V. Indeclinable words (avyāya).
Very little need be said on this part of the subject, because the work of qualifying words (adverbs, &c.,) is very commonly done by means of infixes following the verbal stem which is in many cases, though not in all, monosyllabic. Thus the root hàm (be) will, becomes (1) an adjective by prefixing ga, ga hàm, good; and (2) an adverb, by affixing ŏi; gahàm-ŏi in a good manner. So, hàm-á—bad; hàm-á-ŏi—bad-ly. Further the adjective thus formed may be duly conjugated as a verb by combining it with the different tenses, &c., of the substantive verb, thus:—
| Bi |  | hàm-dang | he is | | good |
| hàm-á-dang | |||||
| (good-not-is) | bad | ||||
| hàm-gan | he will be |  | good | ||
| hàmá-gán | bad | ||||
| &c. | &c. | ||||
In the same way the passive participle in nai can be (1) declined as a noun, or (2) used as an adjective, or (3) take the place of a relative pronoun; e.g.—
| 1. | Zang thoi-nai-khofóp-bai—we (the) dead (man) buried-have. | |
| 2. | Miá nu-nai gathai-áthoi-bai—(the) yesterday-seen-girl, died-has. | |
| 3. | Tezpur-nă, tháng-nai-auáng bi-kho nu-bai—Tezpur to going-in I him see-did. | |
| &c. | &c. | |
VI. Syntax.
The great and characteristic feature of the Syntax of the language is the remarkable way in which verbal roots, mostly monosyllabic, are combined together to form a very large and useful class of compound verbs. In this way the use of conjunctions &c. is very largely avoided, and the language becomes possessed of a vivid force and picturesqueness often wanting in more cultivated tongues. These compound verbs may perhaps be roughly classified under two groups, e.g.—
I.—Those in which each verbal root has a distinct meaning and may be used separately;—