PARTICIPLES.

Kinds.

Verbals may beparticiples,infinitives, orgerunds.

Definition.

263.Participles areadjectivalverbals; that is, they either belong to some substantive by expressing action in connection with it, or they express action, and directly modify a substantive, thus having a descriptive force. Notice these functions.

Pure participle in function.

1. At length,weariedby his cries and agitations, and notknowinghow to put an end to them, he addressed the animal as if he had been a rational being.—Dwight.

Hereweariedandknowingbelong to the subjecthe, and express action in connection with it, but do not describe.

Express action and also describe.

2. Another name glided into her petition—it was that of thewoundedChristian, whom fate had placed in the hands of bloodthirsty men, hisavowedenemies.—Scott.

Herewoundedandavowedare participles, but are used with the same adjectival force thatbloodthirstyis (see Sec. 143, 4).

Participial adjectives have been discussed in Sec. 143 (4), but we give further examples for the sake of comparison and distinction.

Fossil participles as adjectives.

3. Aslearneda man may live in a cottage or a college commmon-room.—Thackeray4. Not merely to the soldier are these campaignsinteresting—Bayne.5. Howcharmingis divine philosophy!—Milton.

3. Aslearneda man may live in a cottage or a college commmon-room.—Thackeray

4. Not merely to the soldier are these campaignsinteresting—Bayne.

5. Howcharmingis divine philosophy!—Milton.

Forms of the participle.

264.Participles, in expressing action, may beactiveorpassive, incomplete (orimperfect), complete (perfector past), andperfect definite.

They cannot be divided into tenses (present, past, etc.), because they have no tense of their own, but derive their tense from the verb on which they depend; for example,—

1. He walked conscientiously through the services of the day,fulfillingevery section the minutest, etc.—De Quincey.

Fulfillinghas the form to denote continuance, but depends on the verbwalked, which is past tense.

2.Now the bright morning star, day's harbinger,Comesdancingfrom the East.—Milton.

Now the bright morning star, day's harbinger,Comesdancingfrom the East.—Milton.

Dancinghere depends on a verb in the present tense.

265.PARTICIPLES OF THE VERBCHOOSE.

Pick out the participles, and tell whether active or passive, imperfect, perfect, or perfect definite. If pure participles, tell to what word they belong; if adjectives, tell what words they modify.

1. The change is a large process, accomplished within a large and corresponding space, having, perhaps, some central or equatorial line, but lying, like that of our earth, between certain tropics, or limits widely separated.2. I had fallen under medical advice the most misleading that it is possible to imagine.3. These views, being adopted in a great measure from my mother, were naturally the same as my mother's.4. Endowed with a great command over herself, she soon obtained an uncontrolled ascendency over her people.5. No spectacle was more adapted to excite wonder.6. Having fully supplied the demands of nature in this respect, I returned to reflection on my situation.7. Three saplings, stripped of their branches and bound together at their ends, formed a kind of bedstead.8. This all-pervading principle is at work in our system,—the creature warring against the creating power.9. Perhaps I was too saucy and provoking.10. Nothing of the kind having been done, and the principles of this unfortunate king having been distorted,... try clemency.

2. I had fallen under medical advice the most misleading that it is possible to imagine.

3. These views, being adopted in a great measure from my mother, were naturally the same as my mother's.

4. Endowed with a great command over herself, she soon obtained an uncontrolled ascendency over her people.

5. No spectacle was more adapted to excite wonder.

6. Having fully supplied the demands of nature in this respect, I returned to reflection on my situation.

7. Three saplings, stripped of their branches and bound together at their ends, formed a kind of bedstead.

8. This all-pervading principle is at work in our system,—the creature warring against the creating power.

9. Perhaps I was too saucy and provoking.

10. Nothing of the kind having been done, and the principles of this unfortunate king having been distorted,... try clemency.

266.Infinitives, like participles, have no tense. When active, they have an indefinite, an imperfect,a perfect, and a perfect definite form; and when passive, an indefinite and a perfect form, to express action unconnected with a subject.

267.INFINITIVES OF THE VERBCHOOSE.

Towith the infinitive.

268.In Sec. 267 the wordtois printed in brackets because it is not a necessary part of the infinitive.

It originally belonged only to an inflected form of the infinitive, expressing purpose; as in the Old English, "Ūt ēode se sǣdere his sæd tō sāwenne" (Out went the sower his seedto sow).

Cases whentois omitted.

But later, when inflections became fewer,towas used before the infinitive generally, except in the following cases:—

(1) After the auxiliariesshall,will(withshouldandwould).

