English Grammar in Familiar Lectures Part 10

ACTIVE-INTRANSITIVE VERBS.

An active verb is _transitive_, when the action terminates on an object: but

An active verb is _intransitive_, when the action does _not_ terminate on an object; as, John _walks_.

You perceive that the verb _walks_, in this example, is _intransitive_, because the action does not pa.s.s over to an object; that is, the action is confined to the agent John. The following _sign_ will generally enable you to distinguish a _transitive_ verb from an _intransitive_.

Any verb that will make sense with the words _a thing_ or _a person_, after it, is _transitive_. Try these verbs by the sign, _love, help, conquer, reach, subdue, overcome_. Thus, you can say, I love _a person_ or _thing_--I can help _a person_ or _thing_--and so on. Hence you know that these verbs are transitive. But an intransitive verb will not make sense with this sign, which fact will be shown by the following examples: _smile, go, come, play, bark, walk, fly_. We cannot say, if we mean to speak English, I smile a _person_ or _thing_--I go _a person_ or _thing_:--hence you perceive that these verbs are not transitive, but intransitive.

If you reflect upon these examples for a few moments, you will have a clear conception of the nature of transitive and intransitive verbs.

Before I close this subject, however, it is necessary farther to remark, that some transitive and intransitive verbs express what is called a _mental_ or _moral_ action; and others, a _corporeal_ or _physical_ action. Verbs expressing the different affections or operations of the mind, denote moral actions; as, Brutus _loved_ his country; James _hates_ vice; We _believe_ the tale:--to _repent_, to _relent_, to _think_, to _reflect_, to _mourn_, to _muse_. Those expressing the actions produced by matter, denote physical actions; as, The _dog hears_ the bell; Virgil _wrote_ the Aenead; Columbus _discovered_ America;--to _see_, to _feel_, to _taste_, to _smell_, to _run_, to _talk_, to _fly_, to _strike_. In the sentence, Charles _resembles_ his father, the verb _resembles_ does not appear to express any action at all; yet the construction of the sentence, and the office which the verb performs, are such, that we are obliged to pa.r.s.e it as an _active-transitive_ verb, governing the noun _father_ in the objective case. This you may easily reconcile in your mind, by reflecting, that the verb has a _direct reference_ to its object. The following verbs are of this character: _Have, own, retain_; as, I _have_ a book.

Active _in_transitive verbs are frequently made _transitive_. When I say, The birds _fly_, the verb _fly_ is _in_transitive; but when I say, The boy _flies_ the kite, the verb _fly_ is _transitive_, and governs the noun _kite_ in the objective case. Almost any active intransitive verb, and sometimes even neuter verbs, are used as transitive. The horse _walks_ rapidly; The boy _runs_ swiftly; My friend _lives_ well; The man _died_ of a fever. In all these examples the verbs are _in_transitive; in the following they are _transitive_: The man _walks_ his horse; The boy _ran_ a race; My friend _lives_ a holy life; Let me _die_ the death of the righteous.

The foregoing development of the character of verbs, is deemed sufficiently critical for practical purposes; but if we dip a little deeper into the verbal fountain, we shall discover qualities which do not appear on its surface. If we throw aside the veil which art has drawn over the real structure of speech, we shall find, that almost every verb has either a _personal_ or a _verbal_ object, expressed or implied. Verbal objects, which are the _effects_ or _productions_ resulting from the actions, being necessarily implied, are seldom expressed.

The fire _burns_. If the fire burns, it must burn _wood, coal, tallow_, or some other combustible substance. The man _laughs_. Laughs what?

Laughs _laughter_ or _laugh_. They _walk_; that is, They walk or take _walks_. Rivers flow (move or roll _them-selves_ or their _waters_) into the ocean.

"I _sing_ the shady _regions_ of the west."

"And _smile_ the _wrinkles_ from the brow of age."

The child _wept itself_ sick; and then, by taking (or _sleeping_) a short _nap_, it _slept itself_ quiet and well again. "He will soon _sleep_ his everlasting _sleep"_; that is, "He will _sleep_ the _sleep_ of death."

Thinkers think _thoughts_; Talkers talk or employ _words, talk,_ or _speeches_; The rain rains _rain_. "Upon Sodom and Gomorrah the Lord _rained fire_ and _brimstone_." "I must _go_ the whole _length_." "I shall soon _go_ the _way_ of all the earth."

Now please to turn back again, and peruse this lecture attentively; after which you may pa.r.s.e, systematically, the following exercises containing nouns in the three cases, and active-transitive verbs.

The printer _prints_ books.

_Prints_ is a verb, a word that signifies to do--active, it expresses action--transitive, the action pa.s.ses over from the nominative "printer"

to the object "books"--third pers. sing. numb. because the nominative printer is with which it agrees.

RULE 4. _The verb must agree with its nominative case in number and person_.

Declined--1. pers. sing. I print, 2. pers. thou printest, 3. pers. he prints, or the printer prints, and so on.

_Books_ is a noun, the name of a thing--common, the name of a sort of things,--neut. gend. it denotes a thing without s.e.x--third pers. spoken of--plur. num. it implies more than one--and in the objective case, it is the object of the action, expressed by the active-transitive verb "prints," and is governed by it according to

RULE 20. _Active-transitive verbs govern the objective case_.

The noun _books_ is thus declined--Sing. nom. book, poss. book's, obj.

book--Plur. nom. books, poss. books', obj. books.

