The Modern Webster Dictionary [antikvár]

PRACTICAL SYNTAX By FORREST S. LUNT, M.A. Instructoh of English, Horace Mann School, Teachers College, Columbia University It is the purpose of this article to present to the general reader in a brief and somewhat informal manner the more common principles of syntax. The historical phase of syntax is not presented. The clientele to which such a volume as this v/ill appeal will fmd the following discussion of syntactical relationships of practical value. When we express our thoughts in ordinary conversation we generally take little thought of the relation the words we are using bear to each other. _ What we mean to say is brought out clearly and vividly, as much by the tone of voice, inflection, facial expression, body gestures, and manner, as by the words themselves. But when we set our thoughts down in written form we are without these valuable aids of voice and manner to make clear what we are trjdng to say. Our thoughts must be imderstood because the relations which exist between the various parts of our sentences are clear. If the relations between the parts of ova sentences are not clear, or if they do not follow the generally accepted rules governing syntactical relations, the thoughts-we are trying to express will not be understood. Good usage, common practice, society—whatever you will—has decided what is good form, what is proper, in this field of syntax, just as it has in the fields of morals, etiquette, or fashions. Therefore the man or woman who has occasion to set bis thoughts down in writing should observe the common practice, the universally understood rules which govern the relationship of words. If he fails to do so, or if he attempts to make his own rules, he will be considered as outside the pale of cultured, educated people. From this it wiU be seen that the ability to construct sentences properly is hardly less important than the power to speak. The term used when referring to this relation which must exist between the various parts of sentences is Syntax. As has been said, Sj^tax involves the observance of established rules in the correct arrangement of words in good use. This phase of syntax is known as Grammar. In languages which are highly inflected the relations between the words is shown by the inflections. The English language is not highly inflected, having lost most of its inflected forms; the relations between the words in English sentences is shown by their grammatical order. The normal order of the words in English sentences is: first, the noun, with its modifiers; 'then the verb with its modifiers. The adjective modifiers of a noim usually follow it. In the case of verbs the modifiers may come before or after the verb. The modifiers of both the nouns and the verbs should be placed near to the words they are intended to modify. All sentences may be divided into three general forms, namely: (?) The simple sentence, which consists of one subject and one predicate, as The hoy runs. In such a sentence boy is the subject, rwis is the predicate. (?) The compound sentence, which consists of two or more clauses of equal value, joined by a co-ordinate conjunction, as "The way was long and the day was cold." Here the clause the day was cold is equal in value to the way was long, and is joined to the first clause by the co-ordinate conjunction and. (c) The complex sentence, which contains a main or principal clause and one or more subordinate clauses joined to the main clause by a subordinate conjunction, as The boy ran when he heard the bell. The main clause is the hoy ran; the subordinate clause is when he heard the bell; the subordinate conjunction joining the two clauses is when. These three definitions classify all the sentence forms. Eveiy sentence requires a subject; this subject is said to be in the nominative case. It answers the question Who? or What? and the predicate or verb asserts something about it. The subject of a sentence may be either a noun or a pronoun or other word, phrase; or clause which may take the place of a noun or pronoun. Illustrations: 1. Mary plays with her doll. Mary, a proper noun, is the subject of pZaj/s. 2. He went home. He, a personal i!>ronoun is the subject of went. 3. To give