(2) After the verbsmay (might), can (could), must; alsolet,make,do(as, "Ido go" etc.),see,bid(command),feel,hear,watch,please; sometimesneed(as, "Heneednotgo") anddare(to venture).

(3) Afterhadin the idiomatic use; as, "Youhadbettergo" "Hehadratherwalkthanride."

(4) In exclamations; as in the following examples:—

"Hefindpleasure in doing good!" cried Sir William.—Goldsmith.Iurgean address to his kinswoman! Iapproachher when in a base disguise! Idothis!—Scott."Sheaskmy pardon, poor woman!" cried Charles.—Macaulay.

"Hefindpleasure in doing good!" cried Sir William.—Goldsmith.

Iurgean address to his kinswoman! Iapproachher when in a base disguise! Idothis!—Scott.

"Sheaskmy pardon, poor woman!" cried Charles.—Macaulay.

269.Shallandwillare not to be taken as separate verbs, but with the infinitive as one tense of a verb; as, "Hewill choose," "Ishall have chosen," etc.

Alsodomay be considered an auxiliary in the interrogative, negative, and emphatic forms of the present and past, also in the imperative; as,—

What!dothshe, too, as the credulous imagine,learn[doth learnis one verb, present tense] the love of the great stars?—Bulwer.Donotentertainso weak an imagination—Burke.Shedidnotweep—shedidnotbreak forthinto reproaches.—Irving.

What!dothshe, too, as the credulous imagine,learn[doth learnis one verb, present tense] the love of the great stars?—Bulwer.

Donotentertainso weak an imagination—Burke.

Shedidnotweep—shedidnotbreak forthinto reproaches.—Irving.

270.The infinitive is sometimes active in form while it is passive in meaning, as in the expression, "a houseto let." Examples are,—

She was a kind, liberal woman; rich rather more than needed where there were no opera boxesto rent.—De Quincey.Tho' it seems my spurs are yetto win.—Tennyson.But there was nothingto do.—Howells.They shall have venisonto eat, and cornto hoe.—Cooper.Nolan himself saw that something wasto pay.—E. E. Hale.

She was a kind, liberal woman; rich rather more than needed where there were no opera boxesto rent.—De Quincey.

Tho' it seems my spurs are yetto win.—Tennyson.

But there was nothingto do.—Howells.

They shall have venisonto eat, and cornto hoe.—Cooper.

Nolan himself saw that something wasto pay.—E. E. Hale.

271.The various offices which the infinitive and the participle have in the sentence will be treated in Part II., under "Analysis," as we are now learning merely to recognize the forms.

272.The gerund is like the participle in form, and like a noun in use.

The participle has been called an adjectival verbal; the gerund may be called anoun verbal. While the gerund expresses action, it has several attributes of a noun,—it may be governed as a noun; it may be the subject of a verb, or the object of a verb or a preposition; it is often preceded by the definite article; it is frequently modified by a possessive noun or pronoun.

Distinguished from participle and verbal noun.

273.It differs from the participle in being always used as a noun: it never belongs to or limits a noun.

It differs from the verbal noun in having the property of governing a noun (which the verbal noun has not) and of expressing action (the verbal noun merely names an action, Sec. II).

The following are examples of the uses of the gerund:—

(1)Subject: "Thetakingof means not to see another morning had all day absorbed every energy;" "Certainlyduelingis bad, and has been put down."

(2)Object: (a) "Our culture therefore must not omit thearmingof the man." (b) "Nobody cares forplantingthe poor fungus;" "I announce the good ofbeing interpenetratedby the mind that made nature;" "The guilt ofhaving been curedof the palsy by a Jewish maiden."

(3)Governing and Governed: "We are far fromhaving exhaustedthe significance of the few symbols we use," also (2,b), above; "He could embellish the characters with new traits withoutviolatingprobability;" "He could not helpholdingout his hand in return."

Exercise.—Find sentences containing five participles, five infinitives, and five gerunds.

274.Words in-ingare of six kinds, according to use as well as meaning. They are as follows:—

(1)Part of the verb, making the definite tenses.

(2)Pure participles, which express action, but do not assert.

(3)Participial adjectives, which express action and also modify.

(4)Pure adjectives, which have lost all verbal force.

(5)Gerunds, which express action, may govern and be governed.

(6)Verbal nouns,which name an action or state, but cannot govern.

