The part on English Parsing forms an important supplement to a small work by the author, entitled 'A System of English Parsing and Derivation,' of which upwards of thirteen thousand copies have already been sold. And those who have made use of the smaller work, will derive much benefit by continuing their studies in the present. This work may also be used with any Manual of English Grammar, and will form a most useful companion. LONDON: April 1862. J. L. ANALYSIS OF SENTENCES A SENTENCE is a number of words so arranged as to make complete sense, and must contain a finite verb. Every collection of words is not a sentence. A phrase is a part of a sentence not making complete sense, nor containing a finite verb. Sentences may be divided into three kinds; namely, Simple, Compound, and Complex. A SIMPLE sentence has in it but one subject, and one finite or personal verb; as, Life is short.' 6 A COMPOUND sentence consists of two or more simple sentences, independent of each other, joined together by means of conjunctions; as, 'Life is short and eternity is long.' Each simple sentence is called a 'clause' or 'member' of the compound sentence. A COMPLEX sentence contains one principal assertion, accompanied by one or more explanatory or secondary sentences, dependent upon, and qualifying the principal sentence; as, 'I lost the book which my father bought for me.' Remark. One of the first things that pupils should learn, is to distinguish readily between the simple, compound, and complex sentences; so that when they get a sentence to analyse, they may know at once what kind it is, and deal with it accordingly. The following observations will assist them in determining to which of these classes a sentence belongs. B In the compound sentence the several clauses or members of which it is composed can generally be taken separately, each forming sense of itself; and the assertion of one clause does not explain the other or depend upon it. Take the following example, 'Life is short and eternity is long.' Here we have two plain assertions: 'Life is short.' Each of these makes complete sense of itself, and neither of them in any way qualifies the other. Take another example, The prices rose and fell.' Here we have two independent assertions again : 6 The prices rose.' "The prices fell.' Each of these makes sense of itself, and does not qualify the other either in time, place, or manner; therefore the sentence is compound. It is, however, contracted in subject, that is, the subject of one of the clauses is not expressed, the word prices' in the latter clause being understood. But contractions of this kind are very common in compound sentences. Where clauses are thus independent of each other, they are called 'Principal sentences,' and are said to be co-ordinate' to each other. The sentence Eternity is long' is co-ordinate to 'Life is short;' and the sentence The prices fell' is co-ordinate to The prices rose.' All compound sentences contain two or more principal clauses co-ordinate to each other. In the Complex sentence the case is very different; the sense generally remains suspended until the close, and the clauses of which it is composed, if disjoined, do not make complete sense of themselves. Take the example 'I lost the book which my father bought for me.' Here we have two assertions also: 'I lost the book.' 'Which my father bought for me.' But it will be readily seen that each of these clauses does not make perfect sense of itself. The latter clause, 'Which my father bought for me,' by itself makes no sense, but when joined to the other, it qualifies or describes it. It tells what particular book I lost; namely, the book which my father bought for me, not any other. Therefore |