RULE 20. Transitive verbs _govern_ the objective case; that is, they _require_ the noun or p.r.o.noun following them to be in that case; and this requisition is government. p.r.o.nouns have a particular _form_ to suit each case; but nouns have not. We cannot say, She _struck he_; I gave the book _to they_. Why not? Because the genius of our language requires the p.r.o.noun following a transitive verb or preposition (_to_ is a preposition) to a.s.sume that _form_ which we call the _objective_ form or case. Accordingly, the construction should be, She struck _him_; I gave the book to _them_.--Read, again, the ill.u.s.tration of "government"

on page 52.

EXERCISES IN PARSING.

_Nom. case.--Trans. verb--Poss. case--Obj. case._ Julius prints childrens' primers.

Harriet makes ladies' bonnets.

The servant beats the man's horse.

The horse kicks the servant's master.

The boy struck that man's child.

The child lost those boys' ball.

The tempest sunk those merchants' vessels.

Pope translated Homer's Illiad.

Cicero procured Milo's release.

Alexander conquered Darius' army.

Perry met the enemy's fleet.

Was.h.i.+ngton obtained his country's freedom.

NOTE 1. The words _the, that, those_, and _his_, you need not pa.r.s.e.

2. A noun in the possessive case, is sometimes governed by a noun understood; as, Julia's lesson is longer than John's [lesson.]

As you have been a.n.a.lyzing nouns in their three cases, it becomes necessary to present, in the next place, the declension of nouns, for you must decline every noun you pa.r.s.e. _Declension_ means putting a noun through the different cases: and you will notice, that the possessive case varies from the nominative in its termination, or ending, but the _objective_ case ends like the nominative. The nominative and objective cases of nouns, must, therefore, be ascertained by their situation in the sentence, or by considering the office they perform.

DECLENSION OF NOUNS.

SING. PLUR.

_Nom._ king kings _Poss._ king's kings'

_Obj._ king. kings.

_Nom._ man men _Poss._ man's men's _Obj._ man. men.

Now, if you have pa.r.s.ed every word in the preceding examples, (except _the, that, those_, and _his_) you may proceed with me and pa.r.s.e the examples in the following exercises, in which are presented nouns and active-intransitive verbs.

"My _flock increases_ yearly."

_Flock_ is a noun, a name denoting animals--a noun of mult.i.tude, it signifies many in one collective body--masculine and feminine gender, denoting both s.e.xes--third person, spoken of--singular number, it denotes but one flock--and in the nominative case, it is the active agent of the verb "increases," and governs it, according to RULE 3, _The nominative case governs the verb_. (Decline it.)

_Increases_ is a verb, a word that signifies to do--active, it expresses action--intransitive, the action does not pa.s.s over to an object--of the third person, singular number, because its nominative "flock" conveys _unity_ of idea, and it agrees with "flock" agreeably to

RULE 10. _A noun of mult.i.tude conveying_ unity _of idea, must have a verb or p.r.o.noun agreeing with it in the singular_.

"The divided _mult.i.tude_ hastily _disperse_."

_Mult.i.tude_ is a noun, a name that denotes persons--a collective noun, or noun of mult.i.tude, it signifies many--masculine and feminine gender, it implies both s.e.xes--third person, spoken of--singular number, it represents but one mult.i.tude, or collective body; (but in another sense, it is plural, as it conveys plurality of idea, and, also, implies more _individuals_ than one;)--and in the nominative case, it is the actor and subject of the verb "disperse," which it governs, according to RULE 3. _The nom. case governs the verb_.--Declined.--Sing. nom. mult.i.tude, poss. mult.i.tude's, obj. mult.i.tude--Plur. nom. mult.i.tudes, poss.

mult.i.tudes', obj. mult.i.tudes.

_Disperse_ is a verb, a word that signifies to do--active, it expresses action--intransitive, the action does not terminate on an object--third person, plural number, because its nominative "mult.i.tude" conveys plurality of idea; and it agrees with "mult.i.tude" agreeably to RULE 11.

_A noun of mult.i.tude conveying plurality of idea, must have a verb or p.r.o.noun agreeing with it in the plural._

Rules 10, and 11, rest on a sandy foundation. They appear not to be based on the principles of the language; and, therefore, it might, perhaps, be better to reject than to retain them. Their application is quite limited. In many instances, they will not apply to nouns of mult.i.tude. The existence of such a thing as "unity or plurality of idea," as applicable to nouns of this cla.s.s, is _doubtful_. It is just as correct to say, "The _meeting was_ divided in _its_ sentiments," as to say, "The _meeting were_ divided in _their_ sentiments." Both are equally supported by the genius of the language, and by the power of custom. It is correct to say, either that, "The _fleet were_ dispersed;"

"The _council were_ unanimous;" "The _council were_ divided;" or that, "The _fleet was_ dispersed;" "The _council was_ unanimous;" "The _council was_ divided." But, perhaps for the sake of euphony, in some instances, custom has decided in favor of a singular, and in others, of a plural construction, connected with words of this cla.s.s. For example; custom gives a preference to the constructions, "My _people do_ not consider;" "The _peasantry go_ barefoot;" "The _flock is_ his object;"

instead of, "_My people doth_ not consider;" "The _peasantry goes_ barefoot;" "The _flock are_ his object." In instances like these, the application of the foregoing rules _may_ be of some use; but the constructions in which they do not apply, are probably more numerous than those in which they do.