pres. I may, can, or must do, &c. Infinitive, present, to do; perf. to
have done. Participles, pres. doing; perf. done; compound, having done.
HAVE. _Have_ is in great demand. No verb can be conjugated through all
the moods and tenses without it. _Have_, when used as a principal verb,
is doubled in some of the past tenses, and becomes an auxiliary to
itself; thus, Indic. mood, pres. tense, first pers. sing. I have;
imperf. tense, I had; perf. I have had; pluperf. I had had; first fut. I
shall or will have; sec. fut. I shall have had. Subjunctive, present, if
I have; imperf. if I had; perf. if I have had; pluperf. if I had had;
first fut. if I shall or will have; sec. fut. if I shall have had.
Imper. mood, have thou. Potential, present, I may, can, or must have;
imperf. I might, could, would, or should have; perf. I may, can, or must
have had; pluperf. I might, could, would, or should have had.
Infinitive, present, to have; perf. to have had. Participles, pres.
having; perf. had; compound, having had.
BE. In the next place I will present to you the conjugation of the
irregular, neuter verb, _Be_, which is an auxiliary whenever it is
placed before the perfect participle of another verb, but in every other
situation, it is a _principal_ verb.
TO BE. - INDICATIVE MOOD.
Pres. Tense.
_Sing_. I am, thou art, he, she, _or_ it is.
_Plur_. We are, ye _or_ you are, they are.
Imperf. Tense.
_Sing_. I was, thou wast, he was.
_Plur_. We were, ye _or_ you were, they were.
Perf. Tense.
_Sing_. I have been, thou hast been, he hath _or_ has been.
_Plur_. We have been, ye _or_ you have been, they have been.
Plup. Tense.
_Sing_. I had been, thou hadst been, he had been.
_Plur_. We had been, ye _or_ you had been, they had been.
First Fut. T.
_Sing_, I shall _or_ will be, thou shalt _or_ wilt be,
he shall _or_ will be.
_Plur_. We shall _or_ will be, you shall _or_ will be,
they shall _or_ will be.
Second Fut. T.
_Sing_. I shall have been, thou wilt have been, he will have been.
_Plur_. We shall have been, you will have been, they will have been.
SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD.
Pres. Tense.
_Sing_. If I be, if thou be, if he be.
_Plur_. If we be, if ye _or_ you be, if they be.
Imperf. Tense.
_Sing_. If I were, if thou wert, if he were.
_Plur_. If we were, if ye _or_ you were, if they were.
The neuter verb to _be_, and all passive verbs, have two forms in the
imperfect tense of this mood, as well as in the present; therefore, the
following rule may serve to direct you in the proper use of each form.
When the sentence implies doubt, supposition, &c. and the neuter verb
_be_, or the passive verb, is used with a reference to present or future
time, and is either followed or preceded by another verb in the
imperfect of the potential mood, the _conjunctive_ form of the imperfect
tense must be employed; as, "_If_ he _were_ here, we _should_ rejoice
together;" "She _might_ go, _were_ she so disposed." But when there is
no reference to present or future time, and the verb is neither followed
nor preceded by another in the potential imperfect, the _indicative_
form of the imperfect tense must be used; as, "_If_ he _was_ ill, he did
not make it known;" "_Whether_ he _was_ absent or present, is a matter
of no consequence." The general rule for using the conjunctive form of
the verb, is presented on page 145. See, also, page 135.
The perfect, pluperfect, and first future tenses of the subjunctive
mood, are conjugated in a manner similar to the correspondent tenses of
the indicative. The second future is conjugated thus:
Second Fut. T.
_Sing_. If I shall have been, if thou shalt have been, if he shall. &c
_Plur_. If we shall have been, if you shall have been, if they, &c.
IMPERATIVE MOOD.
Pres. Tense.
_Sing_. Be, _or_ be thou, _or_ do thou be.
_Plur_. Be, _or_ be ye _or_ you, or do ye _or_ you be.
POTENTIAL MOOD.
Pres. Tense
_Sing_. I may, can, _or_ must be, thou mayst, canst, _or_ must be,
he may, can, _or_ must be.
_Plur_. We may, can, _or_ must be, ye _or_ you may, can, _or_ must be,
they may, can, _or_ must be.
Imperf. Tense.
_Sing_. I might, could, would, _or_ should be, thou mightest, &c.
_Plur_. We might, could, would, _or_ should be, you might, &c.
Perf. Tense
_Sing_. I may, can, _or_ must have been, thou mayst, canst, &c.
_Plur_. We may, can, _or_ must have been, you may, can, _or_ must be, &c.
