SECTION II. THE SENTENCE AND ITS ELEMENTS. IX.-DEFINITION OF THE SENTENCE. Fire burns. Analysis. Here something is named-"fire." Something is said about fire-(it) "burns." Explanation. Whenever we say something about anything, we express a thought. A thought expressed in words is called a senience. DEFINITION.—A sentence is a combination of words expressing a complete thought: as— 1. Rain is falling. 2. The stars are distant. 3. The merry schoolboy whistles loudly. RULE FOR CAPITALS. begin with a capital letter. The first word of every sentence should NOTE.-A sentence is made up of words; but words thrown together at random do not form a sentence: they must mean something before they can be a sentence. A pupil was told to write a sentence on air. She wrote these words: "The air that we breathe." Now these words are not a sentence, for the reason that they do not make any complete statement. They might easily be converted into a sentence by saying, "The air that we breathe is sweet," or "The air that we breathe is a fluid." EXERCISE 9. Supply such words as will convert into sentences the following incomplete collections of words. MODEL: "In 1492 Columbus discovered America." 1. In 1492 Columbus .... 2. The earth, in 365 days 3. A band of robbers 4. The story of Robinson Crusoe .... 5. When Washington had cut down the cherry-tree ..... 6. The city of New York is ...... 7. The Empire of China 8. was a great patriot. ...... I. A sentence may take one or other of these forms: 1. Declarative. —It may simply express a statement, or declare something: as, "The sun shines." Such a sentence is called a declarative sentence. 2. Interrogative.—It may ask a question: as, Are you ill?" Such a sentence is called an interrogative sentence. 3. Imperative. —It may express a command: as, "Go away." Such a sentence is called an imperative sentence. 4. Exclamative.-It may express a wish: as, "May every blessing attend you!" Such a sentence is called an exclamative sentence. II. RULE FOR TERMINAL MARKS.*-A declarative or an imperative sentence is closed with a period (.); an interrogative sentence, with an interrogation point (?); an exclamative sentence, with an exclamation point (!). EXERCISE 10. a. Copy on slates or paper the following sentences. Exchange exercises for correction as to (1) spelling, (2) capitals, and (3) terminal marks. 1. The farmer mows the waving grass. 2. Tell me what you want. 3. What are you doing? Where are you going? 4. How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank! 5. Our brethren are already in the field. Why stand we here idle? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains or slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death! 5. Oh! call my brother back to me! I cannot play alone. The summer comes with flower and bee; Where is my brother gone? b. Form sentences of the kinds indicated, using the following * A terminal mark is a mark of punctuation placed at the end or termination of a sentence. Express each of the following statements in the form of a question, a command, and an exclamation. MODEL: 1. Dogs delight to bark and bite. (Statement.) 3. Let dogs delight to bark and bite. (Command.) 4. How dogs delight to bark and bite! (Exclamation.) 1. Dogs delight to bark and bite. 2. The big fire burns brightly. 3. Time flies rapidly. 4. The storm rages fiercely. 6. The lion roars. XI.-SUBJECT AND PREDICATE. Birds fly. Analysis. In this sentence, is anything named? What? Is any thing said about them? What? Explanation. Every sentence, however short, must have two parts: 1. The name of what is spoken of—or the subject; 2. What is stated of the subject-or the predicate. In any collection of words, unless something is named and something stated about what is named, there can be no statement, and hence no sentence. DEFINITION I.-The subject of a sentence represents that of which something is stated. DEFINITION II.—The predicate of a sentence tells what is stated of the subject. DEFINITION III.—A simple sentence is one that contains but one subject and one predicate. NOTES. I. Both the subject and the predicate may consist of many words. II. The question “Who (or what) is mentioned?" will always suggest the subject as its answer. And "What is said of the subject?" will give the predicate. Thus in the sentence, “The squirrel eyes the browning chestnuts," what is mentioned? "The squirrel." What is said of the squirrel? "Eyes the browning chestnuts." Make sentences, using suitable pairs of the following subjects and predicates. Subjects...... Predicates.... MODEL: "A dog worried a cat." A dog, robin, crow, horse, baby, the boy, the girl, the jockey, the coachman, the taught the class, will play the fiddle, shall win the |