6

Here it is obvious that when we use the Present tense it implies uncertainty of the fact, and when we use the Preterite, it implies a negation of its existence. Thus, also, a person at night would say to his friend, If it rain you shall not go,' being uncertain at the time whether it did or did not rain; but if, on looking out, he perceived it did not rain, he would then say, 'If it rained you should not go,' intimating that it did not rain."-Webster's Dissertations, p. 263

SYNTAX OF PARTICIPLES.

§ 527. RULE XLVIII.—The Present and the Compound Participles of Transitive verbs in the active voice govern the objective case; as, "He was striking him," "Having struck him, he proceeded to other acts of violence."

§ 528. RULE XLIX.-The Present, the Past, and the Compound Participles of Transitive and of Intransitive verbs, like Adjectives, belong to Substantives; as, "He, watching the coming storm, prepared to meet it;" "The risen sun has scattered the collected clouds;" "Having slept during the night, the traveler went on his way."

Like adjectives, participles belong to sentences and parts of sentences. A participle with the prefix un often becomes an adjective; as, Unbidden. If the verb also has the prefix, the participle retains the quality of a verb, instead of becoming an adjective; as, "Unfolding" from "unfold." Many words originally participles have in use become adjectives; as, "Writing paper;" "looking glass."

§ 529. RULE L.-The Present and the Compound Participles of Transitive and of Intransitive verbs, like Nouns, are put in the Nominative case, or in the Objective case, or govern the Possessive Case; as, "The reading of the report occupied an hour;" "Writing requires more effort than talking;" "Its excesses may be restrained without destroying its existence;" "He was displeased with the king's having disposed of the office, or with his having bestowed it upon an unworthy man.” "This did not prevent John's being acknowledged and solemnly inaugurated Duke of Normandy."

Note 1. When the Present Participle is preceded by a or

the, it takes the character of a Noun, and is generally fol lowed by the preposition of; as, "The middle station of life seems to be advantageously situated for the gaining of wis dom."

Note 2. Without the article preceding it, this participle becomes a noun in certain constructions. The participle is used in many languages as a Substantive. Thus, in the Greek, Ὁ πράσσων =the actor when a male, Ἡ πρασσοῦσα== the actress when a female. То прáттоνthe active principle Το πράττον = of a thing. It is stated that in the English language the Participle is used as a Substantive in a greater degree than elsewhere, and that it is used in several cases, and in both numbers; as, "Rising early is healthy;" "there is health in rising early;" "this is the advantage of early rising;" "the risings of the North," etc.

Note 3. The Present and the Compound participles often perform at once the office of a verb and a noun; as, "He can not avoid receiving punishment;" "taking a madman's sword to prevent his doing mischief."

Note 4. The Participle in ing is not unfrequently used in a Passive sense; as, "The nation had cried out loudly against the crime while it was committing."-Bolingbroke on History, Letter 8. "My lives are reprinting."-Dr. Johnson. "The house is building."

If we use the phrase "the house is building," we speak of it as a thing, from its very nature, not acting itself, and we use the term building as expressive of a passive progressive condition of the house. If we say the "men are build. ing," we then have active instruments, and the term building is an active participle, requiring to be followed by a noun; as, "Building a wall, a castle."

Expressions like the following have for some years been stealing into the language: "While the house was being burned," instead of "while the house was burning;" "while the battle was being fought," instead of "while the battle was fought." Some expressions like these are awkward, and difficult to be dealt with. And is it not better to will find the house building," than to say, "He will find the house will be being built?" Is it not better to say, "I knew

say,

"He

the house to be building," than to say, "I knew the house to be being built?"

These expressions are not yet sanctioned by the highest authority. On the other hand, the best writers of the present time use expressions like "is making," "is doing," instead of "is being made," "is being done." For the analogous use of verbs in the Active form with a Passive meaning, see § 514, 10.

Note 5. A Participle is sometimes used absolutely, without any noun, pronoun, or sentence on which it depends; as, "It is not possible to act otherwise, considering the weakness of our nature;" "Generally speaking, the heir at law is not bound by the will of the testator."

Note 6. The Past participle and the Preterite are sometimes indiscriminately used: Thus, begun is improperly used for the preterite began, and the Preterite spoke is improperly used for the Past participle spoken.

