LESSON III.

WHAT MAY DO THE WORK OF THE NOUN.

I. Other Parts of Speech used as Nouns.

1. A pronoun always does the work of a noun.

2. A word that is usually an adjective may do the work of a noun;

thus,

The good die young.

We sought them in vain.

Avoid the wrong and choose the right.

The poor ye have always with you.

The English is our native language.

"The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold." You have been tardy quite often of late. In short, I will not excuse it.

Of old, men did not expect this.

3. A word that is usually an adverb may do the work of a noun; thus,

Now is the accepted time. We started from here. Between now and then, what may not happen?

Till now, I did not doubt his coming.

He sent us this from abroad.

4. A present participle or a past participle may do the work of a noun; thus,

"The living claim our time,

The dead, our tears."

The buried and forgotten are a greater multitude

than all that live.

The poor and suffering are in every street.

EXERCISE 1.

As you read the following, mention every word that is generally of some other part of speech but is here used

"Trust no future, howe'er pleasant;

Let the dead past bury its dead,
Act, act in the living present,

Heart within, and God o'er head."

Familiarity with the good, the beautiful, or the

true, does not beget contempt.

"The evil that men do lives after them."

Seeing is believing.

Went, saw, and conquered are verbs.

Say "no." Since then, I have not seen her.

The Dutch claimed New York and New Jersey because a Dutch vessel was the first to sail up the Hudson River.

"Oh, the lost, the unforgotten,

In our hearts they perish not."

The sun shines on the just and on the unjust.

Every perfect gift comes down from above.

II. The Infinitive used as a Noun.

1. What is the infinitive?

The infinitive is the simple form of the verb with to before it;

2. What kind of work may the infinitive do in a sentence?

5. The infinitive may do the work of a noun; thus,

To delay is dangerous.

We like to walk.

3. Point out every infinitive in these sentences, and tell in stead of what part of speech each infinitive is used:

To steal is unlawful.

I desire to go.

It is disgraceful to steal.

To resist was useless.

To err is human; to forgive is divine.

We wished to study.

Read from the sentences above every infinitive used (a) as the subject of a verb, (b) as the object of a verb.

4. Write five sentences in which you use the infinitive of go, see, walk, love, give, as subjects.

5. Write five sentences, in each of which you use an infinitive as the object of a verb.

6. Complete each of these copulative verbs by supplying an infinitive:

We were

I am

--

This house was
They seemed

. In what two ways is the infinitive like a verb?

The infinitive may take an object after it; thus, -
To see the sun is pleasant.

I am anxious to meet him.

Or, it may be modified by an adverb; thus, -
To give grudgingly is not charity.

He seemed to walk slowly.

8. In what respects is the infinitive unlike a verb?

The infinitive is not inflected for person, number, or tense, and

it does not assert.

9. Use an infinitive in the place of each verbal noun in

10. Write the passive form of each of these infinitive

Point out every infinitive, or infinitive phrase, in these sentences, and tell how each is used:

1. To succeed is my ambition. 2. They like to play. 3. They were to write. 4. The house is to be painted. 5. To doubt his word is insulting. 6. I hate to punish the boy. 7. To hear is to obey. 8. She seemed to be nervous. 9. Cease to do evil; learn to do well. 10. To be healthy is to be happy. 11. I desire to improve. 12. To be a criminal is worse than to be a slave. 13. His desire is to do justice. 14. He wishes to go. 15. I was about to leave. 16. What went ye out for to see? 17. It is base to lie. 18. To know little is a misfortune; to boast much is a fault. 19. To be right was his ambition. 20. We decided to do so.

EXERCISE 3.

1. Turn to Lesson

of your Reader.

noun used in the lesson.

2. In parsing a noun what do we tell?

In parsing a noun we tell

1. Of what part of speech it is

2. What it names, and what kind of noun it is;

Parse every

3. Whether or not it is declined; and if so, what its declension is; 4. Of what gender (if a gender-noun), of what number, and of

what person it is;

5. For what it is used in the sentence, of what case it is, of what form, and what the rule is for the use of that form in this

case.

EXERCISE 4.

1. Copy, or read, from a book or paper ten sentences in each of which an infinitive, or an infinitive phrase, does the work of a noun.

2. Mention every italicized word in the following sentences, and tell (a) of what part of speech it usually is, (b) of what part of speech it is here, and why:

He was in the thickest of the fight.
To the pure all things are pure.

Avoid the wrong and choose the right.

When Greek meets Greek, then comes the tug of war.
He should be more respectful to his betters.

Since then, the living have claimed our time.
From here, we go to Arlington.

We can redeem the Past.

The dishonest are always suspicious.
Hope guides the young.