p. 138) has collected the following examples of improper usage: Your character, which I or any other writer may now value ourselves by drawing. [upon.]—Swift, Letter on the English Tongue. You have bestowed your favours to the most deserving Upon such occasions as fell into their cognisance. [under.] That variety of factions into which we are still engaged. To restore myself into the good graces of my fair critics. Accused the ministers for betraying the Dutch. [of.]— [It is possible to defend this sentence, thus: Accused the Ovid, whom you accuse for luxuriancy of verse. [of.]— Something like this has been reproached to Tacitus. [It would be necessary to give this sentence a complete He was made much on at Argos. [of.] He is so resolved of going to the Persian court. [on.] -Bentley, Dissertation on Themistocles's Epistles, sect. iii. Neither the one nor the other shall make me swerve out of the path, which I have traced to myself. [from.]— Bolingbroke, Letter to Wyndham, p. 242. If poesy can prevail upon force. [over.]—Addison, Travels, p. 62. [We prevail upon persons, but over physical forces.] I do likewise dissent with the examiner.-Id. Whig [We 'differ with' but 'dissent from.'] Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.-Matthew xxiii. 24. [The original has diüλíčovrɛç, i.e. 'straining out a gnat,' 'taking a gnat out of liquor by straining.'] It was perfectly in compliance to some persons, for whose opinion I have great deference. [with.]—Swift, Preface to Temple's Memoirs. The wisest Princes need not think it any diminution to their greatness, or derogation to their sufficiency, to rely upon counsel. [of][from.]-Bacon, Essay xx. 503. In the use of prepositions after verbs, much depends on usage: We 'go beyond,' and 'rise above.' We 'except from censure,' and state 'exceptions to a course.' We 'inquire of a person,' and 'at a place.' We are 'dependent on' and 'independent of.' See Angus, Handbook of the English Tongue, § 590, where the student will find a list of verbs followed by the prepositions commonly used after them. EXAMPLES. 'The ordering of exercises is matter of great consequence to hurt or help; for, as is well observed by Cicero, men in exercising their faculties, if they be not well advised, do exercise their faults and get ill habits as well as good.'-Bacon. In all studies, much depends upon judicious exercise; for, however useful theory may be in its proper place, the main thing is practice. In grammar, the chief end is accuracy; and slovenly exercises do more harm than good. Scrupulous attention should be paid to the handwriting, and the spelling. Boys are apt to despise these things as trifles; but they have to learn, that attention to trifles often makes all the difference between a man who succeeds in life, and a man who fails. In the present day, there is too much hurry; and even boys are ready to account for their negligence by saying that they had not time.' This is an idle excuse. No portion of their time can be so well spent as that which is occupied in acquiring habits of neatness, and accuracy. In grammatical analysis, two methods may be adopted. The first is the method of construing; that is, to begin by selecting the principal words in a sentence, as, the 'subjectnominative' and the 'predicate-verb;' then to subjoin the qualifications of each; and then, to add the dependent words of the sentence. For example: Him the Almighty Power Hurled flaming. Qualification of the Objective Power hurled the Almighty him flaming. The second method is to take the words as they stand, and to explain each in its order: as, Objective. Qualification of the Sub ject-nominative' Power.' Almighty Power flaming. Qualification of the Sub- Qualification of the Ob- In oral instruction both methods may be employed. But in written analysis, I incline to the second method. For this reason, that the mind is less liable to be distracted by moving from one part of the sentence to another; and there is less danger of omitting any word. In this way, we begin at the beginning, and go on steadily to the end. However, on this point, there may be difference of opinion; some may prefer the one way, and some the other. For a while, I hesitated whether to use abbreviations, as, subj. nom., pred. verb, or to discard them. At first, there is a temptation to save time and trouble. But in looking over an exercise, the analysis written in full is much more pleasing to the eye, than one in which abbreviations are used. And as there is an artistic pleasure in beholding a well-written exercise, I conclude that it is better to discard abbreviations. In selecting examples, I have introduced several of those given by Dr. Morell and Mr. Mason, in order to exhibit the difference of the systems. The reader may compare the analysis here proposed with that of the writers mentioned: Morell, Grammar of the English Language, pp. 80-103; Mason, English Grammar, pp. 122-143. I. EXAMPLES OF SENTENCES. 1. The curfew tolls the knell of parting day. The curfew tolls the knell of parting day. Definite article, qualifying the subject-nominative'curfew.' Noun, Subject-nominative. Predicate-verb. Definite article, qualifying the Objective 'knell.' Noun, Objective. Prepositional phrase, qualifying the Objective 'knell consisting of a preposition 'of,' a participle 'parting,' a noun 'day.' The sun 2. The sun from the western horizon extended his golden wand o'er the landscape. from the western horizon extended his golden wand o'er the land scape. The Definite article, qualifying the subject-nominative'sun.' Noun, Subject-nominative. Adverbial phrase, qualifying the predicateverb 'extended,' and denoting the place whence. Predicate-verb. Pronoun possessive (or in the possessive case), Adverbial phrase, qualifying the predicate- Obs.-The phrase of parting day' is called a prepositional phrase; whereas from the western horizon' and 'o'er the landscape' are termed adverbial phrases. In one sense they are all prepositional phrases; but as the first qualifies a noun, while the second and third qualify a verb, it is better to distinguish the latter as adverbial phrases. 3. The doctor prescribed his patient a receipt. doctor prescribed his patient a receipt. He gave him a letter Definite article, qualifying the subject-nomi- Noun, Subject- nominative. Pronoun in the possessive case, qualifying the Noun, Secondary Objective [to or for his Indefinite article, qualifying the Primary Objective receipt.' Noun, Primary Objective (immediately dependent upon the predicate-verb 'prescribed '). 4. He gave him a letter to read. Pronoun, Subject-nominative. Pronoun, Secondary Objective. Indefinite article, qualifying the Primary Objective 'letter.' Noun, Primary Objective. |