INTRODUCTORY TEXT-BOOK

OF

ENGLISH COMPOSITION.

1. The Art of Composition is regulated by the laws of Rhetoric, which, in its widest sense, is the science of the Expression of Thought. It will readily be understood that Rhetoric cannot supply us with thoughts: these the mind must originate for itself, or gather from the various sources within its reach,— as observation, reading, reflection. When, however, any one is possessed of information, or convinced of truths, which he wishes to communicate to others, the science of Rhetoric points out to him the best methods of arranging, dressing, and giving out his material.

2. The most general division of the subject gives us two forms of Composition

I. COMPOSITION IN PROSE.

II. COMPOSITION IN VERSE.

3. A complete prose composition is in the following treatise called a THEME. The divisions of a Theme, each of which is devoted to a special part of the subject, are called PARAGRAPHS. And every Paragraph is made up of SENTENCES. Hence there are three distinct steps in the art, requiring separate treatment :1. How to construct single Sentences, so as to give the best expression to every single thought.

2. How to combine sentences into Paragraphs, so as to give the best expression to a connected series of thoughts. 3. How to combine paragraphs into a Theme, so as to give the best exposition of a whole subject.

4.The first and second of these steps,

I THE STRUCTURE OF SENTENCES,

II. THE STRUCTURE OF PARAGRAPHS,

are treated of in the present work.

The Structure of Themes, and Versification, are reserved for the Advanced Text-Book, which forms a sequel to the present volume.

PART I.-THE STRUCTURE OF SENTENCES.

Chapter I.-Preliminary Definitions and Processes.

5. A Sentence is a complete thought expressed in words. 6. The essential terms of a sentence, that is, the parts without which no complete thought can be expressed, are the Subject and the Predicate.

7. The Predicate is that part of the sentence which makes a statement (verb) about something.

8. The Subject names (noun) the thing about which the statement is made.

9. The essential terms of a sentence may be thus subdivided:

SUBJECT.

Attribute.

PREDICATE.

Noun. Verb. | Complement. | Adverbial.

:

10. The Complement includes everything that completes the sense of an Incomplete Verb.*

11. The Complement of Transitive Verbs is called the Object, because it names the object or receiver of the action expressed by the verb.+

(a) Some Transitive Verbs require a secondary complement, as well as the direct object; as, The people made William (obj.) King (comp.). 12. These terms are of three degrees; each of them may be, 1st, a Word; 2d, a Phrase; 3d, a Clause.

13. A Phrase, or element of the second degree, is a form of words containing no subject or predicate; as, Spring returning.

*See "The Progressive English Grammar,” 8 22.

† For a fuller exposition of the divisions of the Sentence, see the author's "Grammatical Analysis."

14. Phrases are of three kinds, named according to the functions they perform in sentences, viz. :—

1st, Substantive Phrase = a noun.
2d, Attributive Phrase

3d, Adverbial Phrase

an adjective. an adverb.

15. A Clause, or element of the third degree, is a member of a sentence which contains a subject and predicate within itself; as, When spring returns.

16. A Principal clause contains a leading and independent stateinent; that is, expresses by itself a complete thought.

(a) In tabular analysis, principal clauses are represented by capital letters, A, B, C, D, etc.

17. A Subordinate clause explains some part of a principal clause.

(a) It is represented by a small letter corresponding with that of its principal clause, a, b, c, d, etc. The different degrees of subordination are expressed by algebraic indices, a1, a2, a3, etc.; their order within the same degree by co-efficients, la1, 2a1, 3a1, etc.

18. Subordinate clauses, like phrases, are of three kinds, named according to the functions they perform in sentences, viz. :—

1st, Substantive Clause a noun.

2d, Attributive Clause

an adjective.

3d, Adverbial Clause = an adverb.

19. Sentences are classified, according to the number, and the relations of their predicates, into Simple, Complex, and Compound.

20. A Simple sentence has only one subject and predicate; and is indicated by a single letter, A; as, "At day-break, all fears WERE DISPELLED."

21. A Complex sentence has only one principal predicate, with one or more subordinate clauses, A, a1; as, "As soon as morning dawned, all fears WERE DISPELLED."

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22. A Compound sentence has more than one principal clause, each of which may have any number of subordinate clauses, A, a1, B, b1, etc.; as, As soon as morning dawned, all fears WERE DISPELLED; and we SAW the land, for which we had so eagerly watched, within a few leagues of us."

23. In a compound sentence, a principal clause, with its own subordinates, forms a complex clause; as A, a1, in the last example.

24. Co-ordinate clauses are those which are independent of each other, or have a common dependence on a superior clause. 25. Co-ordination is of four kinds :

26. FUNDAMENTAL LAW :-Every sentence must contain at least one independent Predicate.

A form of words may contain several subjects and predicates, and yet not be a sentence; as, "That he had frequently visited the city in which he was born,”—which, though containing two distinct predicates, is not a sentence. The connective "that" implies the dependence of the clause it introduces upon some other clause, as "He said," ‚” “I have heard,” “It is true." Hence the essential predicate must be independent.

Exercise 1.

COMPLETE Such of the following expressions as

sentences:

are not

1. A design which has never been completed. 2. The honour of having been the first to welcome His Royal Highness. 3. The author having suddenly died, and left his work unfinished. 4. No sooner was William seated on the throne, than seeming to have lost all his former popularity. 5. He is taller, stronger, wiser. 6. That the king was ignorant of the real circumstances; that he had not examined the warrant which he had signed, and was therefore not responsible for the proceeding. 7. The Prince, when he saw the hopelessness of his cause, turned and fled. 8. The artist being of opinion that a national recognition, through intelligible symbols, of the great principles by which the patriot was actuated from first to last, is the only fitting way to do honour to his memory. 9. For which reasons I shall endeavour to enliven morality with wit, and to temper wit with morality. 10. The most illustrious benefactors of the race being men who, having risen to great truths, have held them as a sacred trust for their kind, and have borne witness to them amidst general darkness. 11. Seeing that the varnish of power brings forth at once the defects and the beauties of the human portrait. 12. How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust.

1. EXPANSION.

27. An element of a sentence is said to be expanded when it is changed from a word to a phrase, or from a phrase to a clause, without introducing any new idea; as,

as,

The expansion of an element often necessitates a change in its attribute; A very prudent man = A man of great prudence.

28. In expansion, each word to be expanded must be changed into its corresponding phrase, or clause; a noun into a Substantive phrase, or clause; an adjective, into an Attributive phrase, or clause; an adverb into an Adverbial phrase, or clause.

29. The proper connecting particles to introduce phrases are prepositions; e.g.,

1. Substantive Phrase.-This is generally an Infinitive; as To extend human happiness is the aim of the philanthropist, the extension of human happiness.

2. Attributive Phrase.-He was a man of great learning, = a very learned man.

3. Adverbial Phrase.-He acted with judgment,

=

judiciously. But many phrases have no connecting particles; as His being ruined (ruin) was the cause of his death; Winter approaching (on the approach of winter), he returned to town.

Exercise 2.

EXPAND the words printed in italics in the following sentences into phrases :

4.

1. The girl sang sweetly. 2. Lying is one of the meanest of vices. 3. The grateful mind loves to consider the bounties of Providence. Walking is conducive to health. 5. Very brave soldiers fell at Bannockburn. 6. The husbandman's treasures are renewed yearly. 7. Cromwell acted sternly and decidedly when it was necessary to do so. 8. Error is human; forgiveness, divine. 9. Idleness prevents our true happiness. 10. Delay is always dangerous. 11. His indolence was the cause of his ruin. 12. Leonidas fell gloriously at Thermopylae.