Pluper. Tense.
_Sing_. I might, could, would, _or_ should have been, thou, &c.
_Plur_. We might, could, would, _or_ should have been, you, &c.
INFINITIVE MOOD.
Pres. Tense. To be. Perf. Tense. To have been.
PARTICIPLES.
Pres. Being. Perf. Been. Compound, Having been.
This verb to be, though very irregular in its conjugation, is by far the
most important verb in our language, for it is more frequently used than
any other; many rules of syntax depend on constructions associated with
it, and, without its aid, no passive verb can be conjugated. You ought,
therefore, to make yourself perfectly familiar with all its changes,
before you proceed any farther.
* * * * *
II. PASSIVE VERBS.
The _cases of nouns_ are a fruitful theme for investigation and
discussion. In the progress of these lectures, this subject has
frequently engaged our attention; and, now, in introducing to your
notice the passive verb, it will, perhaps, be found both interesting and
profitable to present one more view of the nominative case.
Every sentence, you recollect, must have one _finite_ verb, or more than
one, and one _nominative_, either expressed or implied, for, without
them, no sentence can exist.
The _nominative_ is the _actor_ or _subject_ concerning which the verb
makes an affirmation. There are three kinds of nominatives, _active,
passive_, and _neuter_.
The nominative to an _active_ verb, is _active_, because it _produces_
an action, and the nominative to a _passive_ verb, is _passive_, because
it _receives_ or _endures_ the action expressed by the verb; for,
A Passive Verb denotes action _received_ or _endured_ by the person or
thing which is the nominative; as, "The _boy is beaten_ by his father."
You perceive, that the nominative _boy_, in this example, is not
represented as the _actor_, but as the _object_ of the action expressed
by the verb _is beaten_; that is, the boy _receives_ or _endures_ the
action performed by his father; therefore _boy_ is a _passive_
nominative. And you observe, too, that the verb _is beaten_, denotes the
_action_ received or endured by the nominative; therefore _is beaten_ is
a _passive_ verb.
If I say, John _kicked_ the horse, John is an active nominative, because
he performed or produced the action; but if I say, John _was kicked_ by
the horse, John is a passive nominative, because he received or endured
the action.
The nominative to a _neuter_ verb, is _neuter_, because it does not
produce an action nor receive one; as, John _sits_ in the chair. John is
here connected with the neuter verb _sits_, which expresses simply the
state of being of its nominative, therefore _John_ is a neuter
nominative.
I will now illustrate the active, passive, and neuter nominatives by a
few examples.
I. Of ACTIVE NOMINATIVES; as, "The _boy_ beats the dog; The _lady_
sings; The _ball_ rolls; The _man_ walks."
II. Of PASSIVE NOMINATIVES; as, "The _boy_ is beaten; The _lady_ is
loved; The _ball_ is rolled; The _man_ was killed."
III. Of NEUTER NOMINATIVES; as, "The _boy_ remains idle; The _lady_ is
beautiful; The _ball_ lies on the ground; The _man_ lives in town."
You may now proceed to the conjugation of passive verbs.
Passive Verbs are called _regular_ when they end in _ed_; as, was
_loved_; was _conquered_.
All Passive Verbs _are formed_ by adding the _perfect participle_ of an
active-transitive verb, to the neuter verb _to be_.
If you place a perfect participle of an active-transitive verb after
this neuter verb _be_, in any mood or tense, you will have a _passive_
verb in the same mood and tense that the verb _be_ would be in if the
participle were not used; as, I am _slighted_; I was _slighted_; he will
be _slighted_; If I be _slighted_; I may, can, _or_ must be _slighted_,
&c. Hence you perceive, that when you shall have learned the conjugation
of the verb _be_, you will be able to conjugate any passive verb in the
English language.
The regular passive verb to _be loved_, which is formed by adding the
perfect participle _loved_ to the neuter verb to _be_, is conjugated in
the following manner:
TO BE LOVED. - INDICATIVE MOOD.
Pres. Tense
_Sing_. I am loved, thou art loved, he is loved.
_Plur_. We are loved, ye _or_ you are loved, they are loved.
Imperf. Tense.
_Sing_. I was loved, thou wast loved, he was loved.
_Plur_. We were loved, ye _or_ you were loved, they were loved.
Perfect Tense.
_Sing_. I have been loved, thou hast been loved, he has been loved.
_Plur_. We have been loved, you have been loved, they have, &c.
Pluper. Tense
_Sing_. I had been loved, thou hadst been loved, he had been, &c.
_Plur_. We had been loved, you had been loved, they had been, &c.
