Images de page
PDF
ePub

616. Gerundial infinitive. The dative infinitive (§ 615) is frequently called the gerundial infinitive, being used somewhat like the gerund (§ 215). In Shakespeare's day this infinitive had a much greater variety of use:

1. I don't care to go (= about going). (Correct present use.) 2. We laughed to see (= at seeing) him run. (Correct present use.) 3. Eleven hours I spent to write (= in writing) it over.

4. But I shall grieve you to report (= by reporting) the rest. 5. Oh, who shall hinder me to wail and weep (= from wailing and weeping)?

617. Use of to. In Modern English to is ordinarily used with the nominative and the accusative of the infinitive also (see § 614), as a mere sign, without meaning; the infinitive without to is used only in a few idioms or after the modal auxiliaries (183) and a few other verbs (§§ 216, 241-244, 248): 1. To live is to learn. (Nominative, §§ 606, 215.)

2. He wishes to remain. (Accusative, § 606.)

3. Have is have. (= To have is to have. Nominative.) 4. Better dwell in the midst of alarms,

Than reign in this horrible place.

618. Syntax. That part of grammar which treats of the relations of words in sentences is called syntax, from two Greek words meaning 'put together in order' (see syn-, tag-, §§ 408, 410).

619. Inflections. When English had many inflections, its syntax was much more complex, and resembled that of Latin and Greek. For example, certain verbs and prepositions were followed by the accusative case, others by the genitive, and still others by the dative (§ 606); and some might be followed by two cases. Such uses are still common in German:

1. Ich gedachte deiner, I was thinking of you. (Genitive.) 2. Er folgte mir, he followed me. (Dative.)

When English lost its inflections, many of these distinctions disappeared; that is, the language became simpler. What was once the genitive or the dative after verbs and prepositions is now simply called the accusative (§§ 604, 606). Verbs of giving, refusing, and the like still take the accusative of the direct object (§ 40) and the dative of the indirect (§ 212):

1. He brought me here. (Accusative, §§ 604, 606.) 2. He brought me (dative) a present (accusative). (§§ 604, 606.)

620. Illustrations. The following illustrations of Latin, Anglo-Saxon, German, and English are taken from the Gospel of John, xxi, 3:

Vulgate, 384:

Dicit eis Simon Petrus: Vado piscari. (Says

to them Simon Peter, I go to fish.)

Anglo-Saxon, 1000: Tha cwæth Simon Petrus to him, Ic wylle gan on fixath. (Then quoth Simon Peter to them, I will go a fishing.)

Luther, 1534:

Wycliffe, 1382:

Tyndale, 1526:

King James, 1611:

Spricht Simon Petrus zu ihnen: Ich will hin fischen gehen.

Symount petir seith to hem, I go to fische. Simon Peter sayde vnto them: I goo a fysshynge.

Simon Peter saith vnto them, I goe a fishing. Observe how close the German of Luther is to the AngloSaxon. Compare your own Bible.

The following verses (Matthew, viii, 14-16) are also taken from the King James Bible of 1611:

14. And when Iesus was come into Peters house, hee saw his wiues mother laid, and sicke of a feuer:

15. And he touched her hand, and the feuer left her: and she arose, and ministred vnto them.

16. When the Euen was come, they brought vnto him many that were possessed with deuils: and hee cast out the spirits with his worde, and healed all that were sicke.

621. Inflections; principal parts. A few inflections of regular and irregular verbs will be found in §§ 623-653. The principal parts of the common irregular verbs will be found in § 654, at the end of the book, where they are convenient for reference and study.

The irregular verbs may be taken in groups and used for oral and written drill in constructing sentences. The past, present perfect, and past perfect tenses deserve particular attention. There should be frequent drill, also, in using the future and the future perfect of all verbs. The interrogative forms of the future and the future perfect are more difficult than the declarative forms, and they are inflected in full. Shall, will, should, and would should be used frequently in sentences in indirect quotation (§§ 176, 177) and indirect questions (§77). 622. Personal endings. In the earlier language the verb had endings to indicate mood, person, and number (§§ 601, 612). Most of these endings have been lost. The following table shows the personal endings of the indicative mood today (see §§ 160, 161, 171):

[blocks in formation]

NOTE I. The ending -eth (-th) is found in the older language (as in the Bible) and in poetry.

NOTE 2. The verbs can, may, must, ought, shall, and will (§ 653) do not take -s in the third person singular of the present indicative; for these forms were originally past tenses, and had the third person like the first.

NOTE 3. The subjunctive has now no personal endings except in the second person singular of the past and past perfect (§§ 624, 630, 636, 642, 648), and in canst, mayest, etc. (§ 653), in which the subjunctive has become like the indicative.

623. INDICATIVE MOOD OF HAVE (§§ 161, 169–172)

Principal Parts, have, had, had (§ 170)

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

628.

Present, to have.

Perfect, to have had.

GERUND (§§ 215, 223-229)

Present, having.

Perfect, having had.

PARTICIPLE (§§ 166, 170, 175, 230–236)

Present, having.

Past, had.

Perfect, having had.

« PrécédentContinuer »