitalization of definition of direct indirect punctuation of Quoth
+Regular Verbs+ definition increasing inflections of +Relative Clauses+, position +Result+, clauses of
+Review Questions+ +Review+ of +Sentence+, scheme for
+Satire+ +Semicolon+, rules for +Sentence+ (the) balanced contracted defined expanded loose period
+Sentences+ (classed) +form+ complex compound simple +meaning+ declarative exclamatory imperative
interrogative Set and sit Shall and will Should and would +Simile+, definition and exercises in +Simple
Sentences+ definition of treatment of _Since_, various uses of +Singular Number+ _So ... as_, construction of
Some body (or _one_) _else's_ +Sounds+ and +Letters+ +Speech+ figures of mechanism of +Spelling+, rules
for +Style+ argumentative definition of descriptive illustrations narrative qualities of +Subject+ assumed,
what assumed, changed to prevent ambiguity compound defined determined how +Subject+ (cont.), modified,
or logical +Subjunctive Mode+ definition of disappearing uses of +Subordinate Conjunctions+ +Subordinate
Connectives+ +Synecdoche+ +Synopsis+ is what +Syntax+, rules for
+Tense+ defined future, how used future perfect, how used past, how used past perfect, how used present,
how used present perfect, how used +Tenses+ defined emphatic form of errors in use of conjunctive adverb
Than errors in use of followed by adjective replaced by _but_, etc. use after comparatives with me after it
Than whom That and _this_, adjectives, plurals That and this (Adj. Pro.) declension reference That (Conj.)
with cause clause with noun clause with purpose clause _That_, Conj. Adv., degree clause That (Rel. Pr.)
distinguished from who and which for who and which generally restrictive preposition follows _The_, uses of
_The ... the_ construction of explanation of +Themes+ framework of how to write them subjects for _The one,
the other_ This +Thought+, how expressed Three times four is twelve To with infinitive construction of
expressing relation extension of no part of not expressed position of without relation +Transitive Verbs+
definition of conjugated passively
+Unity+ of paragraphs Unless (= _if not_) +Usage+
+Variety+ how secured illustrations of want of +Verb+ a, defined +Verb+ Be an auxiliary conjugation of
derivation of +VerbPhrases+ +Verbs+ (classes) +form+ irregular regular +meaning+ intransitive transitive
+Verbs+ a modern passive progressive form analysis of compound tense forms as nouns auxiliary changing
their voice conjugated in progressive form conjugated interrogatively conjugated negatively conjugation of
+Verbs+ (_cont._) defective forms not asserting improper forms used indicative and potential with
subjunctive meaning inflections of +intransitive+ definition of made transitive +irregular+ definition of list of
persistence of principal parts of mode, defined model for written parsing number forms number of defined
passive form compound periphrastic forms resolved, person forms person of potential auxiliaries principal
parts redundant +regular+ definition of increasing scheme for gen. review Strong (or Old), Weak (or New)
Part III_.]
213
subjunctive form fading tense the e and the d of past tense, the e and the d of past participle +transitive+,
definition of conjugated passively voice +Verbs+ (agreement of) attracted errors in with and in what with
collective noun with subjects connected by and with subjects connected by or or nor with subjects
emphatically distinguished with subjects naming same thing with subjects one affirmative and one negative
with subjects following with subjects preceded by _each_, _every_, etc. with subjects varying in person
+Vocal Consonants+ +Voice+, the voices defined +Voices+ changed +Vowels+ What equal to that or whom
in origin misuse for that various uses of without antecedent
When conjunctive adverb connecting various clauses in adjective clauses interrogative adverb Where
conjunctive adverb connecting various clauses in adjective clauses interrogative adverb Whether repeated with
more than two Whether or no Which an adjective an interrogative pronoun a relative pronoun clause as
antecedent composition of declension Which and Who in restrictive clauses in unrestrictive clauses that used
for _While_, connecting various clauses Will and would +Words+ great number of in Eng. spoken words what
transposed order of use of determining the class of usual order of written words what +Words+ and +Phrases+
(cont.) connected, each making good sense with context independent independent nearly in pairs, punctuation
interchangeable made prominent modifying sentences _Worth_, a verb
Ye Yes and No _You_, verb form with
End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Higher Lessons in English by Alonzo Reed and Braiderd Kellogg
*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HIGHER LESSONS IN ENGLISH ***
This file should be named hiles10.txt or hiles10.zip Corrected EDITIONS of our eBooks get a new
NUMBER, hiles11.txt VERSIONS based on separate sources get new LETTER, hiles10a.txt
Produced by Karl Hagen and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
Project Gutenberg eBooks are often created from several printed editions, all of which are confirmed as Public
Domain in the US unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we usually do not keep eBooks in compliance
with any particular paper edition.
