An English Grammar Part 77

(3) _Infinitive phrase_ thrown in loosely: "_To make a long story short_, the company broke up;" "_Truth to say_, he was a conscientious man."

(4) _Prepositional phrase_ not modifying: "Within the railing sat, _to the best of my remembrance_, six quill-driving gentlemen;" "_At all events_, the great man of the prophecy had not yet appeared."

(5) _Participial phrase:_ "But, _generally speaking_, he closed his literary toils at dinner;" "_Considering the burnish of her French tastes_, her noticing even this is creditable."

(6) _Single words_: as, "Oh, _yes_! everybody knew them;" "_No_, let him perish;" "_Well_, he somehow lived along;" "_Why_, grandma, how you're winking!" "_Now_, this story runs thus."

[Sidenote: _Another caution._]

There are some adverbs, such as _perhaps_, _truly_, _really_, _undoubtedly_, _besides_, etc., and some conjunctions, such as _however_, _then_, _moreover_, _therefore_, _nevertheless_, etc., that have an office in the sentence, and should not be confused with the words spoken of above. The words _well_, _now_, _why_, and so on, are independent when they merely arrest the attention without being necessary.

PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES.

356. In their use, prepositional phrases may be,

(1) _Adjectival_, modifying a noun, p.r.o.noun, or word used as a noun: for example, "He took the road _to King Richard's pavilion_;" "I bring reports _on that subject_ from Ascalon."

(2) _Adverbial_, limiting in the same way an adverb limits: as, "All nature around him slept _in calm moons.h.i.+ne_ or _in deep shadow_;" "Far _from the madding crowd's ign.o.ble strife_."

(3) _Independent_, not dependent on any word in the sentence (for examples, see Sec. 355, 4).

PARTICIPLES AND PARTICIPIAL PHRASES.

357. It will be helpful to sum up here the results of our study of participles and participial phrases, and to set down all the uses which are of importance in a.n.a.lysis:--

(1) _The adjectival use_, already noticed, as follows:--

(_a_) As a complement of a transitive verb, and at the same time a modifier of the object (for an example, see Sec. 350, 4).

(_b_) As a modifier of subject, object, or complement (see Sec. 351, 6).

(2) _The adverbial use_, modifying the predicate, instances of which were seen in Sec. 352, 3. In these the participial phrases connect closely with the verb, and there is no difficulty in seeing that they modify.

[Sidenote: _These need close watching._]

There are other participial phrases which are used adverbially, but require somewhat closer attention; thus, "The letter of introduction_, containing no matters of business_, was speedily run through."

In this sentence, the expression _containing no matters of business_ does not describe _letter_, but it is equivalent to _because it contained no matters of business_, and hence is adverbial, modifying _was speedily run through_.

Notice these additional examples:--

_Being a great collector of everything relating to Milton_ [reason, "Because I was," etc.], I had naturally possessed myself of Richardson the painter's thick octavo volumes.

Neither the one nor the other writer was valued by the public, _both having_ [since they had] _a long warfare to accomplish of contumely and ridicule_.

Wilt thou, therefore, _being now wiser_ [as thou art] _in thy thoughts_, suffer G.o.d to give by seeming to refuse?

(3) _Wholly independent_ in meaning and grammar. See Sec. 355, (5), and these additional examples:--

_a.s.suming the specific heat to be the same as that of water_, the entire ma.s.s of the sun would cool down to 15,000 Fahrenheit in five thousand years.

_This case excepted_, the French have the keenest possible sense of everything odious and ludicrous in posing.

INFINITIVES AND INFINITIVE PHRASES.

358. The various uses of the infinitive give considerable trouble, and they will be presented here in full, or as nearly so as the student will require.

I. The verbal use. (1) Completing an incomplete verb, but having no other office than a verbal one.

(_a_) With _may (might)_, _can (could)_, _should_, _would_, _seem_, _ought_, etc.: "My weekly bill used invariably _to be_ about fifty s.h.i.+llings;" "There, my dear, he should not _have known_ them at all;"

"He would _instruct_ her in the white man's religion, and _teach_ her how to be happy and good."

(_b_) With the forms of _be_, being equivalent to a future with obligation, necessity, etc.: as in the sentences, "Ingenuity and cleverness are _to be rewarded_ by State prizes;" "'The Fair Penitent'

was _to be acted_ that evening."

(_c_) With the definite forms of _go_, equivalent to a future: "I was going _to repeat_ my remonstrances;" "I am not going _to dissert_ on Hood's humor."

(2) Completing an incomplete transitive verb, but also belonging to a subject or an object (see Sec. 344 for explanation of the complements of transitive verbs): "I am constrained every moment _to acknowledge_ a higher origin for events" (retained with pa.s.sive); "Do they not cause the heart _to beat_, and the eyes _to fill_?"

359. II. The substantive use, already examined; but see the following examples for further ill.u.s.tration:--

(1) _As the subject: "To have_ the wall there, was to have the foe's life at their mercy;" "_To teach_ is to learn."

(2) _As the object_: "I like _to hear_ them tell their old stories;"

"I don't wish _to detract_ from any gentleman's reputation."

(3) _As complement:_ See examples under (1), above.

(4) _In apposition_, explanatory of a noun preceding: as, "She forwarded to the English leaders a touching invitation _to unite_ with the French;" "He insisted on his right _to forget_ her."

360. III. The adjectival use, modifying a noun that may be a subject, object, complement, etc.: for example, "But there was no time _to be lost_;" "And now Amyas had time _to ask_ Ayacanora the meaning of this;" "I have such a desire _to be_ well with my public" (see also Sec. 351, 5).

361. IV. The adverbial use, which may be to express--

(1) _Purpose:_ "The governor, Don Guzman, sailed to the eastward only yesterday _to look_ for you;" "Isn't it enough to bring us to death, _to please_ that poor young gentleman's fancy?"

(2) _Result:_ "Don Guzman returns to the river mouth _to find_ the s.h.i.+p a blackened wreck;" "What heart could be so hard as _not to take_ pity on the poor wild thing?"

(3) _Reason:_ "I am quite sorry _to part_ with them;" "Are you mad, _to betray_ yourself by your own cries?" "Marry, hang the idiot, _to bring me_ such stuff!"