Tell to which of the above six classes each-ingword in the following sentences belongs:—

1. Here is need of apologies for shortcomings.2. Then how pleasing is it, on your leaving the spot, to see the returning hope of the parents, when, after examining the nest, they find the nurslings untouched!3. The crowning incident of my life was upon the bank of the Scioto Salt Creek, in which I had been unhorsed by the breaking of the saddle girths.4. What a vast, brilliant, and wonderful store of learning!5. He is one of the most charming masters of our language.6. In explaining to a child the phenomena of nature, you must, by object lessons, give reality to your teaching.7. I suppose I was dreaming about it. What is dreaming?8. It is years since I heard the laughter ringing.9. Intellect is not speaking and logicizing: it is seeing and ascertaining.10. We now draw toward the end of that great martial drama which we have been briefly contemplating.11. The second cause of failure was the burning of Moscow.12. He spread his blessings all over the land.13. The only means of ascending was by my hands.14. A marble figure of Mary is stretched upon the tomb, round which is an iron railing, much corroded, bearing her national emblem.15. The exertion left me in a state of languor and sinking.16. Thackeray did not, like Sir Walter Scott, write twenty pages without stopping, but, dictating from his chair, he gave out sentence by sentence, slowly.

1. Here is need of apologies for shortcomings.

2. Then how pleasing is it, on your leaving the spot, to see the returning hope of the parents, when, after examining the nest, they find the nurslings untouched!

3. The crowning incident of my life was upon the bank of the Scioto Salt Creek, in which I had been unhorsed by the breaking of the saddle girths.

4. What a vast, brilliant, and wonderful store of learning!

5. He is one of the most charming masters of our language.

6. In explaining to a child the phenomena of nature, you must, by object lessons, give reality to your teaching.

7. I suppose I was dreaming about it. What is dreaming?

8. It is years since I heard the laughter ringing.

9. Intellect is not speaking and logicizing: it is seeing and ascertaining.

10. We now draw toward the end of that great martial drama which we have been briefly contemplating.

11. The second cause of failure was the burning of Moscow.

12. He spread his blessings all over the land.

13. The only means of ascending was by my hands.

14. A marble figure of Mary is stretched upon the tomb, round which is an iron railing, much corroded, bearing her national emblem.

15. The exertion left me in a state of languor and sinking.

16. Thackeray did not, like Sir Walter Scott, write twenty pages without stopping, but, dictating from his chair, he gave out sentence by sentence, slowly.

275.In parsing verbs, give the following points:—

(1) Class: (a) as toform,—strong or weak, giving principal parts; (b) as touse,—transitive or intransitive.

(2) Voice,—active or passive.

(3) Mood,—indicative, subjunctive, or imperative.

(4) Tense,—which of the tenses given in Sec. 234.

(5) Person and number, in determining which you must tell—

(6) What the subject is, for the form of the verb may not show the person and number.

Caution.

276.It has been intimated in Sec. 235, we must beware of the rule, "A verb agrees with its subject in person and number." Sometimes it does; usually it does not, ifagreesmeans that the verb changes its form for the different persons and numbers. The verbbehas more forms than other verbs, and may be said toagreewith its subject in several of its forms. But unless the verb is present, and ends in-s, or is an old or poetic form ending in-stor-eth, it is best for the student not to state it as a general rule that "the verb agrees with its subject in person and number," but merely totell what the subject of the verb is.

277.Verb phrases are made up of a principal verb followed by an infinitive, and should always be analyzed as phrases, and not taken as single verbs. Especially frequent are those made up ofshould,would,may,might,can,could,must, followed by a pure infinitive withoutto. Take these examples:—

1. Leeshouldof himselfhave replenishedhis stock.

2. The governmentmight have beenstrong and prosperous.

In such sentences as 1, callshoulda weak verb, intransitive, therefore active; indicative, past tense; has for its subjectLee.Have replenishedis a perfect active infinitive.

In 2, callmighta weak verb, intransitive, active, indicative (as it means could), past tense; has the subjectgovernment.Have beenis a perfect active infinitive.

For fuller parsing of the infinitive, see Sec. 278(2).

278.(1)Participle.Tell (a) from what verb it is derived; (b) whether active or passive, imperfect, perfect, etc.; (c) to what word it belongs. If a participial adjective, give points (a) and (b), then parse it as an adjective.

(2)Infinitive.Tell (a) from what verb it is derived; (b) whether indefinite, perfect, definite, etc.

(3)Gerund.(a) From what verb derived; (b) its use (Sec. 273).

