FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   1260   1261   1262   1263   1264   1265   1266   1267   1268   1269   1270   1271   1272   1273   1274   1275   1276   1277   1278   1279   1280   1281   1282   1283   1284  
1285   1286   1287   1288   1289   1290   1291   1292   1293   1294   1295   1296   1297   1298   1299   1300   1301   1302   1303   1304   1305   1306   1307   1308   1309   >>   >|  
because in no case is there any such government, except in the construction of those verbs which take the infinitive after them without the preposition _to_. Professor Bullions will have the infinitive to be governed by a finite verb, "when the _attribute expressed by the infinitive is the subject_ of the other verb." An infinitive may be made _the subject_ of a finite verb; but this grammarian has mistaken the established meaning of _subject_, as well as of _attribute_, and therefore written nonsense. Dr. Johnson defines his _adverb_ TO, "A particle coming between two verbs, and noting the second as the _object_ of the first." But of all the words which, according to my opponents and their oracles, govern the infinitive, probably not more than a quarter are such verbs as usually _have an object_ after them. Where then is the propriety of their notion of infinitive government? And what advantage has it, even where it is least objectionable? OBS. 16.--Take for an example of this contrast the terms, "Strive to enter in--many will seek to enter in."--_Luke_, xiii, 24. Why should it be thought more eligible to say, that the verb _strive_ or _will seek_ governs the infinitive verb _to enter_; than to say, that _to_ is a preposition, showing the relation between _strive_ and _enter_, or between _will seek_ and _enter_, and governing the latter verb? (See the exact and only needful form for parsing any such term, in the _Twelfth Praxis_ of this work.) None, I presume, will deny, that in the Greek or the Latin of these phrases, the finite verbs govern the infinitive; or that, in the French, the infinitive _entrer_ is governed first by one preposition, and then by an other. "_Contendite intrare--multi quaerent intrare_."--_Montanus_. "Efforcez-vous _d'_entrer--plusieurs chercheront _a_ y entrer."--_French Bible_. In my opinion, _to_ before a verb is as fairly a preposition as the French _de_ or _a_; and it is the main design of these observations, while they candidly show the reader what others teach, _to prove it so_. The only construction which makes it any thing else, is that which puts it after a verb or a participle, in the sense of an adverbial supplement; as, "The infernal idol is bowed down _to_."--_Herald of Freedom_. "Going _to_ and _fro_."--_Bible_. "At length he came _to_."--"Tell him to heave _to_."--"He was ready to set _to_." With singular absurdness of opinion, some grammarians call _to_ a preposition, when it thu
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   1260   1261   1262   1263   1264   1265   1266   1267   1268   1269   1270   1271   1272   1273   1274   1275   1276   1277   1278   1279   1280   1281   1282   1283   1284  
1285   1286   1287   1288   1289   1290   1291   1292   1293   1294   1295   1296   1297   1298   1299   1300   1301   1302   1303   1304   1305   1306   1307   1308   1309   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

infinitive

 

preposition

 

subject

 

French

 

finite

 

entrer

 
construction
 

strive

 
object
 
intrare

govern

 
attribute
 
governed
 

opinion

 
government
 

fairly

 
chercheront
 

plusieurs

 
Contendite
 

presume


Twelfth

 
Praxis
 

quaerent

 

Montanus

 

Efforcez

 

phrases

 

grammarians

 

candidly

 

singular

 

Freedom


Herald

 

length

 

infernal

 
supplement
 
reader
 

absurdness

 

design

 

observations

 

participle

 

adverbial


parsing

 

contrast

 
defines
 

adverb

 
Johnson
 
written
 

nonsense

 
noting
 
particle
 

coming