To test this, notice the following:—
In (1), to look means that he might look; to please is equivalent to that he may please,—both purpose clauses.
In (2), to find shows the result of the return; not to take pity is equivalent to that it would not take pity.
In (3), to part means because I part, etc.; and to betray and to bring express the reason, equivalent to that you betray,
etc.
In (4), to serve and to talk are equivalent to [as much gold] as will serve us; and "too sad to talk" also shows degree.
In (5), to hear means if you should hear, and to say is equivalent to if we say,—both expressing condition.
V. T
3 h
6 e
3. independent use, which is of two kinds,—
(1) Thrown loosely into the sentence; as in Sec. 355, (3).
(2) Exclamatory: "I a philosopher! I advance pretensions;" "'He to die!' resumed the bishop." (See also Sec. 268, 4.)
OUTLINE OF ANALYSIS.
In a
3n
6a
4l.yzing simple sentences, give—
(1) The predicate. If it is an incomplete verb, give the complement (Secs. 344 and 350) and its modifiers (Sec. 351).
(2) The object of the verb (Sec. 349).
(3) Modifiers of the object (Sec. 351).
(4) Modifiers of the predicate (Sec. 352).
(5) The subject (Sec. 347).
(6) Modifiers of the subject (Sec. 351).
(7) Independent elements (Sec. 355).
This is not the same order that the parts of the sentence usually have; but it is believed that the student will proceed
more easily by finding the predicate with its modifiers, object, etc., and then finding the subject by placing the question
who or what before it.
Exercise in Analyzing Simple Sentences.
Analyze the following according to the directions given:—
1. Our life is March weather, savage and serene in one hour.
2. I will try to keep the balance true.
3. The questions of Whence? What? and Whither? and the solution of these, must be in a life, not in a book.
4. The ward meetings on election days are not softened by any misgiving of the value of these ballotings.
5. Our English Bible is a wonderful specimen of the strength and music of the English language.
6. Through the years and the centuries, through evil agents, through toys and atoms, a great and beneficent
tendency irresistibly streams.
7. To be hurried away by every event, is to have no political system at all.
8. This mysticism the ancients called ecstasy,—a getting-out of their bodies to think.
9. He risked everything, and spared nothing, neither ammunition, nor money, nor troops, nor generals, nor himself.
10. We are always in peril, always in a bad plight, just on the edge of destruction, and only to be saved by invention
and courage.
11. His opinion is always original, and to the purpose.
12. To these gifts of nature, Napoleon added the advantage of having been born to a private and humble fortune.
13.
The water, like a witch's oils,
Burnt green and blue and white.
14. We one day descried some shapeless object floating at a distance.
15.
Old Adam, the carrion crow,
The old crow of Cairo;
He sat in the shower, and let it flow
Under his tail and over his crest.
16. It costs no more for a wise soul to convey his quality to other men.
17. It is easy to sugar to be sweet.
18. At times the black volume of clouds overhead seemed rent asunder by flashes of lightning.
19. The whole figure and air, good and amiable otherwise, might be called flabby and irresolute.
20. I have heard Coleridge talk, with eager energy, two stricken hours, and communicate no meaning whatsoever to
any individual.
21. The word conscience has become almost confined, in popular use, to the moral sphere.
22. You may ramble a whole day together, and every moment discover something new.
23. She had grown up amidst the liberal culture of Henry's court a bold horsewoman, a good shot, a graceful dancer,
a skilled musician, an accomplished scholar.
24. Her aims were simple and obvious,—to preserve her throne, to keep England out of war, to restore civil and
religious order.
25.
Fair name might he have handed down,
Effacing many a stain of former crime.
26. Of the same grandeur, in less heroic and poetic form, was the patriotism of Peel in recent history.
27. Oxford, ancient mother! hoary with ancestral honors, time-honored, and, haply, time-shattered power—I owe
thee nothing!