Parse the verbs, verbals, and verb phrases in the following sentences:—

1. Byron builds a structure that repeats certain elements in nature or humanity.2. The birds were singing as if there were no aching hearts, no sin nor sorrow, in the world.3. Let it rise! let it rise, till it meet the sun in his coming; let the earliest light of the morning gild it, and parting day linger and play on its summit.4. You are gathered to your fathers, and live only to your country in her grateful remembrance.5. Read this Declaration at the head of the army.6.Right graciously he smiled on us, as rolled from wing to wing,Down all the line, a deafening shout, "God save our Lord the King!"7. When he arose in the morning, he thought only of her, and wondered if she were yet awake.8. He had lost the quiet of his thoughts, and his agitated soul reflected only broken and distorted images of things.9.So, lest I be inclinedTo render ill for ill,Henceforth in me instill,O God, a sweet good will.10. The sun appears to beat in vain at the casements.11. Margaret had come into the workshop with her sewing, as usual.12.Two things there are with memory will abide—Whatever else befall—while life flows by.13. To the child it was not permitted to look beyond into the hazy lines that bounded his oasis of flowers.14. With them, morning is not a new issuing of light, a new bursting forth of the sun; a new waking up of all that has life, from a sort of temporary death.15. Whatever ground you sow or plant, see that it is in good condition.16. However that be, it is certain that he had grown to delight in nothing else than this conversation.17. The soul having been often born, or, as the Hindoos say, "traveling the path of existence through thousands of births," there is nothing of which she has not gained knowledge.18. The ancients called it ecstasy or absence,—a getting-out of their bodies to think.19. Such a boy could not whistle or dance.20. He had rather stand charged with the imbecility of skepticism than with untruth.21. He can behold with serenity the yawning gulf between the ambition of man and his power of performance.22. He passed across the room to the washstand, leaving me upon the bed, where I afterward found he had replaced me on being awakened by hearing me leap frantically up and down on the floor.23. In going for water, he seemed to be traveling over a desert plain to some far-off spring.24. Hasheesh always brings an awakening of perception which magnifies the smallest sensation.25. I have always talked to him as I would to a friend.26. Over them multitudes of rosy children came leaping to throw garlands on my victorious road.27. Oh, had we some bright little isle of our own!28.Better it were, thou sayest, to consent;Feast while we may, and live ere life be spent.29. And now wend we to yonder fountain, for the hour of rest is at hand.

1. Byron builds a structure that repeats certain elements in nature or humanity.

2. The birds were singing as if there were no aching hearts, no sin nor sorrow, in the world.

3. Let it rise! let it rise, till it meet the sun in his coming; let the earliest light of the morning gild it, and parting day linger and play on its summit.

4. You are gathered to your fathers, and live only to your country in her grateful remembrance.

5. Read this Declaration at the head of the army.

Right graciously he smiled on us, as rolled from wing to wing,Down all the line, a deafening shout, "God save our Lord the King!"

7. When he arose in the morning, he thought only of her, and wondered if she were yet awake.

8. He had lost the quiet of his thoughts, and his agitated soul reflected only broken and distorted images of things.

So, lest I be inclinedTo render ill for ill,Henceforth in me instill,O God, a sweet good will.

10. The sun appears to beat in vain at the casements.

11. Margaret had come into the workshop with her sewing, as usual.

12.

Two things there are with memory will abide—Whatever else befall—while life flows by.

13. To the child it was not permitted to look beyond into the hazy lines that bounded his oasis of flowers.

14. With them, morning is not a new issuing of light, a new bursting forth of the sun; a new waking up of all that has life, from a sort of temporary death.

15. Whatever ground you sow or plant, see that it is in good condition.

16. However that be, it is certain that he had grown to delight in nothing else than this conversation.

17. The soul having been often born, or, as the Hindoos say, "traveling the path of existence through thousands of births," there is nothing of which she has not gained knowledge.

18. The ancients called it ecstasy or absence,—a getting-out of their bodies to think.

19. Such a boy could not whistle or dance.

20. He had rather stand charged with the imbecility of skepticism than with untruth.

21. He can behold with serenity the yawning gulf between the ambition of man and his power of performance.

22. He passed across the room to the washstand, leaving me upon the bed, where I afterward found he had replaced me on being awakened by hearing me leap frantically up and down on the floor.

23. In going for water, he seemed to be traveling over a desert plain to some far-off spring.

24. Hasheesh always brings an awakening of perception which magnifies the smallest sensation.

25. I have always talked to him as I would to a friend.

26. Over them multitudes of rosy children came leaping to throw garlands on my victorious road.

27. Oh, had we some bright little isle of our own!

28.

Better it were, thou sayest, to consent;Feast while we may, and live ere life be spent.

29. And now wend we to yonder fountain, for the hour of rest is at hand.

Adverbs modify.

279.The wordadverbmeansjoined to a verb. The adverb is the only word that can join to a verb to modify it.

A verb.

Whenactionis expressed, an adverb is usually added to define the action in some way,—time, place, or manner: as, "He beganalreadyto be proud of being a Rugby boy [time];" "One of the young heroes scrambled upbehind[place];" "He was absolute, butwiselyandbravelyruling [manner]."

