Note 4.—The objective case should not, if possible, be separated from its verb. This rule is violated in the following sentence: “Becket could not better discover, than by attacking so powerful an interest, his resolution to maintain,” &c.—Hume. The regimen is here unnecessarily, and very inelegantly, separated from its verb.
Rule XIII.—Verbs signifying to ask, teach, offer, promise, pay, tell, allow, deny, and some others of like signification, are sometimes, especially in colloquial language, followed in the passive voice by an objective case.
Note 1.—This rule seems to have escaped the attention of all our English grammarians, except Priestley, who observes, “that in some familiar phrases, the subject and object of our affirmation seem to be transposed.” This idiom, except in a very few instances, is not to be found in Latin, though it occurs pretty often in Greek: it therefore particularly merits the attention of the junior Latin scholar, lest in his Anglo-Latin translations it should betray him into an egregious solecism. “He allowed me great liberty,” turned passively, in concurrence with the Latin idiom, “great liberty was allowed me.” But we say also in English, “I was allowed great liberty.” “He promised (to) me a ship in five days,” passively, “a ship was promised me,” and “I was promised her in five days.” “She would not accept the jewels, though they were offered to her by her mother,” or, “though she was offered them by her mother.”
Note 2.—After verbs of giving, telling, sending, promising, offering, and others of like signification, the thing is very generally placed before the person. In the time of Swift and Addison this rule was not uniformly observed. We find authors of that period saying indiscriminately, “Give it us,” and “Give us it;” “Tell him it,” and “Tell it him;” “He promised me it,” and “He promised it me.” In Scotland these two modes of expression still obtain. In England they are now reduced under one general rule. We say, “Give it me,” “Tell it him,” “He sent it us.”
Rule XIV.—The verb to be has the same case after it as it has before it, thus denoting that the subjects are identical, or that the one term is the predicate of the other, as, “It is he,” “You believed it to be him.” In the former example, it is the nominative to the verb, the nominative case he therefore follows the verb. In the latter, it is the regimen of the verb believed, the verb to be is therefore followed by the objective case.
Note 1.—This rule is violated in such examples as “it is me,” “it was him,” “I believed it to be he,” “whom do men say that I am?” In the last example, the natural arrangement is, “men say that I am whom,” where, contrary to the rule, the nominative I precedes, and the objective case whom follows the verb.
Note 2.—Priestley has asked, “Who would not say, ‘If it be me,’ rather than ‘If it be I?’” Our ears are certainly more familiar with the former than with the latter phraseology, and those who consult the ear only, may prefer it: but, where no advantage is gained by a departure from analogy, every deviation is at once idle and reprehensible.
Note 3.—The verb to be is called by logicians the copula, as connecting the subject with the predicate. Thus, when we say, “he is wise,” “they are learned,” he and they are the subjects; wise and learned the predicates. Now, it particularly deserves the attention of the classical scholar, that in English almost any verb may be used as a copula. This circumstance is the more worthy of his notice, as a conformity to the Latin idiom may lead him to reject expressions, which are unexceptionable, and to adopt others not strictly correct[125]. Thus we say, “it tastes good,” “he strikes hard,” “I remember right,” “he feels sick;” “we came late,” “they rise early,” “he drinks deep.” I am aware that the words late, early, are in such examples considered as adverbs. It appears to me they are adjectives,—that the idiom is truly English, and that all these expressions are perfectly analogous.
Rule XV.—When two verbs come together, the attribute signified by the one verb being the subject or object of the action, energy, or affection expressed by the other, the former is governed in the infinitive mood, as, “he taught me to read,” “I knew him to be.”