The Grammar of English Grammars Part 81

LESSON I.--PARSING.

"A Verb is a word whereby something or other is represented as existing, possessing, acting, or being acted upon, at some particular time, past, present, or future; and this in various manners."--_White, on the English Verb_, p. 1.

"Error is a savage, lurking about on the twilight borders of the circle illuminated by truth, ready to rush in and take possession, the moment her lamp grows dim."--_Beecher_.

"The science of criticism may be considered as a middle link, connecting the different parts of education into a regular chain."--_Ld. Kames, El. of Crit._, p. xxii.

"When I see a man walking, a tree growing, or cattle grazing, I cannot doubt but that these objects are really what they appear to be. Nature determines us to rely on the veracity of our senses; for otherwise they could not in any degree answer their end, that of laying open things existing and pa.s.sing around us."--_Id., ib._, i, 85.

"But, advancing farther in life, and inured by degrees to the crooked ways of men; pressing through the crowd, and the bustle of the world; obliged to contend with this man's craft, and that man's scorn; accustomed, sometimes, to conceal their sentiments, and often to stifle their feelings; they become at last hardened in heart, and familiar with corruption."--BLAIR: _Murray's Sequel_, p. 140.

"Laugh'd at, he laughs again; and stricken hard, Turns to his stroke his adamantine scales, That fear no discipline of human hands."--_Cowper's Task_, p. 47.

LESSON II.--PARSING.

"Thus shame and remorse united in the ungrateful person, and indignation united with hatred in the hearts of others, are the punishments provided by nature for injustice."--_Kames, El. of Crit._, Vol. i, p. 288.

"Viewing man as under the influence of novelty, would one suspect that custom also should influence him?--Human nature, diversified with many and various springs of action, is wonderfully, and, indulging the expression, intricately constructed."--_Id., ib._, i, 325.

"Dryden frequently introduces three or four persons speaking upon the same subject, each throwing out his own notions separately, without regarding what is said by the rest."--_Id., ib._, ii, 294.

"Nothing is more studied in Chinese gardens, than to raise wonder and surprise. Sometimes one is led insensibly into a dark cavern, terminating unexpectedly in a landscape enriched with all that nature affords the most delicious."--_Id., ib._, ii, 334.

"The answer to the objection here implied, is obvious, even on the supposition of the questions put being answered in the affirmative."--_Prof. Vethake._

"As birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also, he will deliver it; and, pa.s.sing over, he will preserve it."--_Isaiah_, x.x.xi, 5.

"Here, by the bonds of nature feebly held, Minds combat minds, repelling and repell'd."--_Goldsmith._

"Suffolk first died, and York, all haggled over, Comes to him where in gore he lay insteeped."--_Shakspeare._

LESSON III.--PARSING.

"Every change in the state of things is considered as an effect, indicating the agency, characterizing the kind, and measuring the degree, of its cause."--_Dr. Murray, Hist. of En. L._, i, 179.

"Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them unto the end.

And supper being ended, (the devil having now put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him,) Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hand, and that he had come from G.o.d and was going to G.o.d, arose from supper, and laid aside his coat, and, taking a towel, girded himself: then he poured some water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded."--See _John_, xiii.

"Spiritual desertion is naturally and judicially incurred by sin. It is the withdrawal of that divine unction which enriches the acquiescent soul with moral power and pleasure. The subtraction leaves the mind enervated, obscured, confused, degraded, and distracted."--h.o.m.o: _N. Y. Observer._

"Giving no offence in any thing, but in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of G.o.d: as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things."--_2 Cor._, vi.

"O may th' indulgence of a father's love, Pour'd forth on me, be doubled from above."--_Young_.

IMPROPRIETIES FOR CORRECTION.

ERRORS OF PARTICIPLES.

[Fist] [As the principles upon which our participles ought to be formed, were necessarily antic.i.p.ated in the preceding chapter on verbs, the reader must recur to that chapter for the doctrines by which the following errors are to be corrected. The great length of that chapter seemed a good reason for separating these examples from it, and it was also thought, that such words as are erroneously written for participles, should, for the sake of order, be chiefly noticed in this place. In many of these examples, however, the participle is not really a separate part of speech, but is in fact taken with an auxiliary to form some compound tense of its verb.]

