Composition-Rhetoric Part 68

[Bees buzz]; both may be modified: [The honey bees buzz in the clover]; one may be modified and the other unmodified: [Bees buzz in the clover].

The unmodified subject may be called the _simple subject_, or, merely, the _subject_. If modified, it becomes the _complete subject_.

The a.s.sertive element, together with the attribute complement, if one is present, may be called the _simple predicate_. If modified, it becomes the _complete predicate_.

Some grammarians call the a.s.sertive element, alone, the _simple predicate_; modified or completed, the _complete predicate_.

+16. Cla.s.sification of Sentences as to Purpose.+--Sentences are cla.s.sified according to purpose into three cla.s.ses: _declarative_, _interrogative_, and _imperative_ sentences.

A _declarative_ sentence is one that makes a statement or declares something: [Columbus crossed the Atlantic].

An _interrogative_ sentence is one that asks a question: [Who wrote _Mother Goose_?].

An _imperative_ sentence is one that expresses a command or entreaty: ["Fling away ambition"].

Each kind of sentence may be of an exclamatory nature, and then the sentence is said to be an _exclamatory_ sentence: [How happy all the children are! (exclamatory declarative). "Who so base as be a slave?"

(exclamatory interrogative). "Heap high the farmer's wintry h.o.a.rd!"

(exclamatory imperative)].

Notice that the exclamation point follows the declarative and imperative forms, but the interrogative form is followed by the question mark.

WORDS AND THEIR OFFICES

+17. The Individual Elements+ of which every sentence is composed are _words_. Every word is the sign of some idea. Each of the words _horse, he, blue, speaks, merrily, at_, and _because_, has a certain naming value, more or less definite, for the mind of the reader. Of these, _horse, blue, he, merrily_, have a fairly vivid descriptive power. In the case of _at_ and _because_, the main office is, evidently, to express a relation between other ideas: ["I am _at_ my post"], ["I go _because_ I must"]. The word _speaks_ is less clearly a relational word; at first thought it would seem to have only the office of picturing an activity. That it also fills the office of a connective will be evident if we compare the following sentences: He _speaks_ in public. He _is_ a public _speaker_. It is evident that _speaks_ contains in itself the _naming_ value represented in the word _speaker_, but also has the _connecting_ office fulfilled in the second sentence by _is_.

All words have, therefore, a naming office, and some have in addition a connecting or relational office.

PARTS OF SPEECH

+18. Parts of Speech.+--When we examine the different words in sentences we find that, in spite of these fundamentally similar qualities, the words are serving different purposes. This difference in purpose or use serves as the basis for dividing words into eight cla.s.ses, called Parts of Speech. Use alone determines to which cla.s.s a word in any given sentence shall belong. Not only are single words so cla.s.sified, but any part of speech may be represented by a group of words. Such a group is either a _phrase_ or a _clause_.

A _phrase_ is a group of words, containing neither subject nor predicate, that is used as a single part of speech.

A _clause_ is a group of words, containing both subject and predicate, that is used as part of a sentence. If used as a single part of speech, it is called a _subordinate_, or _dependent_, clause. Some grammarians use the word _clause_ for a subordinate statement only.

+19. Cla.s.sification.+--The eight parts of speech may be cla.s.sified as follows:--

I. Substantives: nouns, p.r.o.nouns.

II. a.s.sertives: verbs.

III. Modifiers: adjectives, adverbs.

IV. Connectives: prepositions, conjunctions.

V. Interjections.

+20. Definitions.+--The parts of speech may be defined as follows:--

(1) A _noun_ is a word used as a name.

(2) A _p.r.o.noun_ is a word used in place of a noun, designating a person, place, or thing without naming it.

(3) An _adjective_ is a word that modifies a substantive.

(4) A _verb_ is a word that a.s.serts something--action, state, or being--- concerning a substantive.

(5) An _adverb_ is a word that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb.

(6) A _preposition_ is a word that shows the relation of the substantive that follows it to some other word or words in the sentence.

(7) A _conjunction_ is a word that connects words or groups of words used in the same way.

(8) An _interjection_ is a cry expressing emotion, but not forming part of the sentence.

NOUNS

+21. Cla.s.ses of Nouns.+--Nouns are divided into two general cla.s.ses: _proper_ nouns [Esther] and _common_ nouns [girl].

Common nouns include _abstract_ nouns [happiness] and _collective_ nouns [army].

Any word mentioned merely _as a word_ is a noun: [_And_ is a conjunction].

+22. Inflection.+--A change in the form of a word to denote a change in its meaning is termed _inflection_.

+23. Number.+--The most common inflection of the noun is that which shows us whether the name denotes one or more than one. The power of the noun to denote one or more than one is termed _number_. A noun that denotes but one object is _singular_ in number. A noun that denotes more than one object is _plural_ in number.

The plural number of nouns is regularly formed by adding _s_ and _es_ to the singular [bank, banks; box, boxes].

Other points to be noted concerning the plural of nouns are as follows:--

1. The irregular plural in _en_ [child, children].

2. Formation of the plural by internal change [goose, geese].

3. Fourteen nouns ending in _f_ or _fe_ change the _f_ or _fe_ into _yes_ [leaf, leaves].

4. Nouns ending in _y_, preceded by a consonant, change the _y_ to _i_ and add _es_ [enemy, enemies].

5. Letters, figures, signs, etc., form their plural by adding '_s_:[You have used too many _i_'s].