And soon, observant of approaching day,
The meek-eyed morn appears, mother of dews,
At first, faint gleaming in the dappled east,
Till far o'er ether spreads the wid'ning glow,
And from before the lustre of her face
White break the clouds away.
TRANSPOSED.
The doubtful empire of the night is short; and the meek-eyed morn, (which is the) mother of dews, observant of approaching day, soon appears, gleaming faintly, at first, in the dappled east, till the widening glow spreads far over ether, and the white clouds break away from before the lustre of her face.
NATURE BOUNTIFUL.—AKENSIDE.
With richest treasures, and an ample state,
Endows at large whatever happy man
Will deign to use them.
TRANSPOSED.
Nature's care, which is just to all her children, largely endows, with richest treasures and an ample state, that happy man who will deign to use them.
NOTE. What, in the second example, is a comp. rel. The antecedent part is gov. by teach understood; and the relative part by to feel expressed. To shun and to pursue, in the third example, are in the infinitive mood, gov. by than, according to a NOTE under Rule 23. Faint and from, in the 5th example, are adverbs. An adverb, in poetry, is often written in the form of an adjective. Whatever, in the last sentence, is a compound pronoun, and is equivalent to that and who. That is an adj. pron. belonging to "man;" who is nom. to "will deign;" and ever is excluded from the sentence in sense. See page 113. Parse these examples as they are transposed, and you will find the analysis very easy.
ADDITIONAL EXERCISES IN PARSING.
GOLD, NOT GENUINE WEALTH.
And, "not in me," the Diamond. Gold is poor.
TRANSPOSED.
Where is thy true treasure? Gold says, "It is not in me;" and the Diamond says, "It is not in me." Gold is poor.
SOURCE OF FRIENDSHIP.—DR. YOUNG.
A friend, but what has found a friend in thee.
TRANSPOSED.
Lorenzo, repress thou pride; nor hope thou to find a friend, only in him who has already found a friend in thee.
TRUE GREATNESS.—POPE.
Or, failing, smiles in exile or in chains,
Like good Aurelius let him reign, or bleed
Like Socrates, that man is great indeed.
TRANSPOSED.
That man is great indeed, let him to reign like unto good Aurelius, or let him to bleed like unto Socrates, who obtains noble ends by noble means; or that man is great indeed, who, failing to obtain noble ends by noble means, smiles in exile or in chains.
INVOCATION.—POLLOK.
All things seem as they are, inspire my song;
My eye unscale: me what is substance teach;
And shadow what, while I of things to come,
As past rehearsing, sing. Me thought and phrase
Severely sifting out the whole idea, grant.
TRANSPOSED.
Eternal Spirit! God of truth! to whom all things seem to be as they really are, inspire thou my song; and unscale thou my eyes: teach thou to me the thing which is substance; and teach thou to me the thing which is shadow, while I sing of things which are to come, as one sings of things which are past rehearsing. Grant thou to me thought and phraseology which shall severely sift out the whole idea.
THE VOYAGE OF LIFE.
With swelling sails make good the promised port,
With all their wishes freighted! Yet ev'n these,
Freighted with all their wishes, soon complain.
Free from misfortune, not from nature free,
They still are men; and when is man secure?
As fatal time, as storm. The rush of years
Beats down their strength; their numberless escapes
In ruin end: and, now, their proud success
But plants new terrors on the victor's brow.
What pain, to quit the world just made their own!
Their nests so deeply downed and built so high!—
Too low they build, who build beneath the stars.
TRANSPOSED.
How few persons, favored by every element, safely make the promised port with swelling sails, and with all their wishes freighted! Yet even these few persons who do safely make the promised port with all their wishes freighted, soon complain. Though they are free from misfortunes, yet (though and yet, corresponding conjunctions, form only one connexion) they are not free from the course of nature, for they still are men; and when is man secure? Time is as fatal to him, as a storm is to the mariner.—The rush of years beats down their strength; (that is, the strength of these few;) and their numberless escapes end in ruin: and then their proud success only plants new terrors on the victor's brow. What pain it is to them to quit the world, just as they have made it to be their own world; when their nests are built so high, and when they are downed so deeply!—They who build beneath the stars, build too low for their own safety.