We are now trying to release all our eBooks one year in advance of the official release dates, leaving time for
better editing. Please be encouraged to tell us about any error or corrections, even years after the official
publication date.
Please note neither this listing nor its contents are final til midnight of the last day of the month of any such
announcement. The official release date of all Project Gutenberg eBooks is at Midnight, Central Time, of the
last day of the stated month. A preliminary version may often be posted for suggestion, comment and editing
by those who wish to do so.
Most people start at our Web sites at: http://gutenberg.net or http://promo.net/pg
These Web sites include awardwinning information about Project Gutenberg, including how to donate, how
to help produce our new eBooks, and how to subscribe to our email newsletter (free!).
Those of you who want to download any eBook before announcement can get to them as follows, and just
download by date. This is also a good way to get them instantly upon announcement, as the indexes our
cataloguers produce obviously take a while after an announcement goes out in the Project Gutenberg
Newsletter.
http://www.ibiblio.org/gutenberg/etext03 or ftp://ftp.ibiblio.org/pub/docs/books/gutenberg/etext03
214
Or /etext02, 01, 00, 99, 98, 97, 96, 95, 94, 93, 92, 92, 91 or 90
Just search by the first five letters of the filename you want, as it appears in our Newsletters.
215
International donations are accepted, but we don't know ANYTHING about how to make them
taxdeductible, or even if they CAN be made deductible, and don't have the staff to handle it even if there are
ways.
Donations by check or money order may be sent to:
Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation PMB 113 1739 University Ave. Oxford, MS 386554109
Contact us if you want to arrange for a wire transfer or payment method other than by check or money order.
The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation has been approved by the US Internal Revenue Service as
a 501(c)(3) organization with EIN [Employee Identification Number] 64622154. Donations are
taxdeductible to the maximum extent permitted by law. As fundraising requirements for other states are
met, additions to this list will be made and fundraising will begin in the additional states.
We need your donations more than ever!
You can get up to date donation information online at:
http://www.gutenberg.net/donation.html
***
If you can't reach Project Gutenberg, you can always email directly to:
Michael S. Hart <[email protected]>
Prof. Hart will answer or forward your message.
We would prefer to send you information by email.
**
216
ABOUT PROJECT GUTENBERGTM EBOOKS This PROJECT GUTENBERGtm eBook, like most
PROJECT GUTENBERGtm eBooks, is a "public domain" work distributed by Professor Michael S. Hart
through the Project Gutenberg Association (the "Project"). Among other things, this means that no one owns a
United States copyright on or for this work, so the Project (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United
States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth below, apply if you
wish to copy and distribute this eBook under the "PROJECT GUTENBERG" trademark.
Please do not use the "PROJECT GUTENBERG" trademark to market any commercial products without
permission.
To create these eBooks, the Project expends considerable efforts to identify, transcribe and proofread public
domain works. Despite these efforts, the Project's eBooks and any medium they may be on may contain
"Defects". Among other things, Defects may take the form of incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data,
transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or
other eBook medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment.
