28. SUMMARY OF THE PARTS OF SPEECH. From the preceding lessons it appears that there are nine functions, or uses, of words in speech, or discourse, and that words are classified accordingly into nine different parts of speech, as follows: PRINCIPAL MODIFIERS. 1. Noun. — The part of speech used as the name of something. 2. Pronoun. noun. 3. Verb. - The part of speech used instead of a The part of speech used to make an assertion. 4. Adjective. — The part of speech used to modify the meaning of a noun or pronoun. 5. Adverb. The part of speech used to modify the meaning of a verb, an adjective, or an adverb. 6. Preposition. - The part of speech used to join a substantive to some other word as a modifier, and to indicate a relation between them. CONNECTIVES. 7. Conjunction. The part of speech used to join INDEPENDENT EXPRESSIONS. two sentences into one, or to connect words or phrases that are in the same grammatical construction. 8. Interjection. The part of speech used independently to express feeling or emotion. 9. Expletive. - The part of speech used independently to give fullness or euphony to a sentence. These nine parts of speech include all the words of our language; but it does not follow that a word is always the same part of speech. The same word may have different uses in the sentence, and hence may become different parts of speech according to its use and meaning. Notice the different parts of speech Shakespeare has made of the word round: 1. He wears upon his brow the round (noun) of sovereignty. 4. The gold must round (adverb) engirt these brows of mine. Exercise. Note the words in full-face type, tell the part of speech each is, and give a reason for your classification: 1. A rolling stone gathers no moss. 2. Stone walls do not a prison make. 4. Stay is a charming word in a friend's vocabulary. 5. It is an ill wind that blows no good. 6. Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey. 7. The aged couple were talking about the past. 8. Talking is the disease of age. 9. Some persons age very rapidly. 10. Let them fear bondage who are slaves to fear. II. Deeds survive the doers. 12. He deeds the property to his son. 13. The birds nest in the trees. 14. The bird's nest in the tree contains three blue eggs. 15. Heaven still guards the right. 16. Be sure you are right and then go ahead. 17. He will right the wrongs of the innocent. 18. And that my soul knoweth right well. 19. He is an American, and glories in the right of an American citizen. 20. His years but young, but his experience old. 21. Quick! man the lifeboat. 29. REVIEW. Ex. I. Use each of the following words, first as a verb, then as a noun: run; fish; blow; bark; paint. Ex. II. Use each of the following words, first as a verb, then as an adjective: clear; dull; lean; tame; smooth. Ex. III. Use each of the following words, first as a verb, then as a noun, then as an adjective: black; dress; iron; last; spring. Ex. IV. Use each of the following words as two different parts of speech, and tell how you have used them: behind; by; mine; still; only; there; for; rest; fast. TEST QUESTIONS. 1. Into how many classes are all the words of our language grouped? 2. What general name is given to these classes? 3. How do we determine what part of speech a word is? 4. Which class of words do we use as names? 5. Which part of speech is used to make an assertion? 6. Does a part of speech always consist of a single word? 7. Which part of speech must every sentence contain? 8. Define the subject and the predicate of a sentence. 9. What is the modified subject? 10. What is the difference between the subject of a sentence and the subject of thought in a sentence? 11. Name five concrete nouns. 12. Name five abstract nouns. 13. How do concrete and abstract nouns differ? 14. Why are pronouns convenient? 15. What is the antecedent of a pronoun? 16. What is a modifier? 17. How does one word modify another? 18. What is the difference between an adjective and an adverb? 19. How does a preposition show the relation between words? 20. What is the object of a preposition? 21. How may we determine the object of a preposition? 22. How do prepositions and conjunctions differ? 23. In what are they alike? 24. What must be true of words and of phrases that are joined by conjunctions? 25. Why are interjections and expletives, strictly speaking, not parts of speech? 26. Of what use is each in communicating thought? PART II. THE SENTENCE AND ITS ELEMENTS (CONTINUED). COMPLEMENTS, PHRASES, AND CLAUSES. 30. COMPLEMENTS. 1. Verbs of Complete Predication. In the sentences that you have thus far been required to analyze or diagram, the predicate has consisted of a verb which by itself made a complete assertion or predication. Such verbs are called Verbs of Complete Predication;1 as, 1. The ship sank. 2. She must weep. The verb in each of these sentences makes a complete assertion. We may use additional words to make the assertion more definite; as, The ship sank quickly; or sank slowly; or sank in the harbor; yet the verb sank makes a complete assertion without these additional words, and is, therefore, a verb of complete predication. 2. Verbs of Incomplete Predication. Some verbs are very rarely used alone as predicates, but require an additional word, or words, to complete the assertion. Such words are called Verbs of Incomplete Predication, or, briefly, Incomplete Verbs; as, 1 Complete verbs are sometimes called Attributive Verbs, because they express in themselves the attribute ascribed to the subject. 1. Washington was. 5. General Grant said. Each of these expressions contains a subject joined with a verb, yet it is incomplete as making an assertion, and we must supply additional words to fill out or complete the meaning of the predicate; thus: 1. Washington was president. 2. Washington crossed the Delaware. 4. The weather became settled. 5. General Grant said, "Let us have peace." DEFINITION. That which is joined to a verb to fill out or complete the predication is called a Complement. Exercise. In each of the following groups of words tell whether the verb makes complete predication, and if the predication is incomplete, supply suitable complements : 1. The first president was 3. The earth revolves 4. Romulus founded 5. The Romans built 8. Florida produces 12. The weather seems 13. The sun rose 14. The problem appears 16. The children rested 17. Longfellow was 18. Dewey captured 19. Franklin discovered 20. General Grant became 21. Morse invented 22. Lawrence said |