LESSON I.--IRREGULARS.

"Many of your readers have mistook that pa.s.sage."--_Steele, Spect._, No.

544.

[FORMULE.--Not proper, because the preterit verb _mistook_ is here used for the perfect participle. But, according to the table of irregular verbs, we ought to say, _mistake, mistook, mistaking, mistaken_; after the form of the simple verb, _take, took, taking, taken_. Therefore, the sentence should be amended thus: "Many of your readers have _mistaken_ that pa.s.sage."]

"Had not my dog of a steward ran away."--_Addison, Spect._ "None should be admitted, except he had broke his collar-bone thrice."--_Spect._, No. 474.

"We could not know what was wrote at twenty."--_Pref. to Waller_. "I have wrote, thou hast wrote, he has wrote; we have wrote, ye have wrote, they have wrote."--_Ash's Gram._, p. 62. "As if G.o.d had spoke his last words there to his people."--_Barclay's Works_, i, 462. "I had like to have came in that ship myself."--_N. Y. Observer_, No. 453. "Our ships and vessels being drove out of the harbour by a storm."--_Hutchinson's Hist. of Ma.s.s._, i, 470. "He will endeavour to write as the ancient author would have wrote, had he writ in the same language."--_Bolingbroke, on Hist._, i, 68. "When his doctrines grew too strong to be shook by his enemies."--_Atterbury_.

"The immortal mind that hath forsook Her mansion."--_Milton_. "Grease that's sweaten from the murderer's gibbet, throw into the flame."--_Shak., Macbeth_. "The court also was chided for allowing such questions to be put."--_Col. Stone, on Freemasonry_, p. 470. "He would have spoke."-- _Milton, P. L._, B. x, 1. 517. "Words interwove with sighs found out their way."--_Id., ib._, i, 621. "Those kings and potentates who have strove."--_Id., Eiconoclast_, xvii. "That even Silence was took."--_Id., Comus_, l. 557. "And envious Darkness, ere they could return, had stole them from me."--_Id., Comus_, 1. 195. "I have chose this perfect man."--_Id., P. R._, B. i, l. 165. "I will scarce think you have swam in a gondola."--_Shak., As You Like It_. "The fragrant brier was wove between."--_Dryden, Fables_. "Then finish what you have began."--_Id., Poems_, ii, 172. "But now the years a numerous train have ran."--_Pope's Odyssey_, B. xi, l. 555. "Repeats your verses wrote on gla.s.ses."--_Prior_.

"Who by turns have rose."--_Id._ "Which from great authors I have took."--_Id., Alma_. "Ev'n there he should have fell."--_Id., Solomon._

"The sun has rose, and gone to bed, Just as if Partridge were not dead."--_Swift_.

"And though no marriage words are spoke, They part not till the ring is broke."--_Id., Riddles_.

LESSON II.--REGULARS.

"When the word is stript of all the terminations."--_Dr. Murray's Hist. of En. L._, i, 319.

[FORMULE.--Not proper, because the participle _stript_ is terminated in _t_. But, according to Observation 2d, on the irregular verbs, _stript_ is regular. Therefore, this _t_ should be changed to _ed_; and the final _p_ should be doubled, according to Rule 3d for Spelling: thus, "When the word is _stripped_ of all the terminations."]

"Forgive him, Tom; his head is crackt."--_Swift's Poems_, p. 397. "For 'tis the sport, to have the engineer hoist with his own petar."--_Hamlet_, Act 3. "As great as they are, I was nurst by their mother."--_Swift's Poems_, p. 310. "If he should now be cry'd down since his change."--_Ib._, p. 306.

"Dipt over head and ears--in debt."--_Ib._, p. 312. "We see the nation's credit crackt."--_Ib._, p. 312. "Because they find their pockets pickt."--_Ib._, p. 338. "O what a pleasure mixt with pain!"--_Ib._, p. 373.

