Page:Collier's Cyclopedia of Commercial and Social Information.djvu/15

Rh words which convey assertions, and speak of some sort of action, and are called verbs. "Can execute and judge of" (observe the use of the conjunction) are also verbs, but the latter has a preposition attached to it, to bring it into a particular relation with the objects that follow; and to both of them is prefixed the word "can," which alters their force from the assertion of action to the assertion of the mere capability of it. In paragraph (2), again, we have for predicates, "in privateness and retiring," in "discourse," etc..,—which are plainly nouns with prepositions; and the quality of predicates is given 'to them by the employment of the word "is" with each, which changes them from attributives into assertions. "Is" must consequently be called a verb, although it only expresses being and not action. The complex character of these predicates must be observed; and the conjunctions, the demonstrative, and the addition of the attributive, "of business," to one of them (which happens because oye are actually nouns) carefully noted. 8. Turning now to the objects, we see in paragraph (1) that they indicate the purpose or effect of the action expressed by the verb; and, in this example, are nouns attached to the verb by the help of prepositions,—"for delight," "for ornament," etc. In paragraph(3) the first object, "particulars," which i is also a noun, indicates that on which the action represented by the verbs "execute and judge of," takes effect. Observe, also, that just as in the words "studies," "plots," and "affairs," the fact that more than one of the kind is meant, is shown by the addition of the letter "s" to the ordinary word; whilst in the instance of "men," the same fact is indicated by the change of the vowel sound from "a" in man. The second object, "one by one," is of a different kind. It indicates the manner of execution and judgment; and consists of a word signifying a number, called a numeral, repeated, with a preposition. "Perhaps," which is the third object, belongs to the predicate, "judge of," only; and is inserted for the purpose of lessening the strength of the assertion conveyed by the predicate. Words like it are called by grammarians adverbs. The second object in the other example contained in this paragraph, "best," is of the same class of words; but, instead of lessening the force of the predicate, it is employed to intensify it.

9. "From those that are learned," is a very remarkable kind of object; for it contains a complete sentence in itself. The actual object is "those," attached to the predicate by the reposition "from;" and indicating the source and origin of the action expressed by the verb. "Those" is not, however, the name of anything; but it stands here for "those men;" and thus partakes of the nature of pronouns, White it also serves demonstratively to point out the specific description of men spoken of. In consequence of its being in part a pronoun, it can have an attributive attached to it, and the sentence, "that are learned," serves as an attributive, to define and describe the "men" particularly intended. The predicate of this sentence, "are learned," is of the same kind as those in paragraph (2), only an adjective takes the place of the nouns there used. The subject is neither a name nor an epithet, but a kind of pronoun, since it stands for "men," and plainly for the same men as "those" did; and, from its having relation thus to a noun already known, is called a relative pronoun, Sentences used in this manner are called accessory sentences, to mark their subordinate character, and their connection with the sentences of which they form parts, distinguished as principal sentences. Only two words remain to be spoken of, "For," at the commencement of this paragraph, shows its connection in meaning with the preceding paragraph; or, more correctly, with the last sentence in it; for which it assigns a reason. "But," on the other hand, separates the two parts of this paragraph, by way of contrast; so that it is manifest that not the first, but the second part of it, contains the reason for the assertion made in the foregoing paragraph. Both words are called conjunctions, from their thus serving to connect otherwise disjoined and independent sentences together; yet it is evident that they are not conjunctions of the same nature as "and."

10. Paragraph (4) contains the principal sentences: