34. There comes the children.
35. Were either of these men elected?
36. The alumni of this school is not very loyal.
37. There seem to be few here.
38. There seems to be a few here.
39. Neither of the letters were received.
40. In al those songs there are a sprightliness and charm.
41. The Association of Engineers are stil flourishing.
42. Neither John nor Henry have come.
43. Either this book or that are wrong.
44. This book and that is wrong.
45. This book, not that, is wrong.
46. Either this book or those students is wrong.
47. Either those students, or this book is wrong.
48. This chemical with its compounds were the agents used in tanning.
65. Use of Shall and Will. The use of the auxiliaries, shall and will, with their past
tenses, is a source of very many errors. The folowing outline wil show the correct use of Page 72
shall and will, except in dependent clauses and questions:
To indicate simple futurity or probability:
Use shall with I and we; use will with al other subjects.
To indicate promise, determination, threat, or command on the part of the speaker; i. e.,
action which the speaker means to control;
Use will with I and we; use shall with al other subjects.
Examine the folowing examples of the correct use of shall and will:
Statements as to probable future events:
We shall probably be there.
I think you will want to be there.
It will rain before night.
Statements of determination on the part of the speaker:
I will come in spite of his command.
You shall go home.
It shall not happen again, I promise you.
66. Shall and Will in Questions. In interrogative sentences shall should always be used
with the first person. In the second and third persons that auxiliary should be used which is
logicaly expected in the answer.
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Examine the agreement in the use of shall and will in the folowing questions and answers:
QUESTIONS.
ANSWERS.
Shall I miss the car?
You will miss it.
Shall you be there?
I think I shall (probability).
Will he do it?
I think he will (assertion).
Shall your son obey the teacher?
He shall (determination).
Will you promise to come?
We will come (promise).
67. Shall and Will in Dependent Clauses. In dependent clauses which are introduced Page 73
by that, expressed or understood, the auxiliary should be used which would be proper if the
dependent clause were a principal clause. The sentence, They assure us that they shall
come, is wrong. The direct assurance would be, We will come. The auxiliary, then, in a
principal clause would be will. Will should, therefore, be the auxiliary in the dependent
construction, and the sentence should read, They assure us that they will come. Further
examples:
I suppose we shall have to pay.
He thinks that you will be able to do it.
He has decided that John shall replace the book.
In al dependent clauses expressing a condition or contingency use shall with al subjects.
Examples;
If he shall go to Europe, it wil be his tenth trip abroad.
If you shall go away, who wil run the farm?
If I shall die, I shal die as an honest man.
EXERCISE 45
Justify the correct use of shall and will in the following sentences:
1. I wil go if you wish.
2. I shal probably go if you wish.
3. I wil have it in spite of al you can do.
4. We shal return by way of Dover.
5. We wil fight it out on this line if it takes al summer.
6. I feel that I shal not live long.
7. We think we shal come to-morrow.
8. I promise you, the money shal be raised.
9. You wil then go to Philadelphia.
10. You shal never hear from me again.
11. He wil surely come to-morrow.
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12. How shal you answer him?
13. I think I shal ride.
14. He is sure they wil come.
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15. He is sure that I wil come.
16. Shal you be there?
17. Wil he who fails be alowed to have a reexamination?
18. Wil you be there?
19. Wil al be there?
20. He says he shal be there.
21. He has promised that he wil be there.
22. I fear that he wil fail to pass.
23. We think she wil soon be wel.
24. We are determined that they shal pay.
25. We expect that they wil bring their books.
26. I doubt that he wil pay.
27. We have promised that we wil do it.
28. If he shal ask, shal I refer him to you?
EXERCISE 46
Fill the blanks in the following sentences with shall or will:
1. I think I —— find the work easy.
2. I —— probably be refused, but I —— go anyway.
3. —— you be busy to-night? Yes, I —— be in class until ten.
4. I —— probably fail to pass the examination.
5. If no one assists me, I —— drown.
6. No. I —— never sel my library.
7. If I fail I —— be obliged to take an examination.
8. —— my men begin work to-day?
9. —— you stop at Chicago on your way West? No, I don't, think I ——.
10. —— you promise me to sing at the concert to-night? Yes, I —— sing to-night.
11. —— I put more wood on the fire?
12. I —— be lost; no one —— help me.
13. It —— be there when you need it.
14. It is demanded that the pupils —— be orderly and attentive.
15. I think it —— rain soon.
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16. We —— be disappointed.
17. —— we be permitted to go?
18. We —— do it for you.
19. —— I go or remain at home?
20. I —— be very grateful to you if you —— do this.
21. If you —— ask her, she —— go with you.
22. If you —— stop, I —— go with you.
23. Where —— we join you?
24. I think we —— be there in time.
25. I —— go to the river for a boat ride.
26. When —— you be twenty years of age?
27. —— we ever see you again?
28. Perhaps we —— return next year.
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29. We promise, we —— return.
30. You —— probably suffer for it.
31. I —— not impose on you in that way.
32. —— I ask for your mail?
33. I hope that we —— be there before the curtain rises.
34. —— they probably be there?