LIMITED WARRANTY; DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES
But for the "Right of Replacement or Refund" described below, [1] Michael Hart and the Foundation (and any
other party you may receive this eBook from as a PROJECT GUTENBERGtm eBook) disclaims all liability
to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees, and [2] YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR
NEGLIGENCE OR UNDER STRICT LIABILITY, OR FOR BREACH OF WARRANTY OR CONTRACT,
INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL
DAMAGES, EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
If you discover a Defect in this eBook within 90 days of receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money
(if any) you paid for it by sending an explanatory note within that time to the person you received it from. If
you received it on a physical medium, you must return it with your note, and such person may choose to
alternatively give you a replacement copy. If you received it electronically, such person may choose to
alternatively give you a second opportunity to receive it electronically.
THIS EBOOK IS OTHERWISE PROVIDED TO YOU "ASIS". NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY
KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, ARE MADE TO YOU AS TO THE EBOOK OR ANY MEDIUM IT MAY
BE ON, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS
FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
Some states do not allow disclaimers of implied warranties or the exclusion or limitation of consequential
damages, so the above disclaimers and exclusions may not apply to you, and you may have other legal rights.
INDEMNITY
You will indemnify and hold Michael Hart, the Foundation, and its trustees and agents, and any volunteers
associated with the production and distribution of Project Gutenbergtm texts harmless, from all liability, cost
and expense, including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following that you do or
cause: [1] distribution of this eBook, [2] alteration, modification, or addition to the eBook, or [3] any Defect.
DISTRIBUTION UNDER "PROJECT GUTENBERGtm"
You may distribute copies of this eBook electronically, or by disk, book or any other medium if you either
delete this "Small Print!" and all other references to Project Gutenberg, or:
[1] Only give exact copies of it. Among other things, this requires that you do not remove, alter or modify the
217
eBook or this "small print!" statement. You may however, if you wish, distribute this eBook in machine
readable binary, compressed, markup, or proprietary form, including any form resulting from conversion by
word processing or hypertext software, but only so long as *EITHER*:
[*] The eBook, when displayed, is clearly readable, and does *not* contain characters other than those
intended by the author of the work, although tilde (~), asterisk (*) and underline (_) characters may be used to
convey punctuation intended by the author, and additional characters may be used to indicate hypertext links;
OR
[*] The eBook may be readily converted by the reader at no expense into plain ASCII, EBCDIC or equivalent
form by the program that displays the eBook (as is the case, for instance, with most word processors); OR
[*] You provide, or agree to also provide on request at no additional cost, fee or expense, a copy of the eBook
in its original plain ASCII form (or in EBCDIC or other equivalent proprietary form).
[2] Honor the eBook refund and replacement provisions of this "Small Print!" statement.
[3] Pay a trademark license fee to the Foundation of 20% of the gross profits you derive calculated using the
method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. If you don't derive profits, no royalty is due.
Royalties are payable to "Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation" the 60 days following each date
you prepare (or were legally required to prepare) your annual (or equivalent periodic) tax return. Please
contact us beforehand to let us know your plans and to work out the details.
WHAT IF YOU *WANT* TO SEND MONEY EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO?
Project Gutenberg is dedicated to increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
freely distributed in machine readable form.
The Project gratefully accepts contributions of money, time, public domain materials, or royalty free
copyright licenses. Money should be paid to the: "Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
If you are interested in contributing scanning equipment or software or other items, please contact Michael
Hart at: [email protected]
[Portions of this eBook's header and trailer may be reprinted only when distributed free of all fees. Copyright
(C) 2001, 2002 by Michael S. Hart. Project Gutenberg is a TradeMark and may not be used in any sales of
Project Gutenberg eBooks or other materials be they hardware or software or any other related product
without express permission.]
*END THE SMALL PRINT! FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN EBOOKS*Ver.02/11/02*END*
Higher Lessons in English
from http://manybooks.net/