First Future.
_Sing_. I shall _or_ will be loved, thou shall _or_ wilt be loved, he, &c.
_Plur_. We shall _or_ will be loved, you shall _or_ will be loved, they, &c.
First Future.
_Sing_. I shall have been loved, thou wilt have been loved, he, &c.
_Plur_. We shall have been loved, you will have been loved, &c.
SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD.
Pres. Tense
_Sing_. If I be loved, if thou be loved, if he be loved.
_Plur_. If we be loved, if ye _or_ you be loved, if they be loved.
Imperf. Tense.
_Sing_. If I were loved, if thou wert loved, if he were loved.
_Plur_. If we were loved, if you were loved, if they were loved.
This mood has six tenses: - See conjugation of the verb to _be_.
IMPERATIVE MOOD.
Pres. Tense.
_Sing_. Be thou loved, _or_ do thou be loved.
_Plur_. Be ye _or_ you loved, _or_ do ye be loved.
POTENTIAL MOOD.
Pres. Tense.
_Sing_. I may, can, _or_ must be loved, thou mayst, canst, _or_ must, &c.
_Plur_. We may, can, _or_ must be loved, you may, can, _or_ must, &c.
Imperf. Tense.
_Sing_. I might, could, would, _or_ should be loved, thou mightst, &c.
_Plur_. We might, could, would, or should be loved, ye _or_ you, &c.
Perfect Tense.
_Sing_. I may, can, _or_ must have been loved, thou mayst, canst, &c.
_Plur_. We may, can, _or_ must have been loved, you may, can, &c.
Plup. Tense.
_Sing_. I might, could, would, _or_ should have been loved, thou
mightst, couldst, wouldst, _or_ shouldst have
_Plur_. We might, could, would, _or_ should have been loved, you
might, could, would, _or_ should have been loved, they, &c.
INFINITIVE MOOD.
Pres. Tense. To be loved. Perf. Tense. To have been loved.
PARTICIPLES.
Present, Being loved. Perfect _or_ Passive, Loved.
Compound, Having been loved.
NOTE. This conjugation of the passive verb _to be loved_, is called
the _passive, voice_ of the regular active-transitive verb _to
love_.
Now conjugate the following passive verbs; that is, speak them in the
first pers. sing, and plur. of each tense, through all the moods, and
speak the participles; "to be loved, to be rejected, to be slighted, to
be conquered, to be seen, to be beaten, to be sought, to be taken."
NOTE 1. When the perfect participle of an _intransitive_ verb is
joined to the neuter verb _to be_, the combination is not a passive
verb, but a _neuter_ verb in a _passive form_; as, "He _is gone_;
The birds _are flown_; The boy _is_ grown_; My friend _is arrived_."
The following mode of construction, is, in general, to be preferred;
"He _has_ gone; The birds _have_ flown; The boy _has_ grown; My
Friend _has_ arrived."
2. Active and neuter verbs may be conjugated by adding their present
participle to the auxiliary verb _to be_, through all its
variations; as, instead of, I teach, thou teachest, he teaches, &c.,
we may say, I am teaching, thou art teaching, he is teaching, &c.;
and, instead of, I taught, &c.; I was teaching, &c. This mode of
conjugation expresses the continuation of an action or state of
being; and has, on some occasions, a peculiar propriety, and
contributes to the harmony and precision of language. When the
present participle of an active verb is joined with the neuter verb
to be, the two words united, are, by some grammarians, denominated
an active verb, either transitive or intransitive, as the case may
be; as, "I am writing a letter; He is walking:" and when the present
participle of a neuter verb is thus employed, they term the
combination a neuter verb; as, "I am sitting; He is standing."
Others, in constructions like these, parse each word separately.
Either mode may be adopted.
* * * * *
III. DEFECTIVE VERBS.
DEFECTIVE VERBS are those which are used only in some of the moods and
tenses.
The principal of them are these.
_Pres. Tense. Imperf. Tense. Perfect or Passive Participle
is wanting_.
May, might. - - - - - -
Can, could. - - - - - -
Will, would. - - - - - -
Shall, should. - - - - - -
Must, must. - - - - - -
Ought, ought. - - - - - -
- - - quoth. - - - - - -
NOTE. _Must_ and _ought_ are not varied. _Ought_ and _quoth_ are
never used as auxiliaries. _Ought_ is always followed by a verb in
the infinitive mood, which verb determines its tenses. _Ought_ is in
the _present_ tense when the infinitive following it is in the
present; as, "He _ought_ to do it;" and _ought_ is in the
_imperfect_ tense when followed by the perfect of the infinitive;
as, "He _ought_ to have done it."
