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ORAL EXERCISE.

Mention what part of speech each of the following words is, and how you know it to be so.

1. A violent storm at sea is often succeeded by a calm. 2. Calm your agitated mind. 3. How calm, how beautiful, comes on the still hour when storms are gone! 4. With dulcet songs the mothers still their babes. 5. The still of midnight is at hand. 6. Still water runs deep. 7. A still is a vessel used in the distillation of liquors. 8. Still one was absent. 9. My cheeks no longer did their color boast. 10. Fie! color not a glaring falsehood with feigned and specious excuses. 11. A little mind often dwells in a great body. 12. Little did the French Emperor anticipate the overthrow that awaited him in Russia. 13. Man wants but little here below, nor wants that little long. 14. The Dutch till their fields with such care that the whole of Holland resembles a highly cultivated garden. 15. Occupy till I come. 16. It is no worse to rob a man's till than to despoil him of his fair reputation by spreading slanderous reports. 17. The Arctic adventurers were imbedded in ice till the ensuing spring. 18. Past twelve o'clock, and yet the hermit sighs. 19. While the body was still hanging on the gallows, the queen and her train rode gaily past. 20. Past time never returns. 21. Spirit of the Past! look not so mournfully at me with thy great tearful eyes. 22. For me, for all, Death comes alike. 23. Men are never so ridiculous for the qualities they have as for those they affect to have. 24. Fenelon, hearing that his library was on fire, exclaimed, "Ah! God be praised that it is not some poor man's dwelling!" 25. No man should think so highly of himself as to imagine he can receive but little light from books, nor so meanly as to believe he can discover nothing but what is to be learned from them.

LESSON XII.

SENTENCES.

§38. ALL language consists of sentences.

A sentence is such an assemblage of words as makes complete sense; as, "Truth is eternal."

§39. Every sentence consists of two parts, subject ard predicate.

The subject is that respecting which something is affirmed,

38. Of what does all language consist? What is a sentence?

§ 39. Into what is every sentence divisible? What is meant by the subject? What,

asked, or exclaimed, or to which a command, an exhortation, or an entreaty is addressed. In the above example, truth is the subject.

The predicate is that which is affirmed, asked, or exclaimed. respecting the subject; or the command, exhortation, or entreaty addressed to it. In the above example, the words is eternal constitute the predicate.

The subject of a sentence may be ascertained by putting who or what before the leading verb. The answer to the question thus formed will be the subject, and the rest of the sentence the predicate. Thus :— "Truth is eternal." What is eternal? Answer, truth. Truth is therefore the subject, and is eternal the predicate.

In imperative sentences, that is, such as express a command, an ex• hortation, an entreaty, or permission, the subject is often understood; as, "Look not upon the wine when it is red." Thou understood is the subject; all the words expressed constitute the predicate.

§ 40. There are two kinds of subjects, grammatical and logical.

The grammatical subject is the name of the person or thing respecting which the affirmation is made, the question asked, &c., (see § 39) without any limiting terms. It usually consists of but one word, and is nominative to the leading verb in the sentence.

The logical subject consists of the name of the person or thing respecting which the affirmation is made, the question asked, &c., together with all the words that limit or describe it.

"The worst kind of lie is a half truth." Kind is the grammatical subject; the worst kind of lie is the logical subject; is a half truth is the predicate.

When there are no limiting words, the logical subject corresponds with the grammatical. Thus in the sentence, "Truth is eternal,” truth is both the grammatical and the logical subject.

by the predicate? How may the subject of a sentence be ascertained? What is said of the subject of imperative sentences? Give an example.

40. How many kinds of subjects are there? What are they called? What is the grammatical subject? Of how many words does it generally consist? What is the logical subject. Give an example of the two kinds of subjects? In what case does the logical subject correspond with the grammatical?

§ 41. Some sentences are susceptible of division into two or more leading parts, entirely independent of each other in construction and having distinct subjects and predicates. Such parts are called Members. The following sentence consists of two members: "A friend exaggerates a man's virtues; an enemy magnifies his crimes."

§ 42. Sentences may contain adjuncts, phrases, and clauses. An Adjunct consists of a preposition and its regimen; as, “The appearance of evil"; "The blessings of a kind God".

A Phrase is a combination of words which separately have no connection, either in construction or sense, with other words in the sentence, but which, when taken together, convey a single idea and may be construed as a single word. In short, in a word, on the contrary, are phrases.