REFLECTIONS ON A SCULL.—LORD BYRON.
Is that a temple, where a God may dwell?
Why, ev'n the worm at last disdains her shattered cell!
Look on its broken arch, its ruined wall,
Its chambers desolate, and portals foul;
Yes, this was once ambition's airy hall,
The dome of thought, the palace of the soul.
Behold, through each lack-lustre, eyeless hole,
The gay recess of wisdom and of wit,
And passion's host, that never brooked control.
Can all, saint, sage, or sophist ever writ,
People this lonely tower, this tenement refit?
TRANSPOSED.
Remove thou yonder scull out from the scattered heaps. Is that a temple, where a God may dwell? Why, even the worm at last disdains her shattered cell! Look thou on its broken arch, and look thou on its ruined wall, and on its desolate chambers, and on its foul portals:—yes, this scull was once ambition's airy hall; (it was) the dome of thought, the palace of the soul. Behold thou, through each lack-lustre, eyeless hole, the gay recess of wisdom and of wit, and passion's host, which never brooked control. Can all the works which saints, or sages, or sophists have ever written, repeople this lonely tower, or can they refit this tenement?
For your future exercises in parsing, you may select pieces from the English Reader, or any other grammatical work. I have already hinted, that parsing in poetry, as it brings more immediately into requisition the reasoning faculties, than parsing in prose, will necessarily tend more rapidly to facilitate your progress: therefore it is advisable that your future exercises in this way, be chiefly confined to the analysis of poetry. Previous to your attempting to parse a piece of poetry, you ought always to transpose it, in a manner similar to the examples just presented; and then it can be as easily analyzed as prose.
Before you proceed to correct the following exercises in false syntax, you may turn back and read over the whole thirteen lectures, unless you have the subject-matter already stored in your mind.
LECTURE XIV.
OF DERIVATION.
At the commencement of Lecture II., I informed you that Etymology treats, 3dly, of derivation. This branch of Etymology, important as it is, cannot be very extensively treated in an elementary work on grammar. In the course of the preceding lectures, it has been frequently agitated; and now I shall offer a few more remarks, which will doubtless be useful in illustrating some of the various methods in which one word is derived from another. Before you proceed, however, please to turn back and read again what is advanced on this subject on page 27, and in the PHILOSOPHICAL NOTES.
- Nouns are derived from verbs.
- Verbs are derived from nouns, adjectives, and sometimes from adverbs.
- Adjectives are derived from nouns.
- Nouns are derived from adjectives.
- Adverbs are derived from adjectives.
1. Nouns are derived from verbs; as, from "to love," comes "lover;" from "to visit, visiter;" from "to survive, surviver," &c.
In the following instances, and in many others, it is difficult to determine whether the verb was deduced from the noun, or the noun from the verb, viz. "Love, to love; hate, to hate; fear, to fear; sleep, to sleep; walk, to walk; ride, to ride; act, to act," &c.
2. Verbs are derived from nouns, adjectives, and sometimes from adverbs; as, from the noun salt, comes "to salt;" from the adjective warm, "to warm;" and from the adverb forward, "to forward." Sometimes they are formed by lengthening the vowel, or softening the consonant; as, from "grass, to graze;" sometimes by adding en; as, from "length, to lengthen;" especially to adjectives; as, from "short, to shorten; bright, to brighten."
3. Adjectives are derived from nouns in the following manner: adjectives denoting plenty are derived from nouns by adding y; as, from "Health, healthy; wealth, wealthy; might, mighty," &c.
Adjectives denoting the matter out of which any thing is made, are derived from nouns by adding en; as, from "Oak, oaken; wood, wooden; wool, woollen," &c.
Adjectives denoting abundance are derived from nouns by adding ful; as, from "Joy, joyful; sin, sinful; fruit, fruitful," &c.
Adjectives denoting plenty, but with some kind of diminution, are derived from nouns by adding some; as, from "Light, lightsome; trouble, troublesome; toil, toilsome," &c.
Adjectives denoting want are derived from nouns by adding less; as, from "Worth, worthless;" from "care, careless; joy, joyless," &c.
Adjectives denoting likeness are derived from nouns by adding ly; as, from "Man, manly; earth, earthly; court, courtly," &c.