35. —— you please fetch me a paper?
36. —— we stop for you on our way downtown?
37. When —— I find you in your office?
38. They —— never do it if I can help.
39. You —— do as I say.
40. I —— never, never, go there again.
41. We —— decide what to do about that at our next meeting which —— be in October.
42. —— it make any difference to you?
43. —— I go with you?
44. No, you —— please stay here.
45. He —— never enter this house again.
46. It is believed that they —— probably be present.
47. He fears that he —— die.
48. He requests that you —— come to-day at seven o'clock.
49. She asks that it —— be sent at once.
50. It is thought that his death —— not seriously change things.
51. It is believed that the emperor —— have to retract.
52. A story is told that —— gain little credence.
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53. I fear that I —— take cold.
54. She says that I —— take cold.
55. They say that they —— do it in spite of anything done to prevent.
56. He is determined that he —— go away.
57. She is determined that he —— go to school.
58. They say they —— probably not go.
59. John thinks he —— probably live to be past sixty.
60. He tels me that he thinks that he —— be elected.
61. They say that they —— meet you.
62. They assure us that we —— find good stores in Berlin.
63. He says he fears he —— miss his train.
64. Wright says his father —— become famous.
65. He writes that he —— be here to-day.
66. Do you say that you —— be present?
67. The book says that —— be wrong.
68. Does she say that she —— come?
69. I told you that I —— not come.
70. I tel you that she —— not come.
71. He says that he —— go as a matter of duty.
72. John says that —— not happen anyway.
73. Does he say that he —— surely come?
74. Does John write what he —— promise to do in the matter?
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75. —— you be sure to be there?
EXERCISE 47
Write five sentences in which shall is used in an independent clause, and five in
which shall is used in a dependent clause.
Write five sentences in which will is used in an independent clause, and five in which
will is used in a dependent clause.
Write five interrogative sentences in which shall is used and five in which will is
used.
68. Should and Would. Should and would are the past tenses of shall and will, and have
corresponding uses. Should is used with I and we, and would with other subjects, to express Page 77
mere futurity or probability. Would is used with I and we, and should with other subjects, to
express conditional promise or determination on the part of the speaker. Examples:
Futurity:
I should be sorry to lose this book.
If we should be afraid of the storm, we should be foolish.
It was expected that they would be here.
Volition or determination:
If it should occur, we would not come.
It was promised that it should not occur again.
He decided that it should be done.
Should is sometimes used in the sense of ought, to imply duty; as, He should have gone
to her aid.
Would is often used to indicate habitual action; as, This would often occur when he was
preaching.
EXERCISE 48
Justify the correct use of should and would in the following sentences:
1. I feared that they would not come.
2. He should know his duty better than that.
3. I should be displeased if he would act that way.
4. We should be ruined if we did that.
5. You should have seen his face.
6. We would often take that road.
7. He said that he would come at once.
8. If that should happen, we should not come.
9. If you were I, what should you do?
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10. I should see the president of the class.
11. We should have been at the meeting.
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12. He said that we should have been at the meeting.
13. He promised that he would be at the meeting.
14. If I should say so, he would dislike me.
15. Should he come, I would go with him.
16. They would usualy stop at the new hotel.
17. What would they do in the city?
18. She asked if she should write the letter.
19. She said they would write the letter.
20. She agreed that it would be right.
21. She assured us that she would attend to it.
EXERCISE 49
Fill in the blanks with should or would in the following sentences:
1. I fear I —— be drowned if I —— go swimming.
2. I —— be much pleased to meet him.
3. It was feared that they —— not accept.
4. If it —— storm, we —— not start.
5. She —— often come to class with no books.
6. I believed that he —— come late.
7. He —— never have been invited.
8. If that had become known, we —— surely have been ruined.
9. To think that he —— do such a thing!
10. I —— like to see the game.
11. You —— not enjoy it.
12. —— you like to see the game?
13. —— I bring my opera glasses?
14. Mary —— never have known it.
15. He —— have easily deceived her.
16. They were anxious that we —— not miss the train.
17. If we —— come late, —— it make any difference?
18. If they had proposed it, we —— have voted it down.
19. On what date —— that come?
20. I suppose I —— have done it; but, it —— have inconvenienced me.
21. Had Lee known that, he —— never have surrendered.
22. I —— never have believed she —— do such a thing.
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23. We —— never have come.
24. —— you think him capable of such a trick?
25. I knew I —— not be here on time.
26. —— they dare to attempt opposition?
27. How —— you go about it?
28. Lincoln, under those circumstances, —— probable not have been elected.
29. It —— have changed our whole history.
30. He said that it —— have changed our whole history.
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31. He said he —— come.
32. She thinks they —— not do it.
33. We believe that we —— like to go at once.
34. They say it —— be done now.
35. I think I —— like to go.
EXERCISE 50
Write five sentences in which should is used independently, and five in which should
is used dependently.
Write five sentences in which would is used independently, and five in which would
is used dependently.
Write five sentences in which should is used in questions, and five in which would is
used in questions.