A Clause is a combination of words for the most part independent in construction of other words in the sentence, and by themselves incomplete in sense, generally introduced for purpose of asserting some additional circumstance respecting the leading proposition.

the

§ 43. The clauses in most common use are eight in number; viz., Relative, Participial, Adverbial, Vocative, Adjective, Appositional, Causal, and Hypothetical.

A Relative Clause is one that contains a relative pronoun; as, "He who lives to nature rarely can be poor."

A Participial Clause is one that contains a participle; as, "Awakened by the morning sun, the birds carol their songs of gratitude."

An Adverbial Clause is one that performs the office of an adverb, generally expressing time, place, or manner; as, "There is a pleasure in the pathless woods."

§41. What is meant by the members of a sentence? Form a sentence containing two members

§ 42. What may sentences contain? What is an adjunct? Give an example. What is a phrase? Give examples. What is a clause?

§ 48. Mention the clauses in most common use. Define each in turn, and give an example.

A Vocative Clause is one that contains the name of an object addressed; as, "Go to the ant, thou sluggard!"

An Adjective Clause is one that contains an adjective; as, "Firm in his attachments, Lafayette never forgot a "friend."

An Appositional Clause is one that contains a noun or pronoun in apposition with some other substantive, that is, which refers to the same object and is similarly construed; as, "Down they go, the brave young riders.” Riders, referring to the same persons and being in the same construction as they, is in apposition with it.

A Causal Clause is one that indicates the motive with which, or the end for which, an action is done; as, “To perfect his education, he went to France."

A Hypothetical Clause is one that embodies a supposition ; as, "If thou hadst been here, my brother had not died."

§ 44. These clauses, when used by themselves, do not make complete sense, as will be seen by making the trial in the sentences given above as examples. They are therefore called Dependent Clauses.

The leading clauses on which they depend, make sense by themselves, and are therefore called Independent Clauses. Thus, in the sentence, "To perfect his education, he went to France", to perfect his education is a dependent, he went to France an independent, clause.

§ 45. As regards their signification, sentences are divided into four classes; viz., Declarative, Interrogative, Imperative, and Exclamatory.

as,

A Declarative Sentence is one that declares something; "It rains."

Declarative sentences constitute the greater part of written lan

guage.

§ 44. What general name is given to these clauses? Why? What is meant by an independent clause? In the sentence, "To perfect his education, he went to France", select the dependent and the independent clause.

§ 45. As regards their signification, how are sentences divided? What is a declarative sentence? Givo an example. What is an interrogative sentence? Give an example.

as,

An Interrogative Sentence is one that asks a question; "Does it rain ?"

Interrogative sentences are generally introduced by the interrogative pronouns, who, which, or what; or, by the auxiliaries, do, am, have, shall, may, &c.; as, "Who is there?" "What is truth?" “Am I right?" "May we go?"

An Imperative Sentence is one that expresses a command, an exhortation, an entreaty, or permission; as, "Let it rain."

Imperative sentences are generally introduced by a verb in the imperative mood, let being often used for that purpose; as, "Go in peace;" "Let him arise."

As already remarked, the subject of an imperative sentence is often understood; thus, in the above sentences, thou understood is the subject. An Exclamatory Sentence is one that exclaims something; "How it rains!"

as

The adverb how and the adjective pronoun what are often used to introduce exclamatory sentences; as, “How dead the vegetable kingdom lies!" "What a bereavement!"

It is a nice point, in the case of some sentences introduced by or containing the word what, to determine whether they are exclamatory or interrogative; as, "Unhappy man that I am, what have I done!" In such cases, judge from the context whether an answer is expected: if so, the sentence is interrogative; if not, exclamatory.

§ 46. As regards their construction, sentences are divided into two classes, Simple and Compound.

Simple Sentences are such as have but one member. (See § 41.)

Compound Sentences are such as have two or more mem

bers.

How are interrogative sentences generally introduced? What is an imperative sentence? Give an example. How are imperative sentences generally introduced? What verb is often used for this purpose? What is said of the subject of these sentences? What is an exclamatory sentence? Give an example. With what words are exclamatory sentences often introduced? With what are they sometimes liable to be confounded? What is the rule for deciding when a sentence is exclamatory and when interrogative?

$46. As regards their construction, how are sentences divided? What are simple sentences? What are compound sentences? What may a simple sentence contain?

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