Some adjectives are derived from other adjectives, or from nouns by adding ish to them; which termination when added to adjectives, imports diminution, or lessening the quality; as, "White, whitish;" i.e. somewhat white. When added to nouns, it signifies similitude or tendency to a character; as, "Child, childish; thief, thievish."
Some adjectives are formed from nouns or verbs by adding the termination able; and those adjectives signify capacity; as, "Answer, answerable; to change, changeable."
4. Nouns are derived from adjectives, sometimes by adding the termination ness; as, "White, whiteness; swift, swiftness;" sometimes by adding th or t, and making a small change in some of the letters; as, "Long, length; high, height."
5. Adverbs of quality are derived from adjectives, by adding ly, or changing le into ly; and denote the same quality as the adjectives from which they are derived; as, from "base," comes "basely;" from "slow, slowly;" from "able, ably."
There are so many other ways of deriving words from one another, that it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to enumerate them. The primitive words of every language are very few; the derivatives form much the greater number. A few more instances only can be given here.
Some nouns are derived from other nouns, by adding the terminations hood or head, ship, ery, wick, rick, dom, ian, ment, and age.
Nouns ending in hood or head, are such as signify character or qualities; as, "Manhood, knighthood, falsehood," &c.
Nouns ending in ship, are those that signify office, employment, state, or condition; as, "Lordship, stewardship, partnership," &c. Some nouns in ship are derived from adjectives; as, "Hard, hardship," &c.
Nouns which end in ery, signify action or habit; as, "Slavery, foolery, prudery," &c. Some nouns of this sort come from adjectives; as, "Brave, bravery," &c.
Nouns ending in wick, rick, and dom, denote dominion, jurisdiction, or condition; as, "Bailiwick, bishopric, kingdom, dukedom, freedom," &c.
Nouns which end in ian, are those that signify profession; as, "Physician, musician," &c. Those that end in ment and age, come generally from the French, and commonly signify the act or habit; as, "Commandment," "usage."
Some nouns ending in ard, are derived from verbs or adjectives, and denote character or habit; as, "Drunk, drunkard; dote, dotard."
Some nouns have the form of diminutives; but these are not many. They are formed by adding the terminations kin, ling, ing, ock, el, and the like; as, "Lamb, lambkin; goose, gosling; duck, duckling; hill, hillock; cock, cockerel," &c.
OF PREPOSITIONS USED AS PREFIXES.
I shall conclude this lecture by presenting and explaining a list of Latin and Greek prepositions which are extensively used in English as prefixes. By carefully studying their signification, you will be better qualified to understand the meaning of those words into the composition of which they enter, and of which they form a material part.
I. LATIN PREFIXES.
A, ab, abs—signify from or away; as, a-vert, to turn from; ab-ject, to throw away; abs-tract, to draw away.
Ad—to or at; as, ad-here, to stick to; ad-mire, to wonder at.
Ante—means before; as, ante-cedent, going before.
Circum—signifies round, about; as, circum-navigate, to sail round.
Con, com, co, col—together; as, con-join, to join together; com-press, to press together; co-operate, to work together; col-lapse, to fall together.
Contra—against; as, contra-dict, to speak against.
De—from, down; as, de-duct, to take from; de-scend, to go down.
Di, dis—asunder, away; as, di-lacerate, to tear asunder; dis-miss, to send away.
E, ef, ex—out; as, e-ject, to throw out; ef-flux, to flow out; ex-clude, to shut out.
Extra—beyond; as, extra-ordinary, beyond what is ordinary.
In, im, il, ir—(in, Gothic, inna, a cave or cell;) as, in-fuse, to pour in. These prefixes, when incorporated with adjectives or nouns, commonly reverse their meaning; as, in-sufficient, im-polite, il-legitimate, ir-reverence, ir-resolute.
Inter—between; as, inter-pose, to put between.
Intro—within, into; intro-vert, to turn within; intro-duce, to lead into.
Ob, op—denote opposition; as, ob-ject, to bring against; op-pugn, to oppose.
Per—through, by; as, per-ambulate, to walk through; per-haps, by haps.
Post—after; as, post-script, written after; post-fix, placed after.
Præ, pre—before; as, pre-fix, to fix before.
