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Read Ebook: Word Study and English Grammar A Primer of Information about Words Their Relations and Their Uses by Hamilton Frederick W Frederick William
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Ebook has 335 lines and 29588 words, and 7 pages
The nominative and objective cases of nouns do not differ in form. They are distinguished by their positions in the sentence and their relations to other words.
When one noun owns another the one owning is in the possessive case.
The man's paper is cut.
John's hat.
Moses' hat, for Moses's hat.
For conscience' sake.
Care should be taken in forming the possessives of phrases containing nouns in apposition, or similar compound phrases. We should say "I called at Brown the printer's" or "since William the Conqueror's time."
I saw a man.
gives no definite idea of the person seen.
I saw a tall, thin, dark, old man.
presents a very definite picture. It will be noted that these descriptive words have a way of forming combinations among themselves. It must be remembered, however, that all the words thus used describe the noun. Adjectives are sometimes used as substitutes for nouns. This is one of the many verbal short cuts in which the English language abounds.
The good die young
means good people die young.
We should seek the good and beautiful
means we should seek good or beautiful things, or persons, or qualities, or perhaps everything good and beautiful.
I saw a very big man,
While the plan of this book does not call for a systematic study of verbs any more than of any other words, it is desirable to call attention to some points as being the occasions of frequent mistakes.
A simple sentence consists of a verb, its subject, and its object. The verb indicates the action, the subject is the noun which does the act, the object is the noun to which the thing is done. Verbs have forms denoting person and number, for example:
Singular Plural
Singular Plural
Verbs agree with their subjects in person and number. We all know this but we do not always remember it. Unless you are very careful, you will find yourself using a singular subject with a plural verb or the reverse. Mistakes of this sort are particularly liable to happen in the case of collective nouns, in the use of personal pronouns as subjects, and in cases where the subject and the verb are far separated in the sentence.
Those forms of the verb which tell whether the subject is acting or is acted upon are called voices. When the subject is acting the verb is said to be in the active voice. When the subject is acted upon the verb is said to be in the passive voice. Verbs in the passive voice have no objects because the subject, being acted upon, is itself in the place of an object.
Those forms of the verb which tell whether the time of the action is past, present, or future, are called tenses. They are six, viz.
Trouble is sometimes found in choosing the right forms of the verb to be used in subordinate clauses. The rule is:
Verbs in subordinate sentences and clauses must be governed by the tense of the principal verb.
Note that when the statement in the subordinate clause is of universal application the present tense is always used whatever the tense of the principal verb. "The lecturer said that warm weather always softens rollers."
Those forms of the verb which tell whether the action is an actual fact, a possibility, a condition, or a command are called moods.
There are three moods, the indicative, subjunctive, and imperative.
The indicative mood indicates that the action is a fact. It is also used in asking questions.
If the triangle A be placed on the triangle B.
God forgive him.
O, that my brother were here.
The subjunctive is sometimes used to express condition,
Had you not been a coward, you would not have run away.
The imperative mood indicates a command,
Put that on the press.
The subject of the imperative mood is only expressed when it is emphatic,
Go thou and do likewise.
You must obey the rules of the office.
You ought to obey the rules of the office,
indicates that it is your duty to obey because it is the right thing to do even though no penalty is attached.
You must obey the rules of the office,
indicates that you will be punished if you do not obey.
The following tables should be learned and practiced in a large variety of combinations.
Futurity Volition, etc.
I shall We shall I will We will You will You will You shall You shall He will They will He shall They shall
Futurity
Shall I Shall we Shall you Shall you Will he Will they
Volition, etc.
In indirect discourse, when the subject of the principal clause is different from the noun clause, the usage is like that in direct statement, for example,
The teacher says that James will win the medal. ,
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