An adjective or an adverb.

But this does not mean that adverbs modify verbsonly: many of them express degree, and limitadjectivesoradverbs; as, "William's private life wasseverelypure;" "Principles of English law are put downa littleconfusedly."

Sometimes a noun or pronoun.

Sometimes an adverb may modifya noun or pronoun; for example,—

The young man reveres men of genius, because, to speak truly, they aremorehimself than he is.—Emerson.Is itonlypoets, and men of leisure and cultivation, who live with nature?—Id.To thealmostterror of the persons present, Macaulay began with the senior wrangler of 1801-2-3-4, and so on.—Thackeray.Nor was italtogethernothing.—Carlyle.Sounds overflow the listener's brain So sweet that joy isalmostpain.—Shelley.The condition of Kate isexactlythat of Coleridge's "Ancient Mariner."—De Quincey.He wasincidentallynews dealer.—T. B. Aldrich.

The young man reveres men of genius, because, to speak truly, they aremorehimself than he is.—Emerson.

Is itonlypoets, and men of leisure and cultivation, who live with nature?—Id.

To thealmostterror of the persons present, Macaulay began with the senior wrangler of 1801-2-3-4, and so on.—Thackeray.

Nor was italtogethernothing.—Carlyle.

Sounds overflow the listener's brain So sweet that joy isalmostpain.—Shelley.

The condition of Kate isexactlythat of Coleridge's "Ancient Mariner."—De Quincey.

He wasincidentallynews dealer.—T. B. Aldrich.

NOTE.—These last differ from the words in Sec. 169, being adverbs naturally and fitly, while those in Sec. 169 arefelt to be elliptical, and rather forced into the service of adjectives.

Also these adverbs modifying nouns are to be distinguished from those standingaftera noun by ellipsis, but really modifying, not the noun, but some verb understood; thus,—

The gentle winds and waters [that are] near, Make music to the lonely ear.—Byron.With bowering leaves [that grow]o'erhead, to which the eye Looked up half sweetly, and half awfully.—Leigh Hunt.

The gentle winds and waters [that are] near, Make music to the lonely ear.—Byron.

With bowering leaves [that grow]o'erhead, to which the eye Looked up half sweetly, and half awfully.—Leigh Hunt.

A phrase.

An adverb may modify a phrase which is equivalent to an adjective or an adverb, as shown in the sentences,—

They had begun to make their effort muchat the same time.—Trollope.I draw forth the fruit, all wet and glossy, maybenibbled by rabbits and hollowed out by crickets, and perhapswith a leaf or two cemented to it, but stillwith a rich bloom to it.—Thoreau.

They had begun to make their effort muchat the same time.—Trollope.

I draw forth the fruit, all wet and glossy, maybenibbled by rabbits and hollowed out by crickets, and perhapswith a leaf or two cemented to it, but stillwith a rich bloom to it.—Thoreau.

A clause or sentence.

It may also modifya sentence, emphasizing or qualifying the statement expressed; as, for example,—

Andcertainlyno one ever entered upon office with so few resources of power in the past.—Lowell.Surelyhappiness is reflective, like the light of heaven.—Irving.We are offered six months' credit; and that,perhaps, has induced some of us to attend it.—Franklin.

Andcertainlyno one ever entered upon office with so few resources of power in the past.—Lowell.

Surelyhappiness is reflective, like the light of heaven.—Irving.

We are offered six months' credit; and that,perhaps, has induced some of us to attend it.—Franklin.

Definition.

280.Anadverb, then, is a modifying word, which may qualify an action word or a statement, and may add to the meaning of an adjective or adverb, or a word group used as such.

NOTE.—The expressionaction wordis put instead ofverb, becauseanyverbal word may be limited by an adverb, not simply the forms used in predication.

281.Adverbs may be classified in two ways: (1) according to the meaning of the words; (2) according to their use in the sentence.

282.Thus considered, there are six classes:—

(1)Time; asnow,to-day,ever,lately,before,hitherto, etc.

(2)Place.These may be adverbs either of

(a) PLACE WHERE; ashere,there,where,near,yonder,above, etc.

(b) PLACE TO WHICH; ashither,thither,whither,whithersoever, etc.

(3)Manner, tellinghowanything is done; aswell,slowly,better,bravely,beautifully. Action is conceived or performed in so many ways, that these adverbs form a very large class.

(4)Number, tellinghow many times:once,twice,singly,two by two, etc.

(5)Degree, tellinghow much; aslittle,slightly,too,partly,enough,greatly,much,very,just, etc. (see also Sec. 283).