Pro—for, forth, forward; as, pro-noun, for a noun; pro-tend, to stretch forth; pro-ject, to shoot forward.
Præter—past, beyond; as, preter-perfect, pastperfect; preter-natural, beyond the course of nature.
Re—again or back; as, re-peruse, to peruse again; re-trade, to trade back.
Retro—backwards; as, retro-spective, looking backwards.
Se—aside, apart; as, se-duce, to draw aside.
Sub—under; as, sub-scribe, to write under, or sub-sign.
Subter—under; as, subter-fluous, flowing under.
Super—above or over; as, super-scribe, to write above; super-vise, to overlook.
Trans—over, beyond, from one place to another; as, trans-port, to carry over; trans-gress, to pass beyond.
II. GREEK PREFIXES.
A—signifies privation; as, anonymous, without name.
Amphi—both or two; as, amphi-bious, partaking of both or two natures,
Anti—against; as, anti-masonry, against masonry.
Dia—through; as, dia-meter, line passing through a circle.
Hyper—over; as, hyper-critical, over or too critical.
Hypo—under, implying concealment or disguise; as, hypo-crite, one dissembling his real character.
Meta—denotes change or transmutation; as, meta-morphose, to change the shape.
Para—contrary or against; as, para-dox, a thing contrary to received opinion.
Peri—round about; as, peri-phrasis, circumlocution.
Syn, syl, sym—together; as, syn-tax, a placing together; syn-od, a meeting or coming together; syl-lable, that portion of a word which is taken together; sym-pathy, fellow-feeling, or feeling together.
RULES OF SYNTAX,
WITH ADDITIONAL EXERCISES IN FALSE SYNTAX.
The third part of Grammar is SYNTAX, which treats of the agreement and government of words and of their proper arrangement in a sentence.
SYNTAX consists of two parts, Concord and Government.
CONCORD is the agreement which one word has with another, in gender, person, number, or case.
For the illustration of agreement and government, see pages 52, and 53.
For the definition of a sentence, and the transposition of its words and members, see pages 119, 124, 128, and 167.
The principal parts of a simple sentence are the nominative or subject, the verb or attribute, or word that makes the affirmation, and the object, or thing affected by the action of the verb; as, "A wise man governs his passions." In this sentence, man is the subject; governs, the attribute; and passions the object.
A PHRASE is two or more words rightly put together, making sometimes a part of a sentence, and sometimes a whole sentence.
ELLIPSIS is the omission of some word or words, in order to avoid disagreeable and unnecessary repetitions, and to express our ideas concisely, and with strength and elegance.
In this recapitulation of the rules, Syntax is presented in a condensed form, many of the essential NOTES being omitted. This is a necessary consequence of my general plan, in which Etymology and Syntax, you know are blended. Hence, to acquire a complete knowledge of Syntax from this work, you must look over the whole.
You may now proceed and parse the following additional exercises in false Syntax; and, as you analyze, endeavor to correct all the errors without looking at the Key. If, in correcting these examples, you should be at a loss in assigning the reasons why the constructions are erroneous, you can refer to the manner adopted in the foregoing pages.
RULE I.
The article a or an agrees with nouns in the singular number only, individually or collectively; as, "A star, an eagle, a score, a thousand."
RULE II.
The definite article the belongs to nouns in the singular or plural number; as, "The star, the stars; the hat, the hats."
NOTE 1. A nice distinction in the meaning is sometimes effected by the use or omission of the article a. If I say, "He behaved with a little reverence," my meaning is positive. But if I say, "He behaved with little reverence," my meaning is negative. By the former, I rather praise a person; by the latter, I dispraise him. When I say, "There were few men with him," I speak diminutively, and mean to represent them as inconsiderable; whereas, when I say, "There were a few men with him," I evidently intend to make the most of them.
2. The indefinite article sometimes has the meaning of every or each; as, "They cost five shillings a dozen;" that is, 'every dozen.'
And passing rich with forty pounds a year!"
3. When several adjectives are connected, and express the various qualities of things individually different, though alike in name, the article should be repeated; but when the qualities all belong to the same thing or things, the article should not be repeated. "A black and a white calf," signifies, A black calf, and a white calf; but "A black and white calf," describes the two colors of one calf.
RULE III.