28. The villain, I hate him and myself, to be a reproach to such goodness.
29. I dare this, upon my own ground, and in my own garden, to bid you leave the place now and forever.
30. Upon this shore stood, ready to receive her, in front of all this mighty crowd, the prime minister of Spain, the
same Condé Olivarez.
31. Great was their surprise to see a young officer in uniform stretched within the bushes upon the ground.
32. She had made a two days' march, baggage far in the rear, and no provisions but wild berries.
33. This amiable relative, an elderly man, had but one foible, or perhaps one virtue, in this world.
34. Now, it would not have been filial or ladylike.
35. Supposing this computation to be correct, it must have been in the latitude of Boston, the present capital of New
England.
36. The cry, "A strange vessel close aboard the frigate!" having already flown down the hatches, the ship was in an
uproar.
37.
But yield, proud foe, thy fleet
With the crews at England's feet.
38. Few in number, and that number rapidly perishing away through sickness and hardships; surrounded by a
howling wilderness and savage tribes; exposed to the rigors of an almost arctic winter,—their minds were filled with
doleful forebodings.
39. List to the mournful tradition still sung by the pines of the forest.
40.
In the Acadian land, on the shores of the Basin of Minas,
Distant, secluded, still, the little village of Grand-Pré
Lay in the fruitful valley.
41. Must we in all things look for the how, and the why, and the wherefore?
CONTRACTED SENTENCES.
Som
3 e
6
5.sentences look like simple ones in form, but have an essential part omitted that is so
Words left out after than or as.
readily supplied by the mind as not to need expressing. Such are the following:—"There is no
country more worthy of our study than England [is worthy of our study]."
"The distinctions between them do not seem to be so marked as [they are marked] in the cities."
To show that these words are really omitted, compare with them the two following:—
"The nobility and gentry are more popular among the inferior orders than they are in any other
country."
"This is not so universally the case at present as it was formerly."
As s
3 h
6 o
6. wn in Part I. (Sec. 333). the expressions of manner introduced by like, though often
Sentences with like.
treated as phrases, are really contracted clauses; but, if they were expanded, as would be
the connective instead of like; thus,—"They'll shine o'er her sleep, like [as] a smile from the west [would shine].
From her own loved island of sorrow."
This must, however, be carefully discriminated from cases where like is an adjective complement; as,—
"She is like some tender tree, the pride and beauty of the grove;" "The ruby seemed like a spark of fire
burning upon her white bosom."
Such contracted sentences form a connecting link between our study of simple and complex sentences.
COMPLEX SENTENCES.
Our
3 i
6 n
7 v
. estigations have now included all the machinery of the simple sentence, which is the
The simple sentence the basis.
unit of speech.
Our further study will be in sentences which are combinations of simple sentences, made merely for convenience and
smoothness, to avoid the tiresome repetition of short ones of monotonous similarity.
Next to the simple sentence stands the complex sentence. The basis of it is two or more simple sentences, which are so
united that one member is the main one,—the backbone,—the other members subordinate to it, or dependent on it; as in
this sentence,—"When such a spirit breaks forth into complaint, we are aware how great must be the suffering that
extorts the murmur."
The relation of the parts is as follows:—
we are aware
_______ _____
| |
__| when such a spirit breaks
| forth into complaint,
|
how great must be the suffering
|
that extorts the murmur.
This arrangement shows to the eye the picture that the sentence forms in the mind,—how the first clause is held in
suspense by the mind till the second, we are aware, is taken in; then we recognize this as the main statement; and the
next one, how great ... suffering, drops into its place as subordinate to we are aware; and the last, that ... murmur,
logically depends on suffering.
Hence the following definition:—
A c
3o
6m
8. plex sentence is one containing one main or independent clause (also called the
Definition.
principal proposition or clause), and one or more subordinate or dependent clauses.
The
3 e
69l.ements of a complex sentence are the same as those of the simple sentence; that is, each clause has its subject,
predicate, object, complements, modifiers, etc.
But there is this difference: whereas the simple sentence always has a word or a phrase for subject, object, complement,
and modifier, the complex sentence has statements or clauses for these places.
CLAUSES.