(6)Assertion, telling the speaker's belief or disbelief in a statement, or how far he believes it to be true; asperhaps,maybe,surely,possibly,probably,not, etc.

Special remarks on adverbs of degree.

283.Theis an adverb of degree when it limits an adjective or an adverb, especially the comparative of these words; thus,—

But nottheless the blare of the tumultuous organ wrought its own separate creations.—De Quincey.Themore they multiply,themore friends you will have;themore evidently they love liberty,themore perfect will be their obedience.—Burke.

But nottheless the blare of the tumultuous organ wrought its own separate creations.—De Quincey.

Themore they multiply,themore friends you will have;themore evidently they love liberty,themore perfect will be their obedience.—Burke.

Thisandthatare very common as adverbs in spoken English, and not infrequently are found in literary English; for example,—

The master...was forthisonce of her opinion.—R. LOUIS STEVENSON.Death! To die! I owethatmuch To what, at least, I was.—Browning.Thislong's the text.—Shakespeare.

The master...was forthisonce of her opinion.—R. LOUIS STEVENSON.

Death! To die! I owethatmuch To what, at least, I was.—Browning.

Thislong's the text.—Shakespeare.

[SidenoteThe status of such.]

Suchis frequently used as an equivalent ofso:suchprecedes an adjective with its noun, whilesoprecedes only the adjective usually.

Meekness,...which gained himsuchuniversal popularity.—Irving.Sucha glittering appearance that no ordinary man would have been able to close his eyes there.—Hawthorne.An eye ofsuchpiercing brightness andsuchcommanding power that it gave an air of inspiration.—Lecky.

Meekness,...which gained himsuchuniversal popularity.—Irving.

Sucha glittering appearance that no ordinary man would have been able to close his eyes there.—Hawthorne.

An eye ofsuchpiercing brightness andsuchcommanding power that it gave an air of inspiration.—Lecky.

So also in Grote, Emerson, Thackeray, Motley, White, and others.

Pretty.

Prettyhas a wider adverbial use than it gets credit for.

I believe our astonishment isprettyequal.—Fielding.Hard blows and hard money, the feel of both of which you knowprettywell by now.—Kingsley.The first of these generals isprettygenerally recognized as the greatest military genius that ever lived.—Bayne.Aprettylarge experience.—Thackeray.

I believe our astonishment isprettyequal.—Fielding.

Hard blows and hard money, the feel of both of which you knowprettywell by now.—Kingsley.

The first of these generals isprettygenerally recognized as the greatest military genius that ever lived.—Bayne.

Aprettylarge experience.—Thackeray.

Prettyis also used by Prescott, Franklin, De Quincey, Defoe, Dickens, Kingsley, Burke, Emerson, Aldrich, Holmes, and other writers.

Mighty.

The adverb mighty is very common in colloquial English; for example,—

"Mightywell, Deacon Gookin!" replied the solemn tones of the minister.—Hawthorne."Maybe you're wanting to get over?—anybody sick? Ye seemmightyanxious!"—H. B. Stowe.

"Mightywell, Deacon Gookin!" replied the solemn tones of the minister.—Hawthorne.

"Maybe you're wanting to get over?—anybody sick? Ye seemmightyanxious!"—H. B. Stowe.

It is only occasionally used in literary English; for example,—

You aremightycourteous.—Bulwer.Beau Fielding, amightyfine gentleman.—Thackeray."Peace, Neville," said the king, "thou think'st thyselfmightywise, and art but a fool."—Scott.I perceived his sistersmightybusy.—Goldsmith.

You aremightycourteous.—Bulwer.

Beau Fielding, amightyfine gentleman.—Thackeray.

"Peace, Neville," said the king, "thou think'st thyselfmightywise, and art but a fool."—Scott.

I perceived his sistersmightybusy.—Goldsmith.

Notice meanings.

284.Again, the meaning of words must be noticed rather than their form; for many words given above may be moved from one class to another at will: as these examples,—"He walked toofar[place];" "That werefarbetter [degree];" "He spokepositively[manner];" "That ispositivelyuntrue [assertion];" "I have seen youbefore[time];" "The house, and its lawnbefore[place]."

Simple.

285.All adverbs which have no function in the sentence except to modify are calledsimple adverbs. Such are most of those given already in Sec. 282.

Interrogative.

286.Some adverbs, besides modifying, have the additional function of asking a question.

Direct questions.

These may introducedirectquestions of—

(1)Time.

Whendid this humane custom begin?—H. Clay.

(2)Place.

Wherewill you have the scene?—Longfellow

(3)Manner.