The nominative case governs the verb; as, "I learn, thou learnest, he learns, they learn."
RULE IV.
The verb must agree with its nominative in number and person; as, "The bird sings, the birds sing, thou singest."
NOTE 1. Every verb, when it is not in the infinitive mood, must have a nominative, expressed or implied; as, "Awake, arise;" that is, Awake ye; arise ye.
2. When a verb comes between two nouns, either of which may be considered as the subject of the affirmation, it must agree with that which is more naturally its subject; as, "The wages of sin is death; His meat was locusts and wild honey;" "His pavilion were dark waters and thick clouds."EXAMPLES OF FALSE SYNTAX.
Frequent commission of sin harden men in it.
Great pains has been taken to reconcile the parties.
So much both of ability and merit, are seldom found.
The sincere is always esteemed.
Not one of them are happy.
What avails the best sentiments, if people do not live suitably to them?
Disappointments sinks the heart of man; but the renewal of hope give consolation.
The variety of the productions of genius, like that of the operations of nature; are without limit.
A variety of blessings have been conferred upon us.
Thou cannot heal him, it is true, but thou may do something to relieve him.
In piety and virtue consist the happiness of man.
Who touched Isaiah's hallowed lips with fire.
| Note 1. | Will martial flames for ever fire thy mind,
And never, never be to Heaven resigned? |
He was a man whose inclinations led him to be corrupt, and had great abilities to manage the business.
| Note 2. | The crown of virtue is peace and honor. |
His chief occupation and enjoyment were controversy.
RULE V.
When an address is made, the noun or pronoun addressed, is put in the nominative case independent; as, "Plato, thou reasonest well;" "Do, Trim, said my uncle Toby."
NOTE 1. A noun is independent, when it has no verb to agree with it.
2. Interjections require the objective case of a pronoun of the first person after them, but the nominative of a noun or pronoun of the second or third person; as, "Ah! me; Oh! thou; O! virtue."
RULE VI.
A noun or pronoun placed before a participle, and being independent of the rest of the sentence, is in the nominative case absolute; as, "Shame being lost; all virtue is lost;" "The sun being risen, we travelled on."
NOTE. Every nominative case, except the case absolute and independent, should belong to some verb expressed or understood; as, "To whom thus Adam;" that is, spoke.
FALSE SYNTAX.
Or won to what may work his utter loss,
All this will follow soon.
Note.—Two substantives, when they come together, and do not signify the same thing, the former must be in the genitive case.
Virtue, however it may be neglected for a time, men are so constituted as ultimately to acknowledge and respect genuine merit.
RULE VII.
Two or more nouns, or nouns and pronouns, signifying the same thing, are put, by apposition, in the same case; as, "Paul, the apostle;" "Joram, the king;" "Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel, wrote many proverbs."
NOTE. A noun is sometimes put in apposition with a sentence; as, "The sheriff has just seized and sold his valuable library—(which was) a misfortune that greatly depressed him."
FALSE SYNTAX.
The pronoun he in this sentence, is improperly used in the nominative case. It is the object of the action of the transitive verb "love," and put by apposition with "God;" therefore it should be the objective case, him, according to Rule 7. (Repeat the Rule, and correct the following.)
I saw Juliet and her brother, they that you visited.
They slew Varus, he that was mentioned before.
It was John, him who preached repentance.
Adams and Jefferson, them who died on the fourth of July 1826, were both signers and the firm supporters of the Declaration of Independence.
Augustus the Roman emperor, him who succeeded Julius Cesar, is variously described by historians.
RULE VIII.
Two or more nouns, or nouns and pronouns, in the singular number, connected by copulative conjunctions, must have verbs, nouns, and pronouns, agreeing with them in the plural; as, "Socrates and Plato were wise; they were eminent philosophers."
NOTE 1. When each or every relates to two or more nominatives in the singular, although connected by a copulative, the verb must agree with each of them in the singular; as, "Every leaf, and every twig, and every drop of water, teems with life."
2. When the singular nominative of a complex sentence, has another noun joined to it with a preposition, it is customary to put the verb and pronoun agreeing with it in the singular; as, "Prosperity with humility, renders its possessor truly amiable;" "The General, also, in conjunction with the officers, has applied for redress."