A cl
3a
7u
0s
. e is a division of a sentence, containing a verb with its subject.
Definition.
Hence the term clause may refer to the main division of the complex sentence, or it may be
applied to the others,—the dependent or subordinate clauses.
A p
3ri
7 n
1 c
. ipal, main, or independent clause is one making a statement without the help of
Independent clause.
any other clause.
A subordinate or dependent clause is one which makes a statement depending upon or
Dependent clause.
modifying some word in the principal clause.
As t
3 o
7 t
2 h
. eir office in the sentence, clauses are divided into NOUN, ADJECTIVE, and ADVERB
Kinds.
clauses, according as they are equivalent in use to nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.
Noun Clauses.
Nou
3 n
7
3c
. lauses have the following uses:—
(1) Subject: "That such men should give prejudiced views of America is not a matter of surprise."
(2) Object of a verb, verbal, or the equivalent of a verb: (a) "I confess these stories, for a time, put an end to my fancies;"
(b) "I am aware [I know] that a skillful illustrator of the immortal bard would have swelled the materials."
Just as the object noun, pronoun, infinitive, etc., is retained after a passive verb (Sec. 352, 5), so the object clause is
retained, and should not be called an adjunct of the subject; for example, "We are persuaded that a thread runs through
all things;" "I was told that the house had not been shut, night or day, for a hundred years."
(3) Complement: "The terms of admission to this spectacle are, that he have a certain solid and intelligible way of
living."
(4) Apposition. (a) Ordinary apposition, explanatory of some noun or its equivalent: "Cecil's saying of Sir Walter Raleigh,
'I know that he can toil terribly,' is an electric touch."
(b) After "it introductory" (logically this is a subject clause, but it is often treated as in apposition with it): "It was the opinion of some, that this might be the wild huntsman famous in German legend."
(5) Object of a preposition: "At length he reached to where the ravine had opened through the cliffs."
Notice that frequently only the introductory word is the object of the preposition, and the whole clause is not; thus, "The
rocks presented a high impenetrable wall, over which the torrent came tumbling."
Her
3e
7 a
4. re to be noticed certain sentences seemingly complex, with a noun clause in apposition with it; but logically they
are nothing but simple sentences. But since they are complex in form, attention is called to them here; for example,
—"Alas! it is we ourselves that are getting buried alive under this avalanche of earthly impertinences."
To divide this into two clauses—(a) It is we ourselves, (b) that are ... impertinences—would be grammatical; but logically
the sentence is, We ourselves are getting ... impertinences, and it is ... that is merely a framework used to effect
emphasis. The sentence shows how it may lose its pronominal force.
Other examples of this construction are,—
"It is on the understanding, and not on the sentiment, of a nation, that all safe legislation must be
based."
"Then it is that deliberative Eloquence lays aside the plain attire of her daily occupation."
Exercise.
Tell how each noun clause is used in these sentences:—
1. I felt that I breathed an atmosphere of sorrow.
2. But the fact is, I was napping.
3. Shaking off from my spirit what must have been a dream, I scanned more narrowly the aspect of the building.
4. Except by what he could see for himself, he could know nothing.
5. Whatever he looks upon discloses a second sense.
6. It will not be pretended that a success in either of these kinds is quite coincident with what is best and inmost in
his mind.
7. The reply of Socrates, to him who asked whether he should choose a wife, still remains reasonable, that, whether
he should choose one or not, he would repent it.
8. What history it had, how it changed from shape to shape, no man will ever know.
9. Such a man is what we call an original man.
10. Our current hypothesis about Mohammed, that he was a scheming impostor, a falsehood incarnate, that his
religion is a mere mass of quackery and fatuity, begins really to be no longer tenable to any one.
Adjective Clauses.
As 3th
7 e
5. office of an adjective is to modify, the only use of an adjective clause is to limit or describe some noun, or
equivalent of a noun: consequently the adjective may modify any noun, or equivalent of a noun, in the sentence.