Andhowlooks it now?—Hawthorne.

(4)Degree.

"Howlong have you had this whip?" asked he.—Bulwer.

(5)Reason.

Whythat wild stare and wilder cry?—WhittierNowwhereforestopp'st thou me?—Coleridge

Whythat wild stare and wilder cry?—Whittier

Nowwhereforestopp'st thou me?—Coleridge

Indirect questions.

Or they may introduce indirect questions of—

(1)Time.

I do not rememberwhenI was taught to read.—D. Webster.

(2)Place.

I will not askwherethou liest low.—Byron

(3)Manner.

Who set you to cast about what you should say to the select souls, orhowto say anything to such?—Emerson.

(4)Degree.

Being too full of sleep to understandHowfar the unknown transcends the what we know.—Longfellow

(5)Reason.

I hearkened, I know notwhy.—Poe.

287.There is a class of words usually classed asconjunctive adverbs, as they are said to have the office of conjunctions in joining clauses, whilehaving the office of adverbs in modifying; for example,—

Whenlast I saw thy young blue eyes, they smiled.—Byron.

But in reality,whendoes not express time and modify, but the whole clause,when...eyes; andwhenhas simply the use of a conjunction, not an adverb. For further discussion, see Sec. 299 under "Subordinate Conjunctions."

Exercise.—Bring up sentences containing twenty adverbs, representing four classes.

288.Many adverbs are compared, and, when compared, have the same inflection as adjectives.

The following, irregularly compared, are often used as adjectives:—

289.Most monosyllabic adverbs add-erand-estto form the comparative and superlative, just as adjectives do; as,high,higher,highest;soon,sooner,soonest.

Adverbs in-lyusually havemoreandmostinstead of the inflected form, only occasionally having-erand-est.

Its stringsboldlierswept.—Coleridge.None can deemharshlierof me than I deem.—Byron.Only that we maywiseliersee.—Emerson.Then must she keep itsafelier.—Tennyson.I shouldfreelierrejoice in that absence.—Shakespeare.

Its stringsboldlierswept.—Coleridge.

None can deemharshlierof me than I deem.—Byron.

Only that we maywiseliersee.—Emerson.

Then must she keep itsafelier.—Tennyson.

I shouldfreelierrejoice in that absence.—Shakespeare.

Formvs.use.

290.The fact that a word ends in-lydoes not make it an adverb. Many adjectives have the same ending, and must be distinguished by their use in the sentence.

Tell what each word inlymodifies, then whether it is an adjective or an adverb.

1. It seems certain that the Normans were more cleanly in their habits, more courtly in their manners.2. It is true he was rarely heard to speak.3. He would inhale the smoke slowly and tranquilly.4. The perfectly heavenly law might be made law on earth.5. The king winced when he saw his homely little bride.6.With his proud, quick-flashing eye,And his mien of kingly state.7.And all about, a lovely sky of blueClearly was felt, or down the leaves laughed through.8. He is inexpressibly mean, curiously jolly, kindly and good-natured in secret.

1. It seems certain that the Normans were more cleanly in their habits, more courtly in their manners.

2. It is true he was rarely heard to speak.

3. He would inhale the smoke slowly and tranquilly.

4. The perfectly heavenly law might be made law on earth.

5. The king winced when he saw his homely little bride.

With his proud, quick-flashing eye,And his mien of kingly state.

And all about, a lovely sky of blueClearly was felt, or down the leaves laughed through.

8. He is inexpressibly mean, curiously jolly, kindly and good-natured in secret.

291.Again, many words without-lyhave the same form, whether adverbs or adjectives.

The reason is, that in Old and Middle English, adverbs derived from adjectives had the ending-eas a distinguishing mark; as,—

If men smoot it with a yerdesmerte[If men smote it with a rod smartly].—Chaucer.

Thisedropping off left both words having the same form.

Weeds were sure to growquickerin his fields.—Irving.Osweetandfarfrom cliff and scar The horns of Elfland faintly blowing.—Tennyson.But he must do his errandright.—DrakeLongshe looked in his tiny face.—Id.Notnearso black as he was painted.—Thackeray.

Weeds were sure to growquickerin his fields.—Irving.

Osweetandfarfrom cliff and scar The horns of Elfland faintly blowing.—Tennyson.

But he must do his errandright.—Drake

Longshe looked in his tiny face.—Id.

Notnearso black as he was painted.—Thackeray.

In some cases adverbs with-lyare used side by side with those without-ly, but with a different meaning. Such aremost,mostly;near,nearly;even,evenly;hard,hardly; etc.

Special use ofthere.

