"This misfortune will certainly make the poor man miserable for life." This mis- will make miserable the poor certainly for life fortune man 493 f. The thorough analysis of a sentence is to be conducted in the following manner: i. Set down the subject of the sentence, which may consist (1) of a single substantive, or (2) of two or more substantives united by co-ordinative conjunctions, or (3) of an infinitive mood, or (4) of a quotation, or (5) of a subordinate substantive clause (see §§ 384-387). ii. Set down the attributive adjuncts of the subject. These may consist (1) of an adjective or participle (with or without adjuncts of their own), or (2) of a noun, an infinitive mood, or a substantive clause in apposition to the subject, or (3) of a substantive (noun or pronoun) in the possessive case, or (4) of a substantive preceded by a preposition (including under this head an infinitive mood preceded by `to), or (5) of an adjective clause (§ 362). iii. Set down the predicate-verb. If the verb is one of incomplete predication, set down the complement of the predicate, and indicate that the verb and its complement make up the entire predicate (§§ 389-395). ̧ iv. If the predicate be a transitive verb, set down the object of the verb. The object of a verb admits of the same varieties as the subject. If the predicate be a verb of incomplete predication, followed by an infinitive mood, set down the object of the dependent infinitive (§ 397). v. Set down those words, phrases, or adjective clauses, which are in the attributive relation to the object of the predicate, or to the object of the complement of the predicate, if the latter be a verb in the infinitive mood (§ 389). vi. Set down those words, phrases, or adverbial clauses which are in the adverbial relation to the predicate, or the complement of the predicate. These adverbial adjuncts may consist (1) of an adverb; or (2) of a substantive (or verb in the infinitive mood) preceded by a preposition; or (3) of a noun qualified by an attributive word; or (4) of a substantive (noun or pronoun) in the objective case, before which to or for may be understood; or (5) of a nominative absolute; or (6) of an adverbial clause (§ 372). These various elements of the sentence may be arranged either in the mode adopted in the following examples, or in that indicated in the table at the end of the book. Examples of the Analysis of Simple Sentences. 494 a. "Having ridden up to the spot, the enraged officer struck the unfortunate man dead with a single blow of his sword." Subject, juncts of subject, Predicate, Attributive ad Object, juncts of object, (2. Adverbial ad 1. juncts of pre- 'unfortunate.' 'on the spot' (§ 372, 2). 2. 'with a single blow of his sword' (§ 372, 2). 494 b. "I saw a man with a sword." Here with a sword forms an attributive adjunct of the object man. It does not denote the manner or means of the action saw (§ 362, 4). Subject, 496 Predicate, 'you.' Verb of incomplete predication, are.' "Now the bright morning star, day's harbinger, comes dancing from the East. Subject, Attributive ad juncts of subject, Predicate, (Verb of incomplete predication, 'comes.' Complement of predicate, dancing '† (§ 391). Adverbial adjunct of the predicate, from the East' (§ 372, 2). The construction of an interrogative or relative sentence is most easily seen by looking at that of the corresponding affirmative or demonstrative sentence. Thus, Who are you?" answers to "I am he." It is much better to class this example with such phrases as "looks fine," "grows tall," "smells sweet," &c., than to treat dancing as an attributive adjunct of the subject, which in the order of ideas it certainly is not. 497 "He found all his wants supplied by the care of his friends." Adverbial adjunct of the complement of the predicate, ‘by the care of his friends' (§ 372, 2). (In the phrase "by the care of his friends," we may also separate the words " of his friends," as forming an attributive adjunct of the noun care.) 498 "A man of weak health is incapable of the thorough enjoyment of life." 499 500 501 Predicate, 2. of weak health' (§ 362, 4). Verb of incomplete predication, 'is.' Complement of predicate, 'incapable' (§ 393). Adverbial adjunct of the complement of the predicate, of the thorough enjoyment of life.' (See the note on the last example.) "And now, their mightiest quelled, the battle swerved, with many an inroad gored." Subject, Attributive ad- Adverbial ad- 2. Noun, with attributive adjunct, in the nominative absolute, 'their mightiest quelled' (§ 372, 5). "He gave him a letter to read." Here him' (.e., 'to him') and to read' (ad legendum, § 190) form adverbial adjuncts of the predicate. It frequently happens that the attributive adjuncts of the subject or object have in their turn adverbial or other adjuncts of sufficient importance to be worth setting down separately. In that case they may be inserted in the analysis under a heading of their own. Thus : "Hence, loathed Melancholy, Of Cerberus and blackest midnight born, In Stygian cave forlorn, 'Mongst horrid shapes, and shrieks and sights unholy." "Mongst horrid shapes, and shrieks, and sights unholy.' Predicate (understood), 'go' (or depart). 