The adjective clause may be introduced by the relative pronouns who, which, that, but, as; sometimes by the
conjunctions when, where, whither, whence, wherein, whereby, etc.
Frequently there is no connecting word, a relative pronoun being understood.
Adje
3 c
7 t
6i.ve clauses may modify—
Examples of adjective clauses.
(1) The subject: "The themes it offers for contemplation are too vast for their capacities;"
"Those who see the Englishman only in town, are apt to form an unfavorable opinion of his social character."
(2) The object: "From this piazza Ichabod entered the hall, which formed the center of the mansion."
(3) The complement: "The animal he bestrode was a broken-down plow-horse, that had outlived almost everything but
his usefulness;" "It was such an apparition as is seldom to be met with in broad daylight."
(4) Other words: "He rode with short stirrups, which brought his knees nearly up to the pommel of the saddle;" "No whit
anticipating the oblivion which awaited their names and feats, the champions advanced through the lists;" "Charity
covereth a multitude of sins, in another sense than that in which it is said to do so in Scripture."
Exercise.
Pick out the adjective clauses, and tell what each one modifies; i.e., whether subject, object, etc.
1. There were passages that reminded me perhaps too much of Massillon.
2. I walked home with Calhoun, who said that the principles which I had avowed were just and noble.
3. Other men are lenses through which we read our own minds.
4. In one of those celestial days when heaven and earth meet and adorn each other, it seems a pity that we can only
spend it once.
5. One of the maidens presented a silver cup, containing a rich mixture of wine and spice, which Rowena tasted.
6. No man is reason or illumination, or that essence we were looking for.
7. In the moment when he ceases to help us as a cause, he begins to help us more as an effect.
8. Socrates took away all ignominy from the place, which could not be a prison whilst he was there.
9. This is perhaps the reason why we so seldom hear ghosts except in our long-established Dutch settlements.
10. From the moment you lose sight of the land you have left, all is vacancy.
11. Nature waited tranquilly for the hour to be struck when man should arrive.
Adverbial Clauses.
The
3
7a
7d
. verb clause takes the place of an adverb in modifying a verb, a verbal, an adjective, or an adverb. The student
has met with many adverb clauses in his study of the subjunctive mood and of subordinate conjunctions; but they require
careful study, and will be given in detail, with examples.
Adv
3 e
7 rb
8. clauses are of the following kinds:
(1) TIME: "As we go, the milestones are grave-stones;" "He had gone but a little way before he espied a foul fiend
coming;" "When he was come up to Christian, he beheld him with a disdainful countenance."
(2) PLACE: "Wherever the sentiment of right comes in, it takes precedence of everything else;" "He went several times
to England, where he does not seem to have attracted any attention."
(3) REASON, or CAUSE: "His English editor lays no stress on his discoveries, since he was too great to care to be
original;" "I give you joy that truth is altogether wholesome."
(4) MANNER: "The knowledge of the past is valuable only as it leads us to form just calculations with respect to the
future;" "After leaving the whole party under the table, he goes away as if nothing had happened."
(5) DEGREE, or COMPARISON: "They all become wiser than they were;" "The right conclusion is, that we should try, so
far as we can, to make up our shortcomings;" "Master Simon was in as chirping a humor as a grasshopper filled with
dew [is];" "The broader their education is, the wider is the horizon of their thought." The first clause in the last sentence
is dependent, expressing the degree in which the horizon, etc., is wider.
(6) PURPOSE: "Nature took us in hand, shaping our actions, so that we might not be ended untimely by too gross
disobedience."
(7) RESULT, or CONSEQUENCE: "He wrote on the scale of the mind itself, so that all things have symmetry in his
tablet;" "The window was so far superior to every other in the church, that the vanquished artist killed himself from
mortification."
(8) CONDITION: "If we tire of the saints, Shakespeare is our city of refuge;" "Who cares for that, so thou gain aught
wider and nobler?" "You can die grandly, and as goddesses would die were goddesses mortal."