Before you proceed to the analysis of the following examples, you may
read over the last _three_ lectures carefully and attentively; and as
soon as you become acquainted with all that has been presented, you will
understand nearly all the principles and regular constructions of our
language. In parsing a verb, or any other part of speech, be careful to
pursue the _systematic order_, and to conjugate every verb until you
become familiar with all the moods and tenses.
"He _should have been punished_ before he committed that atrocious
deed."
_Should have been punished_ is a verb, a word that signifies to
do - passive, it denotes action received or endured by the nom. - it is
formed by adding the perfect part, _punished_ to the neuter verb to
_be_ - regular, the perf. part, ends in _ed_ - potential mood, it implies
obligation, &c. - pluperfect tense, it denotes a past act which was prior
to the other past time specified by "committed" - third pers. sing.
num. because the nom. "he" is with which it agrees: RULE 4. _The verb
must agree_, &c. - Conjugated, Indic. mood, pres. tense, he is punished;
imperf. tense, he was punished; perf. tense, he has been punished; and
so on. Conjugate it through all the moods and tenses, and speak the
participles.
EXERCISES IN PARSING.
Columbus discovered America. America was discovered by Columbus. The
preceptor is writing a letter. The letter is written by the preceptor.
The work can be done. The house would have been built ere this, had he
fulfilled his promise. If I be beaten by that man, he will be punished.
Young man, if you wish to be respected, you must be more assiduous.
Being ridiculed and despised, he left the institution. He is reading
Homer. They are talking. He may be respected, if he become more
ingenuous. My worthy friend ought to be honored for his benevolent
deeds. This ought ye to have done.
ADDITIONAL EXERCISES IN PARSING.
All the most important principles of the science, together with many of
the rules, have now been presented and illustrated. But before you
proceed to analyze the following exercises, you may turn over a few
pages, and you will find all the rules presented in a body. Please to
examine them critically, and parse the _examples_ under each rule and
note. The examples, you will notice, are given to illustrate the
respective rules and notes under which they are placed; hence, by paying
particular attention to them, you will be enabled fully and clearly to
comprehend the meaning and application of all the rules and notes.
As soon as you become familiarly acquainted with all the _definitions_
so that you can apply them with facility, you may omit them in parsing;
but you must always apply the rules of Syntax. When you parse without
applying the definitions, you may proceed in the following manner:
"Mercy is the true badge of nobility."
_Mercy_ is a noun common, of the neuter gender, third person, singular
number, and in the nominative case to "is:" RULE 3. _The nominative case
governs the verb_.
_Is_ is an irregular neuter verb, indicative mood, present tense, third
person, singular number, agreeing with "mercy," according to RULE 4.
_The verb must agree_, &c.
_The_ is a definite article, belonging to "badge," in the singular
number: RULE 2. _The definite article_ the, &c.
_True_ is an adjective in the positive degree, and belongs to the noun
"badge:" RULE 18. _Adjectives belong_, &c.
_Badge_ is a noun com. neuter gender, third person, singular number, and
in the nominative case _after_ "is," and put by apposition with "mercy,"
according to RULE 21. _The verb to be may have the same case after it as
before it_.
_Of_ is a preposition, connecting "badge" and "nobility," and showing
the relation between them.
_Nobility_ is a noun of multitude, mas. and fem. gender, third person,
sing, and in the obj. case, and governed by "of:" RULE 31. _Prepositions
govern the objective case_.
EXERCISES IN PARSING.
Learn to unlearn what you have learned amiss.
What I forfeit for myself is a trifle; that my indiscretions should
reach my posterity, wounds me to the heart.
Lady Jane Gray fell a sacrifice to the wild ambition of the duke of
Northumberland.
King Missipsi charged his sons to consider the senate and people of Rome
as proprietors of the kingdom of Numidia.
Hazael smote the children of Israel in all their coasts; and from what
is left on record of his actions, he plainly appears to have proved,
what the prophet foresaw him to be, a man of violence, cruelty, and
blood.
Heaven hides from brutes what men, from men what spirits know.
He that formed the ear, can he not hear?
He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
NOTE 1. _Learn_, in the first of the preceding examples, is a
transitive verb, because the action passes over from the nom. _you_
understood, to _the rest of the sentence_ for its object: RULE 24.
In the next example, _that my indiscretions should reach my
posterity_, is a part of a sentence put as the nominative to the
verb _wounds_, according to the same Rule.
