The Grammar of English Grammars Part 95

CHAPTER I.--SENTENCES.

A _Sentence_ is an a.s.semblage of words, making complete sense, and always containing a nominative and a verb; as, "Reward sweetens labour."

The _princ.i.p.al parts_ of a sentence are usually three; namely, the SUBJECT, or nominative,--the attribute, or finite VERB,--and the case put after, or the OBJECT[322] governed by the verb: as, "_Crimes deserve punishment_."

The _other_ or _subordinate parts_ depend upon these, either as primary or as secondary _adjuncts_; as, "_High_ crimes _justly_ deserve _very severe_ punishments."

Sentences are usually said to be of two kinds, _simple_ and _compound_.[323]

A _simple sentence_ is a sentence which consists of one single a.s.sertion, supposition, command, question, or exclamation; as, "David and Jonathan loved each other."--"If thine enemy hunger."--"Do violence to no man."--"Am I not an apostle?"--_1 Cor._, ix, 1. "What immortal glory shall I have acquired!"--HOOKE: _Mur. Seq._, p. 71.

A _compound sentence_ is a sentence which consists of two or more simple ones either expressly or tacitly connected; as, "Send men to Joppa, _and_ call for Simon, _whose_ surname is Peter; _who_ shall tell thee words, _whereby_ thou and all thy house shall be saved."--_Acts_, xi, 13. "The more the works of Cowper are read, the more his readers will find reason to admire the variety and the extent, the graces and the energy, of his literary talents."--HAYLEY: _Mur. Seq._, p. 250.

A _clause_, or _member_, is a subdivision of a compound sentence; and is itself a sentence, either simple or compound: as, "If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; if he be thirsty, give him water to drink."--_Prov._, xxv, 21.[324]

A _phrase_ is two or more words which express some relation of different ideas, but no entire proposition; as, "By the means appointed."--"To be plain with you."--"Having loved his own."

Words that are omitted by _ellipsis_, and that are necessarily understood in order to complete the construction, (and only such,) must be supplied in parsing.

The _leading principles_ to be observed in the construction of sentences, are embraced in the following twenty-four rules, which are arranged, as nearly as possible, in the order of the parts of speech.

THE RULES OF SYNTAX.

RULE I.--ARTICLES.

Articles relate to the nouns which they limit.

RULE II.--NOMINATIVES.

A Noun or a p.r.o.noun which is the subject of a finite verb, must be in the nominative case.

RULE III.--APPOSITION. A Noun or a personal p.r.o.noun used to explain a preceding noun or p.r.o.noun, is put, by apposition, in the same case.

RULE IV.--POSSESSIVES.

A Noun or a p.r.o.noun in the possessive case, is governed by the name of the thing possessed.

RULE V.--OBJECTIVES.

A Noun or a p.r.o.noun made the object of an active-transitive verb or participle, is governed by it in the objective case.

RULE VI.--SAME CASES.

A Noun or a p.r.o.noun put after a verb or participle not transitive, agrees in case with a preceding noun or p.r.o.noun referring to the same thing.

RULE VII.--OBJECTIVES.

A Noun or a p.r.o.noun made the object of a preposition, is governed by it in the objective case.

RULE VIII.--NOM. ABSOLUTE.

A Noun or a p.r.o.noun is put absolute in the nominative, when its case depends on no other word.

RULE IX.--ADJECTIVES.

Adjectives relate to nouns or p.r.o.nouns.

RULE X.--p.r.o.nOUNS.

A p.r.o.noun must agree with its antecedent, or the noun or p.r.o.noun which it represents, in person, number, and gender.

RULE XI--p.r.o.nOUNS.

When the antecedent is a collective noun conveying the idea of plurality, the p.r.o.noun must agree with it in the plural number.

RULE XII.--p.r.o.nOUNS.

When a p.r.o.noun has two or more antecedents connected by _and_, it must agree with them jointly in the plural, because they are taken together.

RULE XIII.--p.r.o.nOUNS.

When a p.r.o.noun has two or more antecedents connected by _or_ or _nor_, it must agree with them singly, and not as if taken together.

RULE XIV.--FINITE VERBS.

Every finite Verb must agree with its subject, or nominative, in person and number.

RULE XV.--FINITE VERBS.

When the nominative is a collective noun conveying the idea of plurality, the Verb must agree with it in the plural number.