"Oh, mother," said Henry, "I didn't think." "No, you didn't think," said his mother. ever learn to think? "I do think sometimes, mother." "Will you "Yes, you do think sometimes, but sometimes is not enough. Suppose your father should remember only sometimes to provide food for you, or suppose he should not remember at all." "But he does remember," said Henry. "Yes," said his mother, "and you may well be thankful that he takes better care of you than you do of your rabbits. Now you may go and feed the poor creatures." "All right, mother, and I will remember next time." - B. G. WEST. What do verbs do? In "I do think sometimes," do think is the verb. It means almost the same as think, but is a little more emphatic. It is made of the verb think and the verb do. Think is the principal word, and do helps make the meaning emphatic. Do is called an auxiliary, which means helper. Some other auxiliaries are does, did, may, might, can, could, will, would, should. Do, does, and did are used more commonly with not than without. "You did not feed your rabbits means the same as "you fed not your rabbits." (2) Copy from "Remember" all the verbs having do, does, or did as auxiliaries, and write them without the auxiliaries, as "You fed not your rabbits.' Can you leave out the auxiliaries may, can, will, might, could, or would without changing the meaning? Copy from your readers ten auxiliaries with their verbs and rewrite, without auxiliaries, those that you can without changing the meaning. A verb with its auxiliary is called a verb phrase. Read: V NEGATIVES-ORDER IN A SENTENCE THE PERSIAN'S GRATITUDE Though I had always been poor, I had never complained of my lot, nor murmured against the will of heaven, but once, when my feet were bare and I had nothing with which to shoe them. Then did I bitterly find fault and thought not of the blessings that I still enjoyed. While thus grumbling at my hard lot, I entered the temple and there I beheld a man who had no feet. Then did I offer up praise and thanksgiving for God's goodness to me, and I bore with patience my want of shoes. - From The Gulistan (adapted). In the first sentence "I had never complained" is the statement. Write it without the word never. What is the difference in meaning? The sentence denies that I (the subject) ever complained. The words not, no, none, nothing, nobody, never, neither, nor, are called negatives, which means deniers, because they deny. They all have not or no in them. None is equivalent to no one. Nothing is equivalent to no thing. Neither is equivalent to not either. Copy all the negatives in "The Persian's Gratitude." There should be but one negative in a single statement; as, "I have said nothing." To say, "I haven't said nothing," is equivalent to saying, “I have said something." It is called a double negative. Double negatives should not be used. In former times double negatives were allowed but modern authorities forbid their use. In the statement "I had never complained," notice the order of words. Where is never placed? In the natural order of words in declarative sentences a negative comes between the auxiliary and its verb. VI EXPLETIVES "IT" AND "THERE” There was a bright fire in the wide old fireplace. See if you can find the subjects and the predicates of these sentences. The subject of the first is not there, but a bright fire in the wide old fireplace. In what order is the sentence written? Change it to the natural order. It will then read, "A bright fire in the wide old fire place (there) was.' The second sentence, in the natural order, would read, "To sit in the dancing light (it) was pleasant.' The words there and it are often used merely to introduce sentences. When so used, they are called expletives. (Expletive means filling out.) Sentences introduced by the expletives it or there are in the inverted order. What is the subject and what the predicate in each of the following sentences? There was lack of woman's nursing; there was dearth of woman's tears. - NORTON. There is a pleasure in the pathless woods. - BYRON. It is not good to wake a sleeping hound. It is better to learn late than never. CHAUCER. - PUBLIUS SYRUS. Write these sentences in the natural order. Find or write ten sentences beginning with the expletives, there or it. Change these sentences to the natural order, putting brackets around the expletives. In the following sentences what are it and there? The quality of mercy is not strained; --- To the Teacher. - If the pupils have trouble with the distinction between the pronoun "it" and the expletive "it," and between the expletive "there" and the adverb "there," explain the difference by referring to the idea of the subject - what is the sentence about? VII INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES-ORDER (1) Are we not each of us born into the world provided with one body, and only one, which must last us as long as we live in the world? Is it not by means of this body that we feel, learn, and accomplish everything? Is it not a most wonderful and beautiful set of instruments? Can we ever replace any of them? Can we ever have any of them made as good as new after it has become seriously out of order? HELEN HUNT JACKSON. What kind of sentences are the above? How do you know? Would you be able to tell if there were not question marks at the end of each? We is the subject of the first sentence, and all the other words together are the predicate. Name the subjects and the predicates of the other sentences. Are they arranged in the natural order, or in the inverted order? Write ten questions or find them in your reader. In which order are they written? Would not the order often tell whether a sentence is a question or a statement? In an interrogative sentence the predicate usually comes before the subject, or between the verb and its auxiliary. |