2. The noun _sacrifice_, in the third example, is nom. after the
active-intransitive verb _fell_: RULE 22. The noun _proprietors_, in
the next sentence, is in the objective case, and put by apposition
with _senate_ and _people_: RULE 7, or governed by _consider_,
understood, according to RULE 35.
3. In the fifth example, _what_, following _proved_, is a compound
relative. _Thing_, the antecedent part, is in the nom. case after
_to be_, understood, and put by apposition with _he_, according to
RULE 21, and NOTE. _Which_, the relative part, is in the obj. case
after _to be_ expressed, and put by apposition with _him_, according
to the same RULE. _Man_ is in the obj. case, put by apposition with
_which_: RULE 7. The latter part of the sentence may be _literally_
rendered thus: He plainly appears to have proved _to be that base
character which_ the prophet foresaw him to be, viz. a _man_ of
violence, cruelty, and blood. The antecedent part of the first
_what_, in the next sentence, is governed by _hides_; and _which_,
the relative part, is governed by _know_ understood. The antecedent
part of the second _what_, is governed by _hides_ understood, and
the relative part is governed by _know_ expressed.
4. The first _he_, in the seventh example, is, in the opinion of
some, nom. to _can hear_ understood; but Mr. N.R. Smith, a
distinguished and acute grammarian, suggests the propriety of
rendering the sentence thus; "He that formed the ear, _formed it to
hear_; can he not hear?" The first _he_, in the last example, is
redundant; yet the construction is sometimes admissible, for the
expression is more forcible than it would be to say, "Let him hear
who hath ears to hear;" and if we adopt the ingenious method of Mr.
Smith, the sentence is grammatical, and may be rendered thus; "He
that hath ears, _hath ears_ to hear; let him hear."
EXERCISES IN PARSING.
_Idioms, anomalies, and intricacies_.
1. "The wall is three _feet_ high."
2. "His son is eight _years_ old."
3. "My knife is worth a _shilling_."
4. "She is worth _him_ and all his _connexions_."
5. "He has been there three _times_."
6. "The hat cost ten _dollars_."
7. "The load weighs a _tun_."
8. "The spar measures ninety _feet_."
REMARKS. - _Anomaly_ is derived from the Greek, _a_, without, and
_omales_, similar; that is, _without similarity_. Some give its
derivation thus; _anomaly_, from the Latin, _ab_, from, or out of, and
_norma_, a rule, or law, means an _outlaw_; a mode of expression that
departs from the rules, laws, or _general_ usages of the language; a
construction in language peculiar to itself. Thus, it is a general rule
of the language, that adjectives of one syllable are compared by adding
_r_, or _er_, and _st_, or _est_, to the positive degree; but good,
_better, best_; bad, _worse, worst_, are not compared according to the
general rule. They are, therefore, anomalies. The plural number of nouns
is generally formed by adding s to the singular: man, _men_; woman,
_women_; child, _children_; penny, _pence_, are anomalies. The use of
_news, means, alms_ and _amends_, in the singular, constitutes
anomalies. Anomalous constructions are correct according to custom; but,
as they are departures from general rules, by them they cannot be
analyzed.
An _idiom_, Latin _idioma_, a construction peculiar to a language, may
be an anomaly, or it may not. An idiomatical expression which is not an
anomaly, can be analyzed.
_Feet_ and _years_, in the 1st and 2d examples, are not in the
nominative after _is_, according to Rule 21, because they are not in
apposition with the respective nouns that precede the verb; but the
constructions are anomalous; and, therefore, no rule can be applied to
analyze them. The same ideas, however; can be conveyed by a legitimate
construction which can be analyzed; thus, "The _height_ of the wall is
three _feet_;" "The _age_ of my son is eight _years_."
An anomaly, when ascertained to be such, is easily disposed of; but
sometimes it is very difficult to decide whether a construction is
anomalous or not. The 3d, 4th, and 5th examples, are generally
considered anomalies; but if we supply, as we are, perhaps, warranted in
doing, the associated words which modern refinement has dropped, they
will cease to be anomalies; thus, "My knife is _of the_ worth _of_ a
shilling;" " - _of the_ worth _of_ him," &c. "He has been there _for_
three times;" as we say, "I was unwell _for_ three days, after I
arrived;" or, "I was unwell three days." Thus it appears, that by
tracing back, _for_ a few centuries, what the merely modern English
scholar supposes to be an anomaly, an ellipsis will frequently be
discovered, which, when supplied, destroys the anomaly.