502a "All but one were killed." Here 'but one' (A. S. bútan ánum) is an adverbial adjunct (§ 372, 2) of the verb. The sentence means 'all, leaving out one, were killed.' 5026"None but the brave deserve the fair." 503 504 That is, 'None, if we leave out the brave, deserve the fair.' 'But the brave' (like but one' in the last example) is an adverbial adjunct of the predicate. (For another mode of explaining the construction of but in this instance, see § 289. note. It is easy to see that the filling up of the ellipsis there indicated is possible only after a negative.) "Who but a madman would act thus?" means, "Leaving out the class of madmen, who would act thus?" The phrase 'but a madman,' is, in any case, an adverbial adjunct of the predicate. "But being charged, we will be still by land" (Antony and Cleopatra, iv. 11, 1). 66 Here 'but being charged' is a gerund, preceded by the preposition but, and means 'leaving out the case of being charged.' The phrase forms an adverbial adjunct to the predicate verb will be. The sentence means, Unless we are attacked, we will make no movement by land." "Whence, but from the author of all ill, could spring so deep a malice ?" Here an adverbial phrase instead of a substantive seems to follow the preposition but. The use of the gerund after but in the last example, however, suggests that the full phrase should be but springing from the author of all ill, that is, "Without springing from the author of all ill," or, "If we leave out the case of springing from the author of all ill, whence could so deep a malice spring?" So, "Matchless but with the Almighty," is "Matchless but (being matched) with the Almighty." A similar explanation may be given of such phrases as, "He never comes but when he is not wanted," i.e., 'but (coming) when he is not wanted;' so 'except when he is not wanted,' may be treated as 'coming when he is not wanted being excepted.' We do, however, find adverbs standing for qualified substantives, and preceded by prepositions. Before now is equivalent to before the present time. 305 "I can but lament the result." In such sentences it seems as though but were an adverb, meaning only. It is, however, the preposition but, followed by a verb in the infinitive (or substantive) mood. In reality all such constructions have arisen from the improper omission of a negative.* In Chaucer we find, "I n'am but a leude compilatour; ""That I may have not but my meat and drinke" (Wedgwood, Dict. s. v. ‘but'). Examples of the Analysis of Complex Sentences. 506 When there are subordinate clauses, the analysis of the entire sentence must first be conducted as if for each subordinate clause we had some single word. When the relation of the several clauses to the main sentence and to each other has thus been clearly marked, the subordinate clauses are to be analysed on the same principles as simple sentences. Mere conjunctions (§ 286) do not enter into the grammatical structure of the clauses which they introduce. No combination of words forms a dependent sentence without a finite verb expressed or understood. 507 The relation of the parts of a complex sentence may be indicated by the following notation :-1. Let brackets of different kinds enclose the several clauses, and be so placed as to enclose everything that enters into the structure of the clause in question. If a clause contains other subordinate clauses within it, let these be enclosed in brackets of their own. A principal sentence need not be enclosed in brackets, unless it be one of two or more co-ordinate sentences. 2. Let a principal sentence be marked by a capital letter placed before it,† as (A), (B), &c. 3. Let each subordinate clause be marked by a small letter of its own prefixed to it (inside the brackets), a letter without a dash (a, b, &c.) denoting a substantive clause, a letter with a dash (c', d', &c.) denoting an adjective clause, and a letter with two dashes (m", n", &c.) denoting an adverbial clause. (Co-ordinate clauses may be denoted by the same small letter repeated and distinguished by numerals placed underneath, as a1, ɑ2, b1', b2', b3'.) This single letter would be enough to denote the clause for subsequent reference; but, to show more clearly the connection of the clauses, if one subordinate clause is contained within another, let the letter which denotes the contained clause be preceded by the letter or letters denoting the containing clause. Thus, let (a'b) denote a substantive clause (b) which is contained within an adjective clause (a); let (ab'c') denote an adverbial clause (c") contained within the second (b) of two or more co-ordi nate adjective clauses contained within a substantive clause (a). Thus in the following example (C): "I have heard [(a) that my brother has lost at play the money {(ab'.) which was given to him (ab'c".) that he might pay his debts"} ], the substantive clause marked a includes all from 'that my brother' to *There are other instances in which negatives are improperly omitted in English. "Do not spend more than you can help," ought to be "Do not spend more than you cannot help." "He has lost ever so much money," should be, "He has lost never so much money," i.e., "He has lost a quantity of money, and never before lost so much." This may be omitted if the sentence is an isolated one. |