to sell or let; "Wood to burn;' "Deadly to hear, and deadly to tell;" "Good to eat."

V.-SYNTAX OF THE ADVERB.

RULE XLI.-The Adverb ought to be as near as possible to the word it modifies. Thus we ought to say, "He gave me only three shillings," and not "He only gave me three shillings," because only modifies three, and not gave.

This rule applies also to compound adverbs, such as at least, in like manner, at random, in part, etc.

RULE XLII.—Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs; but they can also modify prepositions. Thus we

have the combinations out from, up to, down to, etc.

In the sentence, "He walked up to me," the adverb up does not modify walked, but the prepositional phrase to me.

VI. SYNTAX OF THE PREPOSITION.

RULE XLIII.-All prepositions in the English language govern nouns and pronouns in the objective case.

The prepositions save and except are really verbs in the imperative mood.

RULE XLIV.—Prepositions generally stand before the words they govern; but they may, with good effect, come after them. Thus we find in Shakespeare

"Ten thousand men that fishes gnawed upon."

Why, then, thou knowest what colour jet is of."

And, in Hooker, with very forcible effect—

"Shall there be a God to swear by, and none to pray to?"

RULE XLV. Certain verbs, nouns, and adjectives require special prepositions. Thus we cannot say, "This is different to that," because it is bad English to say "This differs to that." The proper preposition in both instances is from.

The following is a list of some of these

Absolve from.

Abhorrence for.

Accord with.

Acquit of.

Affinity between.

Special prepositions:-

Adapted to (intentionally).
Adapted for (by nature).
Agree with (a person).

Agree to (a proposal).

Bestow upon.

Change for (a thing).
Change with (a person).
Confer on (= give to).
Confer with (= talk with).
Confide in (= trust in).
Confide to (intrust to).
Conform to.

In conformity with.
Comply with.

Convenient to (a person).
Convenient for (a purpose).

Conversant with.

Correspond with (a person).
Correspond to (a thing).

Dependent on (but independent of).

Derogatory to.

Differ from (a statement or opinion).
Differ with (a person).

Different from.

Disappointed of (what we cannot get).

Disappointed in (what we have got).

Dissent from.

Exception from (a rule).
Exception to (a statement).
Glad of (a possession).
Glad at (a piece of news).
Involve in.

Martyr for (a cause).
Martyr to (a disease).
Need of or for.
Part from (a person).
Part with (a thing).
Profit by.

Reconcile to (a person).
Reconcile with (a statement).
Taste of (food).

A taste for (art).

Thirst for or after (knowledge).

VII. SYNTAX OF THE CONJUNCTION.

RULE XLVI.-The Conjunction does not interfere with the action of a transitive verb or preposition, nor with the mood or tense of a verb.

(i) This rule is usually stated thus: “ Conjunctions generally connect the same cases of nouns and pronouns, and the same moods and tenses of verbs, as 'We saw him and her,' 'Let either him or me go!'" But it is plain that saw governs her as well as him; and that or cannot interfere with the government of let. Such a rule is therefore totally artificial.

(ii) It is plain that the conjunction and must make two singulars= one plural, as "He and I are of the same age."

RULE XLVII.-Certain adjectives and conjunctions take

after them certain special conjunctions. Thus, such (adj.) requires as, both (adj.), and; so and as require as; though, yet; whether, or; either, or; neither, nor; nor, nor; or, or. The following are a few examples:

(i) "Would I describe a preacher such as Paul!"

(ii) “Though deep, yet clear; though gentle, yet not dull.”

RULE XLVIII.-The subordinating conjunction that may be omitted. Thus we can say, "Are you sure he is here?" Shakespeare has, "Yet Brutus says he was ambitious!"

THE ANALYSIS OF SENTENCES.

When a group

A

1. Words are gregarious, and go in groups. of words makes complete sense, it is called a sentence. sentence is not a chance collection of words ; it is a true organism, with a heart and limbs. When we take the limbs apart from the central core or heart of the sentence, and try to show their relation to that core, and to each other, we are said to analyse the sentence. The process of thus taking a sentence to pieces, and naming and accounting for each piece, is called analysis.

(i) Analysis is a Greek word which means breaking up or taking apart its opposite is Synthesis, which means making up or putting together.

(ii) When we examine a sentence, and look at its parts, we are said to analyse the sentence, or to perform an act of analysis. But when we make sentences themselves, we perform an act of composition or of synthesis.

2. A sentence is a statement made about something, as, The horse gallops.

(i) The something (horse) is called the Subject.

(ii) The statement (gallops) is called the Predicate.

3. Every sentence consists, and must consist, of at least two parts. These two parts are the thing we speak about and what we say about that thing.

(i) The Subject is what we speak about.

(ii) The Predicate is what we say about the subject.

(i) There is a proverb of Solomon which says: "All things are double one against another." So there are the two necessarily complementary ideas of even and odd;

of right and left; of north and south; and many more. In language, the two ideas of Subject and Predicate are necessarily coexistent; neither can exist without the other; we cannot even think the one without the other. They are the two poles of thought.

(ii) Sometimes the Subject is not expressed in imperative sentences, as in "Go!"="Go you!"

(iii) The Predicate can never be suppressed; it must always be expressed: otherwise nothing at all would be said.

4. There are three kinds of sentences: Simple, Compound, and Complex.

(i) A simple sentence contains only one subject and one predicate.

(ii) A compound sentence contains two or more simple sentences of equal rank.

(iii) A complex sentence contains a chief sentence, and one or more sentences that are of subordinate rank to the chief sentence.

I. THE SIMPLE SENTENCE.

5. A Simple Sentence is a sentence which consists of one subject and one predicate.

(i) A Simple Sentence contains, and can contain, only one finite verb. If we say, “Baby likes to dance," there are two verbs in this simple sentence. But to dance is not a finite verb; it is an infinitive; it is a pure noun, and cannot therefore be a predicate.

(ii) If we say, "John and James ran off," the sentence is="John ran off" +"James ran off." It is therefore a compound sentence consisting of two simple sentences, with the predicate of one of them suppressed. Hence it is called a contracted compound sentence-contracted in the predicate.

=

(iii) If we say, "John jumped up and ran off," the sentence is "John jumped up"+"John ran off." It is therefore a compound sentence consisting of two simple sentences, but, for convenience' sake, contracted in the subject.

6. The Subject of a sentence is what we speak about. What we speak about we must name.

If we name a thing, we must use a name or noun.
Therefore the subject must always be either—

(i) A noun; or

(ii) Some word or words equivalent to a noun.