"And only with her Brother linkt."--_Ib._, p. 387. "Because he ne'er a thought allow'd, That might not be confest."--_Ib._, p. 361. "My love to Sheelah is more firmly fixt."--_Ib._, p. 369. "The observations annext to them will be intelligible."--_Philological Museum_, Vol. i, p. 457. "Those eyes are always fixt on the general principles."--_Ib._, i, 458. "Laborious conjectures will be banisht from our commentaries."--_Ib._, i, 459.

"Tiridates was dethroned, and Phraates was reestablisht in his stead."--_Ib._, i, 462. "A Roman who was attacht to Augustus."--_Ib._, i, 466. "Nor should I have spoken of it, unless Baxter had talkt about two such."--_Ib._, i, 467. "And the reformers of language have generally rusht on."--_Ib._, i, 649. "Three centuries and a half had then elapst since the date."--_Ib._, i, 249. "Of such criteria, as has been remarkt already, there is an abundance."--_Ib._, i, 261. "The English have surpast every other nation in their services."--_Ib._, i, 306. "The party addrest is next in dignity to the speaker."--_Harris's Hermes_, p. 66. "To which we are many times helpt."--_Walker's Particles_, p. 13. "But for him, I should have lookt well enough to myself."--_Ib._, p. 88. "Why are you vext, Lady?

why do frown?"--_Milton, Comus_, l. 667. "Obtruding false rules prankt in reason's garb."--_Ib._, l. 759. "But, like David equipt in Saul's armour, it is enc.u.mbered and oppressed."--_Campbell's Rhet._, p. 378.

"And when their merchants are blown up, and crackt, Whole towns are cast away in storms, and wreckt."

--_Butler_, p. 163.

LESSON III.--MIXED.

"The lands are holden in free and common soccage."

--_Trumbull's Hist_, i, 133.

[FORMULE.--Not proper, because the participle _holden_ is not in that form which present usage authorizes. But, according to the table of irregular verbs, the four parts of the verb _to hold_, as now used, are _hold, held, holding, held_. Therefore, _holden_ should be _held_; thus, "The lands are _held_ in free and common soccage."]

"A stroke is drawed under such words."--_Cobbett's E. Grammar_, Edition of 1832, -- 154. "It is striked even, with a strickle."--_Walkers Particles_, p. 115. "Whilst I was wandring, without any care, beyond my bounds."--_Ib._, p. 83. "When one would do something, unless hindred by something present."--_Johnson's Gram. Com._, p. 311. "It is used potentially, but not so as to be rendred by these signs."--_Ib._, p. 320.

"Now who would dote upon things hurryed down the stream thus fast?"--_Collier's Antoninus_, p. 89. "Heaven hath timely try'd their growth."--_Milton, Comus_, l. 970. "O! ye mistook, ye should have s.n.a.t.c.ht his wand."--_Ib._, p. 815. "Of true virgin here distrest."--_Ib._, p. 905.

"So that they have at last come to be subst.i.tute in the stead of it."--_Barclay's Works_, i, 339. "Though ye have lien among the pots."--_Psal._, lxviii, 13. "And, lo, in her mouth was an olive-leaf pluckt off."--FRIENDS' BIBLE, and BRUCE'S: _Gen._, viii, 11. "Brutus and Ca.s.sius Are rid like madmen, through the gates of Rome."--_Shak_. "He shall be spitted on."--_Luke_, xviii, 32. "And are not the countries so overflown still situate between the tropics?"--_Bentley's Sermons_. "Not trickt and frounc't as she was wont, But kercheft in a comely cloud."--_Milton, Il Penseroso_, l. 123. "To satisfy his rigor, Satisfy'd never."--_Id., P. L._, B. x, l. 804. "With him there crucify'd."--_Id., P. L._, B. xii, l. 417.

"Th' earth c.u.mber'd, and the wing'd air darkt with plumes."--_Id., Comus_, l. 730. "And now their way to Earth they had descry'd."--_Id., P. L._, B.