FALSE SYNTAX.
Coffee and sugar grows in the West Indies: it is exported in large quantities.
Two singular nouns coupled together, form a plural idea. The verb grow is improper, because it expresses the action of both its nominatives, "coffee and sugar," which two nominatives are connected by the copulative conjunction, and; therefore the verb should be plural, grow; and then it would agree with coffee and sugar, according to Rule 8. (Repeat the Rule.) The pronoun it, as it represents both the nouns, "coffee and sugar," ought also to be plural, they, agreeably to Rule 8. The sentence should be written thus. "Coffee and sugar grow in the West Indies: they are exported in large quantities."
Time and tide waits for no man.
Patience and diligence, like faith, removes mountains.
Life and health is both uncertain.
Wisdom, virtue, happiness, dwells with the golden mediocrity.
The planetary system, boundless space, and the immense ocean, affects the mind with sensations of astonishment.
What signifies the counsel and care of preceptors, when you think you have no need of assistance?
Their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished.
Why is whiteness and coldness in snow?
Obey the commandment of thy father, and the law of thy mother; bind it continually upon thy heart.
Pride and vanity always render its possessor despicable in the eyes of the judicious.
There is error and discrepance in the schemes of the orthoepists, which shows the impossibility of carrying them into effect.
EXAMPLES FOR THE NOTE.
Every man, woman, and child, were numbered.
Not proper; for, although and couples things together so as to present the whole at one view, yet every has a contrary effect: it distributes them, and brings each separately and singly under consideration. Were numbered is therefore improper. It should be, "was numbered," in the singular, according to the Note. (Repeat it.)
When benignity and gentleness reign in our breasts, every person and every occurrence are beheld in the most favorable light.
RULE IX.
Two or more nouns, or nouns and pronouns, in the singular number, connected by disjunctive conjunctions, must have verbs, nouns, and pronouns, agreeing with them in the singular; as, "Neither John nor James has learned his lesson."
NOTE 1. When singular pronouns, or a noun and pronoun, of different persons, are disjunctively connected, the verb must agree, in person, with that which is placed nearest to it; as, "Thou or I am in fault; I or thou art to blame; I, or thou, or he, is the author of it." But it would be better to say "Either I am to blame or thou art," &c.
2. When a disjunctive occurs between a singular noun or pronoun and a plural one, the verb must agree with the plural noun or pronoun, which should generally be placed next to the verb; as, "Neither poverty nor riches were injurious to him;" "I or they were offended by it."
Constructions like these ought generally to be avoided.
FALSE SYNTAX.
Ignorance or negligence have caused this mistake.
The verb, have caused, in this sentence, is improperly used in the plural, because it expresses the action, not of both, but of either the one or the other of its nominatives; therefore it should be in the singular, has caused; and then it would agree with "ignorance or negligence," agreeably to Rule 9 (Repeat the Rule.)
A circle or a square are the same in idea.
Neither whiteness nor redness are in the porphyry.
Neither of them are remarkable for precision.
Man is not such a machine as a clock or a watch, which move merely as they are moved.
When sickness, infirmity, or reverse of fortune, affect us, the sincerity of friendship is proved.
Man's happiness or misery are, in a great measure, put into his own hands.
Despise no infirmity of mind or body, nor any condition of life, for they may be thy own lot.
The prince, as well as the people, were blameworthy.
RULE X.
A collective noun or noun of multitude, conveying unity of idea, generally has a verb or pronoun agreeing with it in the singular; as, "The meeting was large, and it held three hours."
FALSE SYNTAX.
The nation are powerful.
The fleet were seen sailing up the channel.
The church have no power to inflict corporal punishment. The flock, and not the fleece, are, or ought to be, the objects of the shepherd's care.
That nation was once powerful; but now they are feeble.
RULE XI.
A noun of multitude, conveying plurality of idea, must have a verb or pronoun agreeing with it in the plural; as, "The council were divided in their sentiments."
FALSE SYNTAX.
My people doth not consider.
The multitude eagerly pursues pleasure as its chief good.
The committee was divided in its sentiments, and it has referred the business to the general meeting.
The people rejoices in that which should give it sorrow.
RULE XII.
