egoing 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 parse, 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 passes 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 sex--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 ve