69. Use of May and Might, Can and Could. May, with its past tense, might, is
properly used to denote permission. Can, with its past tense, could, refers to the ability or
possibility to do a thing. These two words are often confused.
EXERCISE 51
Fill the blanks in the following sentences:
1. —— I go home?
2. —— we get tickets at that store?
3. —— the mountain be climbed?
4. —— we come into your office?
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5. You —— stay as long as you wish.
6. —— you finish the work in an hour?
7. How —— you say such a thing?
8. Several people —— use the same book.
9. We —— afford to delay a while.
10. —— John go with me?
11. You —— often hear the noise.
12. What —— not be done in a week?
13. That —— be true, but it —— not be relied on.
14. What —— he do to prevent it?
15. When —— we hand in the work?
70. Participles and Gerunds. The past participle has already been mentioned as one of
the principal parts of the verb. Generaly, the participles are those forms of the verb that are
used adjectively; as, seeing, having seen, being seen, having been seen, seen, playing,
having played, etc. In the folowing sentences note that the verb form in each case modifies a
substantive: He, having been invited to dine, came early, John, being sick, could not
come. The verb form in al these cases is caled a participle, and must be used in connection
with either a nominative or objective case of a noun or pronoun.
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The Gerund is the same as the participle in its forms, but differs in that, while the participle
is always used adjectively, the gerund is always used substantively; as, I told of his
winning the race, After his asserting it, I believe the statement.
71. Misuses of Participles and Gerunds.
1. A participle should not be used unless it stands in a grammatical and logical relation to
some substantive that is present in the sentence. Failure to folow this rule leads to the error
known as the "dangling participle." It is wrong to say, The dish was broken, resulting from
its fall, because resulting does not stand in grammatical relation to any word in the sentence.
But it would be right to say, The dish was broken as a result of its fall. Examine, also, the Page 81
folowing examples:
Wrong: I spent a week in Virginia, followed by a week at Atlantic City.
Right: I spent a week in Virginia, following it by a week at Atlantic City.
Right: I spent a week in Virginia, and then a week at Atlantic City.
2. A participle should not stand at the beginning of a sentence or principal clause unless it
belongs to the subject of that sentence or clause. Compare the folowing:
Wrong: Having been sick, it was decided to remain at home.
Right: Having been sick, I decided to remain at home.
3. A participle preceded by thus should not be used unless it modifies the subject of the
preceding verb. Compare the folowing:
Wrong: He had to rewrite several pages, thus causing him a great deal of trouble.
Right: He had to rewrite several pages, and was thus caused a great deal of trouble.
Right: He had to rewrite several pages, thus experiencing a great deal of trouble.
4. The gerund is often used as the object of a preposition, and frequently has a noun or
pronoun modifier. Owing to confusion between the gerund and the participle, and to the
failure to realize that the gerund can only be used substantively, the objective case of a
modifying noun or pronoun is often wrongly used before the gerund. A substantive used with
the gerund should always be in the possessive case. Say, I heard of John's coming, not, I
heard of John coming.
5. When a gerund and a preposition are used, the phrase should be in logical and
immediate connection with the substantive it modifies, and the phrase should never introduce
a sentence unless it logicaly belongs to the subject of that sentence. Exception: When the Page 82
gerund phrase denotes a general action, it may be used without grammatical connection to the
sentence; as, In traveling, good drinking water is essential. Compare the folowing wrong
and right forms:
Wrong: After seeing his mistake, a new start was made.
Right: After seeing his mistake, he made a new start.
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Wrong: By writing rapidly, the work can be finished.
Right: By writing rapidly, you can finish the work.
Wrong: In copying the exercise, a mistake was made.
Right: In copying the exercise, I made a mistake.
EXERCISE 52
In the following sentences, choose the proper form of the substantive from those
italicized:
1. He spoke of John John's coming down.
2. The idea of his him singing is absurd.
3. Do you remember me my speaking about it?
4. What is the use of you your reading that?
5. He his him being arrested was a sufficient disgrace.
6. He him his being now of age, sold the farm.
7. He him his seling it was very unexpected.
8. You should have heard him his teling the story.
9. You should have heard his him teling of the story.
10. To think of them they their having been seen there!
11. What is the object of Mary Mary's studying French?
12. It its being John was a great surprise.
13. What is the use of them they their talking so much?
14. John John's going to school takes al his evenings.
15. The beauty of James James's writing got him the position.
16. He had heard about me my coming to-day.
17. John John's coming was a surprise.
EXERCISE 53
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Wherever participles or gerunds are improperly used in the following sentences,
correct the sentences so as to avoid such impropriety. See §107 for rule as to
punctuation:
1. Having assented to your plan, you try to hold me responsible.
2. He asked him to make the plans, owing to the need of an experienced architect.
3. It was decided to send his son abroad being anxious for his health.
4. On hearing that, a new plan was made.
5. Moving slowly past our window, we saw a great load of lumber.
6. Intending to go to the theater, the whole afternoon was spent in town.
7. He was taken into the firm, thus gaining an increased income.
8. Not having the lesson prepared, he told John to stay after class.
9. No letter was written for more than a week,