CONSTRUCTION OF ADJECTIVES. EXAMPLES. Improper. 1. I have got a new pair of boots which pinch exceedingly. She has found her new pair of bracelets that was missing. 2. These kind of pursuits will ruin you. Those sort of dealings are unjust. We have been idle this two hours. 3. It is cold and very wet. The sea breeze is salutary and most pleasant. This commodious house and grounds. Proper. I have got a pair of new boots which pinch severely. She has found her pair of new brace- That sort of dealings is unjust. It is very cold and wet. The sea breeze is salutary and plea sant: This commodious house and these pleasant grounds. His exemplary virtue and talents His exemplary virtue and great ta 5. Free of pain. 6. & 7. David was younger than his brothers. The summer half year is the of the year. 8. The moon is a lesser body than the sun. The elephant is the most greatest of quadrupeds, and the mouse is the very least. Walking is a more healthier exercise than riding. 9. He was the chiefest speaker. He set a most perfect example. The idea of eternity is too infinite for our conception. 10. You are always in such a hurry. That is somewhat odd. It is too true. The decanter is too full. 12. They are a new married couple. Live agreeable to reason. He could easier oppose one than two. lents. CONSTRUCTION OF VERBS. RULES. 1. Every fiuite verb agrees with its own nominative in number and person. By apposition, we may say it is I, it is thou, it is we, &c. The imperative mood generally has the nominatives thou, and ye or you, elliptical. 2. Every nominative (unless it be in apposition, or connected by means of a conjunction with another nominative, or unless it be in the case absolute, or follow an interjection,) should have its own verb expressed or legitimately understood, and every verb should have its own nominative. 3. An Infinitive mood, a phrase, or a clause of a sentence, may be the subject of discourse, or nominative to a verb in the third person singular. 4. Nouns of multitude are construed as singular, if the whole without division or separation be spoken of; otherwise, they are accounted plural. 5. A series of nominatives may belong to a common verb, and series of verbs to a common nominative. If the nominatives be of different persons or of different numbers, the second person or singular number is placed first, and the first person or plural number is placed last. It is always safe to place the verb after the first nominative and to make it agree with the same, leaving it understood, or else repeating it to the other nominatives. But if the verb be placed after the last nominative, it should agree in person with the most worthy, and in number with the nominative, which is plural. 6. Two or more nominatives singular, connected by a copulative conjunction, are equivalent to a plural nominative; but if they be connected by a disjunctive conjunction, a verb singular is required. 7. A verb agrees with the more emphatic of two nominatives in apposition. 8. The Infinitive to be has the same case after that it has before it. 9. The subjunctive mood is preceded or governed by conjunctions implying doubt, purpose, contingency, or supposition, as, whether, that, if, although. 10. The Infinitive mood is governed by verbs, participles, adjectives, and sometimes by nouns. It is never governed by prepositions. The sign to is omitted after must, bid, dare, leț, make, need, behold, observe, see, hear, feel. 11. The tenses of verbs should be arranged according to their nature and to the just order of time. The present of the Infinitive is of the same time as its governing verb. The perfect of the Infinitive exceeds the time of its governing verb. 12. Universal and immutable truths are always expressed in the present tense. 13. Do not confound the uses of had and would, shall and will, may and can, should and would, might and could. 14. Active and compound active verbs, also passive verbs of asking, teaching, offering, promising, telling, and the like, govern the objective case. 15. Some neuter verbs govern nouns of like signification in the objective case. 16. Many verbs are followed by peculiar or appropriate prepositions. CONSTRUCTION OF VERBS. Improper. 1. You was late. Thou's a stranger. Says I. The ladies is come. He is one of those men that was He is one of those men that were taken up at the fair. 2. Newton, though he had great genius, yet he had great momodesty. The book which you lent me, and is so instructive, I return. These we have extracted, and are proofs sufficient. 6. Wisdom and virtue is a better inheritance than gold and silver. War, pestilence, and famine, visits the earth for the sins of men. Neither good nor evil cóme of themselves. Wisdom and not opulence were his pursuit. 7. Thou, John Thomas, affirms this? I am the Lord, who creates light, and forms darkness. 8. It cannot be them. I believe it to have been they. 9. He doubts whether it is true. If I was asked.. 10. He need not to be afraid. Make the people to sit down. 11. I expected to have found him better. I intended to have done it to day. Lord has taken away. 12. He always maintained that honesty was the best policy. 13. Had you rather not? You had better follow his advice. Will you go to the play? I will stay at home. We would suppose the contrary. 16. When you arrive to Lisbon. He did not profit of this opportunity. Whoso is angry at his brother. Neither good nor evil cometh of itself. Wisdom and not opulence was his pursuit. Thou, John Thomas, affirmest this? I am the Lord, who create light, and form darkness. It cannot be they. I believe it to have been them. He needs not be afraid... I expected to find him better. I intended to do it to day. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. He always maintained that honesty is the best policy. Would you rather not? You would do better to follow his advice. Shall you go to the play? We should suppose the contrary. Whoso is angry with his brother.' CONSTRUCTION OF PARTICIPLES. RULES. 1. Participles ending in ing, ed, or otherwise, being joined to the auxiliary verb to be, form active, passive, or neuter verbs. 2. Participles in ing are used four different ways; 1st, as Participles strictly so called; 2dly, as Gerunds, or verbal nouns implying time. În either of these cases, the regimen of the verb is retained. 3dly, as Adjectives; 4thly, as Nouns. The construction of the participle is therefore various. 3. The Participle in ing is commonly accounted a noun, when it is preceded by an article, or by any word that precludes the use of the article, as a noun in the possessive case, or a possessive pronoun, going before it. 4. Participles govern the case of their own verbs. Active Participles govern the objective case. Passive Participles of asking, teaching, offering, promising, telling, and the like, also require the objective. 5. Participles passive are commonly followed by the preposition by. 6. The perfect participle and the imperfect of the indicative, are alike in most verbs; but when they differ, their uses are not to be confounded. With the auxiliary have, the perfect participle is to be used. 7. A series of auxiliaries may be followed by a common participle, or a single auxiliary may be followed by a series of participles. In either case, the word expressed and the words understood should be suitable to each other. 8. The auxiliary is always placed before the participle in the compound tenses of verbs. 9. The participle is commonly placed after the adverb. 10. The participle is placed between the noun which it qualifies, and the noun which it governs. 11. We seldom or never find active and passive, or present and past, participles of different verbs, coupled together by conjunctions. 12. A substantive with a participle, whose ease depends on no other word, is put in the nominative absolute. 13. The Gerund in ing is often made Absolute, in the same manner, and to the same sense, as the Infinitive Mood; as, "This generally speaking, is the consequence." 3. By the observing these rules. Proper. By the observing of these rules, or by observing these rules, or by observing of these rules. By a patient hearing your ad- By a patient hearing of, or by pa versary's reply. tiently hearing, your adversary's reply. At Paul teaching the Gentiles, or at Paul's teaching of the Gentiles, or because Paul taught the Gentiles, the Jews were offended. Having preinised these circumstan ces. Extending thirty miles. I have written a Letter. The sun has risen. We have drunk, eaten. They ran yesterday. They had gone before sunrise. Such treachery ever has been, and will be reprobated. This dedication may serve for almost any book that has been, is, or shall be published. This part of knowledge has been growing, and will continue to grow. The expedition was wisely planned. A time serving man. An opinion confirmed by experience. Who being dead, all competition ceased. He excepted, we all agree. They having escaped, others took courage. • Verbal Nouns in ing do sometimes govern the objective case, but the construction is rare, and rather inelegant. |