Plain English Part 71

There are a few prepositions which might really be called derivative prepositions.

1. A few prepositions are formed from verbs. These are really participle prepositions, for they are the present participles of the verbs but have come to be used like prepositions. These are such as _concerning_, _excepting_, _regarding_, _respecting_, _during_, _according_, etc.

Nearly all of these participle prepositions can be expressed by a preposition phrase, as for example, we can either say; I wrote _regarding_ these facts, or I wrote you _in regard to_ these facts. I mentioned them all _excepting_ the last, or, I mentioned them all _with the exception of_ the last. I have gone _according_ to the directions, or, I have gone _in accord with_ the directions.

2. Derivative prepositions are also formed by prefixing _a_ to other parts of speech, as _along_, _around_, _abroad_, etc. Strictly speaking these might be called compound prepositions for the prefix _a_ is really from the preposition _on_.

3. We have also compound prepositions formed:

By uniting two prepositions, as _into_, _within_, _throughout_, etc.

By uniting a preposition and some other part of speech, usually a noun or an adjective, as _beside_, _below_ and _beyond_.

We also have a number of compound verbs which are made by prefixing a preposition to a verb. Some of these compound words have quite a different meaning from the meaning conveyed by the two words used separately; as for example, the compound verb _withstand_, derived from the preposition _with_ and the verb _stand_, has almost the opposite meaning from _stand with_.

Our spelling lesson this week includes a number of these compound verbs formed by the use of the verb and a preposition. Look up the meaning in the dictionary. Use them in sentences in the compound form; then the two words separately as a verb and a preposition and note the difference in the meaning.

+Monday+

Upset Withdraw Outrun Overlook Understand

+Tuesday+

Oversee Undergo Outnumber Withhold Overcome

+Wednesday+

Overflow Undertake Overreach Overthrow Outs.h.i.+ne

+Thursday+

Overhear Withstand Overgrow Overhaul Overrun

+Friday+

Concerning Regarding Respecting According Excepting

+Sat.u.r.day+

Against Throughout Around Between Beneath

PLAIN ENGLISH

LESSON 20

Dear Comrade:

We are taking up in this lesson the study of the last important part of speech. We have spent some little time on the study of these parts of speech, but it has been time well spent. We cannot use good English and construct sentences that express our thoughts without an adequate knowledge of the words we use in sentence building. As soon as we finish the study of the parts of speech, we will spend several weeks in sentence building. This will give us a review of these lessons in which we have studied separate words.

The English language is one of the most interesting of all to study. It is the most truly international of all languages, for the English language contains words from almost every language in the world. Did you ever stop to think that we could have internationalism in language as well as in other things? We can be as narrowly patriotic concerning words as concerning anything else.

Nations have been p.r.o.ne to consider all those who do not speak their language as barbarians. Germany, perhaps, possesses as strong a nationalistic spirit as any country, and in Germany this spirit has found expression in a society formed for the purpose of keeping all foreign words out of the German language. They have published handbooks of native words for almost every department of modern life. They insist that the people use these words, instead of foreign importations. The German State takes great pride in the German language and considers it the most perfect of any spoken today. The rulers of Germany believe that it is a part of their duty to the world to see that all other nations speak the German language. In conquered Poland, only German is permitted to be taught in the schools or to be spoken as the language of commerce.

The patriots in language seem to believe that there is some connection between purity of language and purity of race.

In English, however, we have the beginnings of an international speech.

Our civilization is derived from various sources. Here in America we are truly the melting-pot of the nations, and this is mirrored forth in our language which is, in a way, a melting-pot also, in which have been thrown words from every tongue. Those for whom nationalism is an important thing will probably cling to the idea of a pure unmixed language, but to those of us to whom Internationalism is not an empty word, but a living ideal, an international language becomes also part of the ideal.

There is a wealth of wonderful literature open to us once we have gained a command of the English language. Pay especial attention to the quotations given in each lesson. These are quotations from the very best literature. If there are any of them that arouse your interest and you would like to read more from the same author, write us and we shall be glad to furnish you full information concerning further reading.

Yours for Education,

THE PEOPLE'S COLLEGE.

CONJUNCTIONS

+328.+ You remember that in Lesson 3, where we studied the parts of speech, we found that we had another connective word besides the preposition,--the conjunction.

A preposition connects two words and shows what one of them has to do with the other. The conjunction plays a different part as a connective, for it connects not only words but also phrases and clauses. Note the following sentences:

Shall we be men _or_ machines?

We must struggle for ourselves _and_ for our children.

We pray for peace _but_ furnish ammunition for war.

The use of the conjunction saves a great deal of tiresome repet.i.tion, for, by its use, where two subjects have the same predicate or two predicates have the same subject, we can combine it all into one sentence.

You will readily realize how important this part of speech is to us. If we did not have conjunctions our speech would be c.u.mbersome and we would have to use a great many short sentences and a great deal of repet.i.tion.

If we wanted to make the same statement concerning a number of things, without conjunctions, we would have each time to repeat the entire statement. Try to write a description of a scene and avoid the use of conjunctions and you will see what an important part these connective words play in our power of expression.

Without the use of the conjunction, you would necessarily use a great many short expressions and repeat the same words again and again, and your description would be a jerky, tiresome, unsatisfactory piece of writing.

Exercise 1

Rewrite the following sentences, writing in separate sentences the clauses that are united by the conjunctions:

1. The birds are singing _and_ spring is here.

2. We talk of peace, _but_ war still rages.

3. The unemployed cannot find work _and_ they are dying of hunger.

4. We believed in war for defense _and_ every nation is now fighting for defense.

5. We believe in education _and_ we are struggling for universal education.

6. The old order is fast pa.s.sing _and_ the new order is rapidly appearing.

7. Profit is the keynote of the present, _but_ service shall be the keynote of the future.

8. All children should be in school, _but_ thousands must earn their bread.