Note 7. "Notwithstanding the objections of Lowth, Lindley Murray, and others, it may be safely affirmed that the several phraseologies, "By sending them;" "by sending of them;""by the sending them;""by the sending of them;" in all which the word ending in ing is nothing but a verbal noun, are sanctioned by the usage of our best writers, and are perfectly accordant with the genius of the language. I certainly prefer, as forms, "By sending them," and "by the sending of them," and allow that when the verbal is preceded by the indefinite article, the of is very rarely omitted. But, contrary to the opinion of Lindley Murray, it is unquestionably better to say, "By his sending them," "their sending them," than "his sending of them," "their sending of them," and to say, "much depends on John's observing the rule," than "on John's observing of the rule."

But there is a manifest difference in sense between "Hearing the philosopher," or "the hearing the philosopher," and "the hearing of the philosopher."-Grant.

Note 8. In the combination, I have ridden a horse, the participle may be regarded as in the accusative case. I have ridden a horse I have a horse ridden: I have a horse as

a ridden thing.

=

EXERCISES IN THE SYNTAX OF THE VERB.

§ 530. RULE XXXIII.-The Normans, under which general term is comprehended the Danes, Norwegians, and Swedes, were accustomed to rapine and slaughter. F. S.

1. Early to bed and early to rise,

Makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. C. S.

That warm climates should accelerate the growth of the human body, and shorten its duration, is very reasonable to believe. C. S.

For a lady to conduct herself in this manner is disgraceful. C. S.

2. There have been that have delivered themselves from their ills by their good fortune or their virtue.

F. S.

3. The expense amounted to, say five dollars. C. S. 4. He felt himself addicted to philosophical speculations with more ardor than consisted well with the duties of a Roman and a senator. C. S.

C. S.

5. Charge, Chester, charge! on, Stanley, on! C. S. 6. Methinks already I your tears survey. 7. There needed a new dispensation of religion for the moral reform of society. C. S.

§ 531. RULE XXXIV.-1. Death is the wages of sin. C. S. 2. Washington was a patriot. C. S.

3. A gentleman, with his wife and children, was present.

C. S.

4. Locusts and wild honey were his meat.

5. He is all head and shoulders. C. S.

C. S.

6. He was writing, and he does write. F. S.

7. Knowing you was my old master's Friend. F. S. § 532. RULE XXXV.-Religion and virtue, our best support and highest honor, confers on the mind principles of noble independence. F. S.

1. Their safety and welfare is most concerned. F. S. 2. Every man and every woman were numbered. F. S. 3. That superficial scholar and critic, like some renowned critics of our own, have furnished most decisive proofs that they knew not the characters of the Hebrew language. F. S.

Virtuous effort, and not depraved genius, win the prize. F. S.

4. That distinguished philosopher and celebrated poet are receiving the meed of praise. F. S.

§ 533. RULE XXXVI.—There are many faults in spelling which neither analogy nor pronunciation justify. F. S.

1. I or thou am the person who must undertake the business proposed. F. S.

2. He or they is to blame. F. S.

§ 534. RULE XXXVII.-I your master command you; your master, I command you.

§ 535. RULE XXXVIII.-An army was led against him; the army were scattered through the provinces. C. S.

1. The Court have passed sentence on the criminal. F. S. 2. Those kind of indulgences soften and injure the mind. F. S.

3. That assembly were numerous. F. S.

§ 536. RULE XXXIX.-The man who he raised from obscurity is dead. F. S.

C. S.

C. S.

1. He struck him; he struck him with a cane. C. S. 2. With some paper, I gave him a pen. 3. He took of the water of the spring. 4. On my honor I believe it to be they. 5. Suppose, then, the world we live in to have had a creator? C. S.

F. S.

6. They asked me the news; they were asked a question. C. S.

7. He writes in Blackwood's Magazine. C. S.

8. They have spent their whole time and pains to agree the sacred with the profane chronology. F. S.

9. But through the heart should jealousy its venom once diffuse. C. S.

10. These lines read well. C. S.

This is not fit to eat. C. S.

11. This is true power; it approaches men to gods. F. S. 12. Those that think to ingratiate with him by calumniating me.

F. S.

§ 537. RULE XL.-He ran the race of Godliness. C. S. 1. A crown weighs nineteen pennyweights. C. S.

M M