292.Frequently the wordthere, instead of being used adverbially, merely introduces a sentence, and inverts the usual order of subject and predicate.

This is such a fixed idiom that the sentence, if it has the verbbe, seems awkward or affected without this "thereintroductory." Compare these:—

1.Thereare eyes, to be sure, that give no more admission into the man than blueberries.—Emerson.2. Time was when field and watery cove With modulated echoes rang.—Wordsworth.

1.Thereare eyes, to be sure, that give no more admission into the man than blueberries.—Emerson.

2. Time was when field and watery cove With modulated echoes rang.—Wordsworth.

293.In parsingadverbs, give—

(1) The class, according to meaning and also use.

(2) Degree of comparison, if the word is compared.

(3) What word or word group it modifies.

Parse all the adverbs in the following sentences:—

1. Now the earth is so full that a drop overfills it.2. The higher we rise in the scale of being, the more certainly we quit the region of the brilliant eccentricities and dazzling contrasts which belong to a vulgar greatness.3.We sit in the warm shade and feel right wellHow the sap creeps up and blossoms swell.4. Meanwhile the Protestants believed somewhat doubtfully that he was theirs.5. Whence else could arise the bruises which I had received, but from my fall?6. We somehow greedily gobble down all stories in which the characters of our friends are chopped up.7. How carefully that blessed day is marked in their little calendars!8. But a few steps farther on, at the regular wine-shop, the Madonna is in great glory.9. The foolish and the dead alone never change their opinion.10. It is the Cross that is first seen, and always, burning in the center of the temple.11. For the impracticable, however theoretically enticing, is always politically unwise.12. Whence come you? and whither are you bound?13. How comes it that the evil which men say spreads so widely and lasts so long, whilst our good kind words don't seem somehow to take root and blossom?14. At these carousals Alexander drank deep.15. Perhaps he has been getting up a little architecture on the road from Florence.16. It is left you to find out why your ears are boxed.17. Thither we went, and sate down on the steps of a house.18. He could never fix which side of the garden walk would suit him best, but continually shifted.19. But now the wind rose again, and the stern drifted in toward the bank.20. He caught the scent of wild thyme in the air, and found room to wonder how it could have got there.21. They were soon launched on the princely bosom of the Thames, upon which the sun now shone forth.22. Why should we suppose that conscientious motives, feeble as they are constantly found to be in a good cause, should be omnipotent for evil?24. It was pretty bad after that, and but for Polly's outdoor exercise, she would undoubtedly have succumbed.

1. Now the earth is so full that a drop overfills it.

2. The higher we rise in the scale of being, the more certainly we quit the region of the brilliant eccentricities and dazzling contrasts which belong to a vulgar greatness.

We sit in the warm shade and feel right wellHow the sap creeps up and blossoms swell.

4. Meanwhile the Protestants believed somewhat doubtfully that he was theirs.

5. Whence else could arise the bruises which I had received, but from my fall?

6. We somehow greedily gobble down all stories in which the characters of our friends are chopped up.

7. How carefully that blessed day is marked in their little calendars!

8. But a few steps farther on, at the regular wine-shop, the Madonna is in great glory.

9. The foolish and the dead alone never change their opinion.

10. It is the Cross that is first seen, and always, burning in the center of the temple.

11. For the impracticable, however theoretically enticing, is always politically unwise.

12. Whence come you? and whither are you bound?

13. How comes it that the evil which men say spreads so widely and lasts so long, whilst our good kind words don't seem somehow to take root and blossom?

14. At these carousals Alexander drank deep.

15. Perhaps he has been getting up a little architecture on the road from Florence.

16. It is left you to find out why your ears are boxed.

17. Thither we went, and sate down on the steps of a house.

18. He could never fix which side of the garden walk would suit him best, but continually shifted.

19. But now the wind rose again, and the stern drifted in toward the bank.

20. He caught the scent of wild thyme in the air, and found room to wonder how it could have got there.

21. They were soon launched on the princely bosom of the Thames, upon which the sun now shone forth.

22. Why should we suppose that conscientious motives, feeble as they are constantly found to be in a good cause, should be omnipotent for evil?

24. It was pretty bad after that, and but for Polly's outdoor exercise, she would undoubtedly have succumbed.

294.Unlike adverbs, conjunctions do not modify: they are used solely for the purpose of connecting.

Examples of the use of conjunctions:—

They connectwords.

(1)Connecting words: "It is the very necessityandcondition of existence;" "What a simplebutexquisite illustration!"

Word groups:Phrases.

Clauses.

(2)Connecting word groups: "Hitherto the two systems have existed in different States,butside by side within the American Union;" "This has happenedbecausethe Union is a confederation of States."

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