A noun or pronoun in the possessive case, is governed by the noun it possesses; as, "Man's happiness;" "Its value is great."
NOTE 1. When the possessor is described by a circumlocution, the possessive sign should generally be applied to the last term only; as, "The duke of Bridgewater's canal; The bishop of Landaff's excellent book; The captain of the guard's house." This usage, however, ought generally to be avoided. The words do not literally convey the ideas intended. What nonsense to say, "This is the governor of Ohio's house!"
2. When nouns in the possessive case are in apposition, and follow each other in quick succession, the possessive sign is generally annexed to the last only; as, "For David my servant's sake; John the Baptist's head; The canal was built in consequence of De Witt Clinton the governor's advice."
But when a pause is proper, and the governing noun not expressed, the sign should be applied to the first possessive only, and understood to the rest; as, "I reside at Lord Stormont's, my old patron and benefactor."
3. Its, the possessive case of it, is often improperly used for 'tis, or, it is; as, "Its my book: Its his," &c.; instead of, "It is my book; or, 'Tis my book; It is his; or, 'Tis his."
4. Participles frequently govern nouns and pronouns in the possessive case, as, "In case of his majesty's dying without issue, &c.; Upon God's having ended all his works, &c.; I remember its being reckoned a great exploit; At my coming in he said," &c. But in such instances, the participle with its adjuncts may be considered a substantive phrase, according to Note 2, Rule 28.
5. Phrases like these, "A work of Washington Irving's; A brother of Joseph's; A friend of mine; A neighbor of yours," do not, as some have supposed, each contain a double possessive, or two possessive cases, but they may be thus construed; "A work of (out of, or, among the number of) Washington Irving's works; that is, One of the works of Washington Irving; One of the brothers of Joseph; One friend of my friends; One neighbor of your neighbors."
FALSE SYNTAX.
Homers works are much admired.
Nevertheless, Asa his heart was not perfect with the Lord.
James Hart, his book, bought August the 19, 1829.
Note 1. It was the men's, women's, and children's lot to suffer great calamities.
This is Peter's, John's, and Andrew's occupation.
Note 2. This is Campbell's the poet's production.
The silk was purchased at Brown's, the mercer's and haberdasher's.
Note 4. Much will depend on the pupil composing frequently.
Much depends on this rule being observed.
The measure failed in consequence of the president neglecting to lay it before the council.
RULE XIII.
Personal pronouns must agree with the nouns for which they stand, in gender and number; as, "John writes, and he will soon write well."
NOTE. You, though frequently employed to represent a singular noun, is always plural in form; therefore the verb connected with it should be plural; as, "My friend, you were mistaken." See pages 99 and 100.
FALSE SYNTAX
Every man will be rewarded according to their works.
Incorrect, because the pronoun their does not agree in gender or number with the noun "man," for which it stands; consequently Rule 13, is violated. Their should be his; and then the pronoun would be of the masculine gender, singular number, agreeing with man, according to Rule 13. (Repeat the Rule.)
An orator's tongue should be agreeable to the ear of their audience.
Rebecca took goodly raiment, and put them on Jacob.
Take handfuls of ashes, and let Moses sprinkle it towards heaven, in the sight of Pharaoh, and it shall become small dust.
No one should incur censure for being tender of their reputation.
Note. Horace, you was blamed; and I think you was worthy of censure.
Witness, where was you standing during the transaction? How far was you from the defendant?
RULE XIV.
Relative pronouns agree with their antecedents, in gender, person, and number; as, "Thou who lovest wisdom;" "I who speak from experience."
NOTE. When a relative pronoun is preceded by two antecedents of different persons, the relative and the verb may agree in person with either, but not without regard to the sense; as, "I am the man who command you;" or, "I am the man who commands you." The meaning of the first of these examples will more obviously appear, if we render it thus: "I who command you, am the man."
When the agreement of the relative has been fixed with either of the preceding antecedents, it must be preserved throughout the sentence; as, "I am the Lord, that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself," &c.
FALSE SYNTAX.
Thou who has been a witness of the fact, canst state it.
The wheel killed another man, which make the sixth which have lost their lives by this means.
Thou great First Cause, least understood!
Who all my sense confined.
Note, 2d part. Thou art the Lord, who didst choose Abraham, and brought him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees.