ANALYSIS OF SENTENCES.

CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTION.-GENERAL PRINCIPLES.

SUGGESTION. Chapter I. should not be attempted by those who have never studied grammar. Let the beginner commence with Chapter II.

General Divisions of Discourse.

1. Language is the medium through which we communicate our thoughts.

2. Discourse is a continued series of thoughts, each expressed by an assemblage of words called a sentence.

3. The Sentence is the unit of discourse, and contains a - complete thought expressed by one principal proposition, or by a combination of propositions, one of which must be principal.

4. A series of sentences relating to a single subject is called a Paragraph. In like manner, a series of paragraphs embracing a more comprehensive topic is called a Section; a series of sections, a Chapter; and so on to the highest divisions of discourse.

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The Sentence.

5. The sentence may be considered as a whole, or in reference to its component parts.

6. As a whole, a sentence may declare something, ask a question, express a command, or contain an exclamation.

EXAMPLES. Declarative. There are certain social principles in human nature, from which we may draw the most solid conclusions with respect to the conduct of individuals and communities.

Interrogative. When was it that Rome attracted most strongly the admiration of mankind, and impressed the deepest sentiment of fear on the hearts of her enemies?

Imperative. Shut now the volume of history, and tell me, on any principle of human probability, what shall be the fate of this handful of adventurers.

Exclamatory. How different would have been our lot this day, both as men and women, had the Revolution failed of success!

7. The component parts of the sentence are the words, phrases, and clauses which enter into its structure and form its elements.

8. A sentence may contain five distinct elements,—

1. Two, called principal, because they are indispensable to its formation; and—

2. Three, called subordinate, because they depend upon these. Ex.-Coming-events-cast-their shadows-before. Observe the words in bold type are the principal elements, those in italics, the subordinate.

9. The principal elements are,

1. The subject, or that of which something is affirmed or denied. Ex.-Roses bloom; virtue ennobles; men are mortal.

2. The predicate, or that which is affirmed or denied.

Ex. The snow melts; the enemy will not prevail; the time is coming.

10. The subordinate elements are,—

1. The adjective element, or that which is joined to the subject, or to any substantive to modify its meaning or its application.

Ex.-The morning clouds have passed away. The laws of nature are uniform. Affix the seal of condemnation.

2. The objective element, or that which is added to the transitive verb to complete its meaning.

Ex.-Buy the truth and sell it not. Sound policy demands that privateering be prohibited.

3. The adverbial element, or that which is added to the verb, or to any attributive to modify its meaning or its application.

Ex-Speak distinctly. They walked in the garden. He died when I was a child. This problem is very difficult.

Form and State of the Elements.

11. These five elements in their simplest state may take three forms, called the first, second, and third classes of the elements.

Ex.-First Class.-Birds-fly; these-birds-fly-swiftly.

Second Class.-Flocks-of birds—were flying-over the fields.
Third Class.-Read much-that you may write well.

12. Every element must contain at least one word expressing a thought, in the form of a conception or idea; it may contain a word expressing a mere relation or limitation.

(a.) Thus, in president of the senate, "president" and "senate" express conceptions, while "of" expresses merely their relation to each other.

13. A word is,—

1. A substantive, when it expresses the conception of a substance or an object.

Ex-Snow, cloud, cave, Philadelphia, Socrates.

2. An attributive, when it expresses the conception of an attribute of some object.

Ex-Wise, sitting, stands, walks, dormant.

3. A relative or relation-word, when it shows the relation of two thoughts or ideas.

Ex-Of, in, by, is, can, that, which, when, where, etc.

(a.) These terms are indicative of the general office of words, and will be found convenient in analysis. So intimate are the relations between substance and attribute that we cannot express one without involving the other; for there