On extreme points, and peculiar and varying constructions in a living
language, the most able philologists can never be agreed; because many
usages will always be unsettled and fluctuating, and will, consequently,
be disposed of according to the caprice of the grammarian. By some, a
sentence may be treated as an anomaly; by others who contend for, and
supply, an ellipsis, the same sentence may be analyzed according to the
ellipsis supplied; whilst others, who deny both the elliptical and
anomalous character of the sentence, construct a rule by which to
analyze it, which rule has for its foundation the principle contained in
that sentence only. This last mode of procedure, inasmuch as it requires
us to make a rule for every peculiar construction in the language,
appears to me to be the most exceptionable of the three. It appears to
be multiplying rules beyond the bounds of utility.
The verbs, _cost, weighs_, and _measures_, in the 6th, 7th, and 8th
examples, may be considered as transitive. See remarks on _resemble,
have, own_, &c., page 56.
EXAMPLES.
1. "And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light." "Let us
make man." "Let us bow before the Lord." "Let high-born seraphs tune the
lyre."
2. "_Be it_ enacted." "_Be it_ remembered." _"Blessed be he_ that
blesseth thee; and _cursed be he_ that curseth thee." "My soul, turn
from them: - _turn we_ to survey," &c.
3. "_Methinks_ I see the portals of eternity wide open to receive him."
"_Methought_ I was incarcerated beneath the mighty deep." "I was there
just thirty _years ago_."
4. "Their laws and their manners, generally _speaking_, were extremely
rude." "_Considering_ their means, they have effected much."
5.
"Ah _me!_ nor hope nor life remains."
"_Me_ miserable! which way shall I fly?"
6.
"O _happiness!_ our being's end and aim!
Good, pleasure, ease, content! whatever thy name,
That something still which prompts th' eternal sigh.
For which we bear to live, or dare to die." -
The verb _let_, in the idiomatic examples under number 1, has no
nominative specified, and is left applicable to a nominative of the
first, second, or third person, and of either number. Every action
necessarily depends on an agent or moving cause; and hence it follows,
that the verb, in such constructions, has a nominative understood; but
as that nominative is not particularly _pointed out_, the constructions
may be considered anomalous.
Instead of saying, "_Let_ it [_to_] be enacted;" or, "It _is_ or _shall_
be enacted;" "_Let_ him [_to_] be blessed;" or, "He _shall_ be blessed;"
"_Let us_ turn to survey," &c.; the verbs, _be enacted, be blessed,
turn_, &c. according to an idiom of our language, or the poet's license,
are used in the _imperative_, agreeing with a nominative of the first or
third person.
The phrases, _methinks_ and _methought_, are anomalies, in which the
objective pronoun _me_, in the _first_ person, is used in place of a
nominative, and takes a verb after it in the _third_ person. _Him_ was
anciently used in the same manner; as, "_him thute_, him thought." There
was a period when these constructions were not anomalies in our
language. Formerly, what we call the _objective_ cases of our pronouns,
were employed in the same manner as our present _nominatives_ are. _Ago_
is a contraction of _agone_, the past part. of to _go_. Before this
participle was contracted to an adverb, the noun _years_ preceding it,
was in the nominative case absolute; but now the construction amounts to
an anomaly. The expressions, "generally speaking," and "considering
their means," under number 4, are idiomatical and anomalous, the
subjects to the participles not being specified.
According to the genius of the English language, transitive verbs and
prepositions require the _objective_ case of a noun or pronoun after
them; and this requisition is all that is meant by government, when we
say, that these parts of speech govern the objective case. See pages 52,
57, and 94. The same principle applies to the interjection.
Interjections require the _objective_ case of a pronoun of the first
person after them; but the _nominative_ of a noun or pronoun of the
second or third person; as, "Ah _me!_ Oh _thou!_ O my _country!_" To
say, then, that interjections _require_ particular cases after them, is
synonymous with saying, that they _govern_ those cases; and this office
of the interjection is in perfect accordance with that which it performs
in the Latin and many other languages. In the examples under number 5,
the first _me_ is in the objective after "ah," and the second _me_,
after _ah_ understood; thus, "Ah miserable me!" according to NOTE 2,
under Rule 5. - _Happiness_, under number 6, is nom. independent; Rule 5,
or in the nom. after _O_, according to this Note. The principle
contained in the note, proves that every noun of the second person is in
the _nominative_ case; for, as the pronoun of the second person, in such
a situation, is always nominative, which is shown by its _form_, it
logically follows that the noun, under such circumstances, although it
has _no form_ to show its case, must necessarily be in the same case as
the pronoun. "Good, pleasure, ease, content, _that_," the antecedent
part of "whatever," and _which_, the relative part, are nom. after _art_
understood; Rule 21, and _name_ is nom. to _be_ understood.
The second line may be rendered thus; Whether thou art good, or whether
thou art pleasure, &c. or _be_ thy _name_ that [thing] which [ever
thing] it may be: putting _be_ in the imperative, agreeing with _name_
in the third person. _Something_ is nominative after _art_ understood.
EXAMPLES.
1. "All were well _but_ the _stranger_." "I saw nobody but the
_stranger_." "All had returned but he." "None but the _brave_ deserve
the fair." "The thing they can't _but_ purpose, they postpone." "This
life, at best, is _but_ a dream." "It affords _but_ a scanty measure of
enjoyment." "If he _but_ touch the hills, they will smoke." "Man is
_but_ a reed, floating on the current of time."
2. "Notwithstanding his poverty, he is content."
3. "Open your hand _wide_." "The apples boil _soft_." "The purest clay
is that which burns _white_." "Drink _deep_, or taste not the Pierian
spring."
4. "_What though_ the swelling surge thou see?" &c. "_What if_ the foot,
ordain'd the dust to tread?" &c.
REMARKS. - According to the principle of analysis assumed by many of our
most critical philologists, _but_ is _always_ a disjunctive conjunction;
and agreeably to the same authorities, to construe it, in any case, as a
preposition, would lead to error. See false Syntax under Rule 35. They
maintain, that its legitimate and undeviating office is, to join on a
member of a sentence which _expresses opposition of meaning_, and
thereby forms an exception to, or takes from the universality of, the
proposition contained in the preceding member of the sentence. That it
sustains its true character as a conjunction in all the examples under
number 1, will be shown by the following resolution of them. - "All were
well but the _stranger [was not well_."] "I saw nobody but [_I saw_] the
_stranger_." "None deserve the fair but the _brave_ [_deserve the
fair_."] "They postpone the thing which [_they ought to do, and do not]
but_ which [_thing_] they cannot avoid purposing to do." "This life, at
best, [_is not a reality,] but_ it is a dream. It [_affords not
unbounded fruition] but_ it affords a scanty measure of enjoyment." "If
he _touch_ the hills, _but exert no greater power upon them_, they will
smoke;" - "If _he exert no greater power upon the hills, but [be-out this
fact_] if he touch them, they will smoke." "Man _is not a stable being,
but_ he is a reed, floating on the current of time." This method of
analyzing sentences, however, if I mistake not, is too much on the plan
of our pretended philosophical writers, who, in their rage for ancient
constructions and combinations, often overlook the modern associated
meaning and application of this word. It appears to me to be more
consistent with the _modern_ use of the word, to consider it an _adverb_
in constructions like the following: "If he _but (only, merely)_ touch
the hills they will smoke."
_Except_ and _near_, in examples like the following, are generally
construed as prepositions: "All went _except him_;" "She stands _near
them_." But many contend, that when we employ _but_ instead of _except_,
in such constructions, a _nominative_ should follow: "All went _but he
[did not go_."] On this point and many others, _custom_ is _variable_;
but the period will doubtless arrive, when _but, worth_, and _like_,
will be considered prepositions, and, in constructions like the
foregoing, invariably be followed by an objective case. This will not be
the case, however, until the practice of supplying an ellipsis after
these words is entirely dropped.
_Poverty_, under number 2, is governed by the preposition
_notwithstanding_, Rule 31. The adjectives _wide, soft, white_, and
_deep_, under number 3, not only express the quality of nouns, but also
qualify verbs: Note 4, under Rule 18. - _What_, in the phrases "what
though" and "what if," is an interrogative in the objective case, and
governed by the verb _matters_ understood, or by some other verb; thus,
"What matters it - what dost thou fear, though thou see the swelling
surge?" "What would you think, if the foot, which is ordained to tread
the dust, aspired to be the head?"
In the following examples, the same word is used as several parts of
speech. But by exercising judgment sufficient to comprehend the meaning,
and by supplying what is understood, you will be able to analyze them
correctly.
EXERCISES IN PARSING.
I like what you dislike.
Every creature loves its like.
Anger, envy, and like passions, are sinful.
Charity, like the sun, brightens every object around it.
Thought flies swifter than light.
He thought as a sage, though he felt as a man.
Hail often proves destructive to vegetation.
I was happy to hail him as my friend.
Hail! beauteous stranger of the wood.
The more I examine the work, the better I like it.
Johnson is a better writer than Sterne.
Calm was the day, and the scene delightful.
We may expect a calm after a storm.
To prevent passion is easier than to calm it.
Damp air is unwholesome.
Guilt often casts a damp over our sprightliest hours.
Soft bodies damp the sound much more than hard ones.
