"Their's the wild chace of false felicities:
His, the compos'd possession of the true."
—Murray's E. Reader, p. 216.
LESSON III.—MIXED.
"It is the boast of Americans, without distinction of parties, that their government is the most free and perfect, which exists on the earth."—Dr. Allen's Lectures, p. 18.
[FORMULE.—Not proper, because the relative which is here intended to be taken in a restrictive sense. But, according to Observation 26th, on the Classes of Pronouns, (and others that follow it,) the word who or which, with a comma before it, does not usually limit the preceding term. Therefore, which should be that, and the comma should be omitted; thus,—"that their government is the most free and perfect that exists on the earth.">[
"Children, who are dutiful to their parents, enjoy great prosperity."—Sanborn's Gram., p. 69. "The scholar, who improves his time, sets an example worthy of imitation."—Ib., p. 69. "Nouns and pronouns, which signify the same person, place, or thing, agree in case."—Cooper's Gram., p. 115. "An interrogative sentence is one, which asks a question."—Ib., p. 114. "In the use of words and phrases, which in point of time relate to each other, a due regard to that relation should be observed."—Ib., p. 146; see L. Murray's Rule xiii. "The same observations, which have been made respecting the effect of the article and participle, appear to be applicable to the pronoun and participle."—Murray's Gram., p. 193. "The reason that they have not the same use of them in reading, may be traced to the very defective and erroneous method, in which the art of reading is taught."—Ib., p. 252. "Since the time that reason began to exert her powers, thought, during our waking hours, has been active in every breast, without a moment's suspension or pause."—Murray's Key, p. 271; Merchant's Gram., p. 212. "In speaking of such who greatly delight in the same."—Notes to Dunciad, 177. "Except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live."—Esther, iv, 11.—"But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all."—Luke, xvii, 29. "In the next place I will explain several cases of nouns and pronouns which have not yet come under our notice."—Kirkham's Gram., p. 129. "Three natural distinctions of time are all which can exist."—Rail's Gram., p. 15. "We have exhibited such only as are obviously distinct; and which seem to be sufficient, and not more than sufficient."—Murray's Gram., p. 68; Hall's, 14. "This point encloses a part of a sentence which may be omitted without materially injuring the connexion of the other members."—Hall's Gram., p. 39. "Consonants are letters, which cannot be sounded without the aid of a Vowel."—Bucke's Gram., p. 9. "Words are not simple sounds, but sounds, which convey a meaning to the mind."—Ib., p. 16. "Nature's postures are always easy; and which is more, nothing but your own will can put you out of them."—Collier's Antoninus, p. 197. "Therefore ought we to examine our ownselves, and prove our ownselves."—Barclay's Works, i, 426. "Certainly it had been much more natural, to have divided Active Verbs into Immanent, or such whose Action is terminated in it self, and Transient, or such whose Action is terminated in something without it self."—Johnson's Gram. Com., p. 273. "This is such an advantage which no other lexicon will afford."—DR. TAYLOR: in Pike's Lex., p. iv. "For these reasons, such liberties are taken in the Hebrew tongue with those words as are of the most general and frequent use."—Pike's Heb. Lexicon, p. 184. "At the same time that we object to the laws, which the antiquarian in language would impose upon us, we must enter our protest against those authors, who are too fond of innovations."—Murray's Gram., Vol. i, p. 136.
CHAPTER VI.—VERBS.
A Verb is a word that signifies to be, to act, or to be acted upon: as, I am, I rule, I am ruled; I love, thou lovest, he loves. VERBS are so called, from the Latin Verbum, a Word; because the verb is that word which most essentially contains what is said in any clause or sentence.
An English verb has four CHIEF TERMS, or PRINCIPAL PARTS, ever needful to be ascertained in the first place; namely, the Present, the Preterit, the Imperfect Participle, and the Perfect Participle. The Present is that form of the verb, which is the root of all the rest; the verb itself; or that simple term which we should look for in a dictionary: as, be, act, rule, love, defend, terminate.
The Preterit is that simple form of the verb, which denotes time past; and which is always connected with some noun or pronoun, denoting the subject of the assertion: as, I was, I acted, I ruled, I loved, I defended.
The Imperfect Participle is that which ends commonly[221] in ing, and implies a continuance of the being, action, or passion: as, being, acting, ruling, loving, defending, terminating.