(9) CONCESSION, introduced by indefinite relatives, adverbs, and adverbial conjunctions,—whoever, whatever,
however, etc.: "But still, however good she may be as a witness, Joanna is better;" "Whatever there may remain of
illiberal in discussion, there is always something illiberal in the severer aspects of study."
These mean no matter how good, no matter what remains, etc.
Exercise.
Pick out the adverbial clauses in the following sentences; tell what kind each is, and what it modifies:—
1. As I was clearing away the weeds from this epitaph, the little sexton drew me on one side with a mysterious air,
and informed me in a low voice that once upon a time, on a dark wintry night, when the wind was unruly, howling
and whistling, banging about doors and windows, and twirling weathercocks, so that the living were frightened out of
their beds, and even the dead could not sleep quietly in their graves, the ghost of honest Preston was attracted by
the well-known call of "waiter," and made its sudden appearance just as the parish clerk was singing a stave from
the "mirrie garland of Captain Death."
2. If the children gathered about her, as they sometimes did, Pearl would grow positively terrible in her puny wrath,
snatching up stones to fling at them, with shrill, incoherent exclamations, that made her mother tremble because they
had so much the sound of a witch's anathemas.
3. The spell of life went forth from her ever-creative spirit, and communicated itself to a thousand objects, as a torch
kindles a flame wherever it may be applied.
ANALYZING COMPLEX SENTENCES.
The
3 s
7 e
9
. suggestions will be found helpful:—
(1) See that the sentence and all its parts are placed in the natural order of subject, predicate, object, and modifiers.
(2) First take the sentence as a whole; find the principal subject and principal predicate; then treat noun clauses as
nouns, adjective clauses as adjectives modifying certain words, and adverb clauses as single modifying adverbs.
(3) Analyze each clause as a simple sentence. For example, in the sentence, "Cannot we conceive that Odin was a
reality?" we is the principal subject; cannot conceive is the principal predicate; its object is that Odin was a reality, of
which clause Odin is the subject, etc.
It is
3 s
8 o
0 m
. etimes of great advantage to map out a sentence after analyzing it, so as to picture the parts and their relations.
To take a sentence:—"I cannot help thinking that the fault is in themselves, and that if the church and the cataract were
in the habit of giving away their thoughts with that rash generosity which characterizes tourists, they might perhaps say
of their visitors, 'Well, if you are those men of whom we have heard so much, we are a little disappointed, to tell the
truth.'"
This may be represented as follows:—
I cannot help thinking
____________________
|
_______________________|
|
| (a) THAT THE FAULT IS IN THEMSELVES, AND
|
| (b) [THAT] THEY MIGHT (PERHAPS) SAY OF THEIR VISITORS
| ___________________
| |
| _____________________________|_________________________________
| | |
| | (a) We are (a little) disappointed |
| O| ___________________________ |
O| b| ________________________| |
b| j| M| |
j| e| o| (b) If you are those men |
e| c| d| ___ |
c| t| i| _________________________| |
t| | f| M| |
| | i| o| Of whom we have heard so much. |
| | e| d. |
| \ r\ \ |
| _____________________________________________________|
| M|
| o| (a) If the church and ... that rash generosity
| d| __________
| i| |
| f| _______________________________________________|
| i| |
| e| | (b) Which characterizes tourists.
| r| |
\ \ \
OUTLINE
(1) F
38in
1 d
. the principal clause.
(2) Analyze it according to Sec. 364.
(3) Analyze the dependent clauses according to Sec. 364. This of course includes dependent clauses that depend on
other dependent clauses, as seen in the "map" (Sec. 380).
Exercises.
(a) Analyze the following complex sentences:—
1. Take the place and attitude which belong to you.
2. That mood into which a friend brings us is his dominion over us.
3. True art is only possible on the condition that every talent has its apotheosis somewhere.
4. The deep eyes, of a light hazel, were as full of sorrow as of inspiration.
5. She is the only church that has been loyal to the heart and soul of man, that has clung to her faith in the
imagination.
6. She has never lost sight of the truth that the product human nature is composed of the sum of flesh and spirit.
7. But now that she has become