Much money has been expended.
Of him to whom much is given, much will be required.
It is much better to give than to receive.
Still water runs deep. He labored to still the tumult.
Those two young profligates remain still in the wrong.
They wrong themselves as well as their friends.
I will now present to you a few examples in poetry. Parsing in poetry,
as it brings into requisition a higher degree of mental exertion than
parsing in prose, will be found a more delightful and profitable
exercise. In this kind of analysis, in order to come at the meaning of
the author, you will find it necessary to _transpose_ his language, and
supply what is understood; and then you will have the literal meaning in
prose.
EXERCISES IN PARSING.
APOSTROPHE TO HOPE. - CAMPBELL.
Eternal Hope! when yonder spheres sublime
Pealed their first notes to sound the march of time,
Thy joyous youth began: - but not to fade. -
When all the sister planets have decayed;
When wrapt in flames the realms of ether glow,
And Heaven's last thunder shakes the world below;
Thou, undismay'd, shalt o'er the ruins smile,
And light thy torch at Nature's funeral pile!
TRANSPOSED.
Eternal Hope! thy joyous youth began when yonder sublime spheres pealed
their first notes to sound the march of time: - but it began not to
fade. - Thou, undismayed, shalt smile over the ruins, when all the sister
planets shall have decayed; and thou shalt light thy torch at Nature's
funeral pile, when wrapt in flames, the realms of ether glow, and
Heaven's last thunder shakes the world below.
ADDRESS TO ADVERSITY. - GRAY.
Daughter of heaven, relentless power,
Thou tamer of the human breast,
Whose iron scourge, and tort'ring hour,
The bad affright, afflict the best!
The gen'rous spark extinct revive;
Teach me to love and to forgive;
Exact my own defects to scan:
What others are to feel; and know myself a man.
TRANSPOSED.
Daughter of heaven, relentless power, thou tamer of the human breast,
whose iron scourge and torturing hour affright the bad, and afflict the
best! Revive thou in me the generous, extinct spark; and teach thou me
to love others, and to forgive them; and teach thou me to scan my own
defects exactly, or critically: and teach thou me that which others are
to feel; and make thou me to know myself to be a man.
ADDRESS TO THE ALMIGHTY. - POPE.
What conscience dictates to be done,
Or warns me not to do,
This teach me more than hell to shun,
That more than heav'n pursue.
TRANSPOSED.
O God, teach thou me to pursue that (_the thing_) which conscience
dictates to be done, more ardently than I pursue heaven; and teach thou
me to shun this (_the thing_) which conscience warns me not to do, more
cautiously than I would shun hell.
TRIALS OF VIRTUE. - MERRICK.
For see, ah! see, while yet her ways
With doubtful step I tread,
A hostile world its terrors raise,
Its snares delusive spread.
O how shall I, with heart prepared,
Those terrors learn to meet?
How, from the thousand snares to guard
My unexperienced feet?
TRANSPOSED.
For see thou, ah! see thou a hostile world _to_ raise its terrors, and
see thou a hostile world _to_ spread its delusive snares, while I yet
tread her (_virtue's_) ways with doubtful steps.
O how shall I learn to meet those terrors with a prepared heart? How
shall I learn to guard my unexperienced feet from the thousand snares of
the world?
THE MORNING IN SUMMER. - THOMPSON.
Short is the doubtful empire of the night;
And soon, observant of approaching day,
The meek-eyed morn appears, mother of dews,
At first, faint gleaming in the dappled east,
Till far o'er ether spreads the wid'ning glow,
And from before the lustre of her face
White break the clouds away.
TRANSPOSED.
The doubtful empire of the night is short; and the meek-eyed morn,
(_which is the_) mother of dews, observant of approaching day, soon
appears, gleaming faintly, at first, in the dappled east, till the
widening glow spreads far over ether, and the white clouds break away
from before the lustre of her face.
NATURE BOUNTIFUL. - AKENSIDE.
- Nature's care, to all her children just,
With richest treasures, and an ample state,
Endows at large whatever happy man
Will deign to use them.
TRANSPOSED.
Nature's care, which is just to all her children, largely endows, with
richest treasures and an ample state, that happy man who will deign to
use them.
NOTE. _What_, in the second example, is a comp. rel. The antecedent
part is gov. by _teach_ understood; and the relative part by _to
feel_ expressed. _To shun_ and _to pursue_, in the third example,
are in the infinitive mood, gov. by _than_, according to a NOTE
under Rule 23. _Faint_ and _from_, in the 5th example, are adverbs.
An adverb, in poetry, is often written in the form of an adjective.