Practical Grammar and Composition Part 11

18. Those two brothers treat one another very coldly.

19. Neither of the many newspapers published an account of it.

20. Either law or medicine is his profession.

21. Some ten box of shoes were on the train.

22. Those two statements contradict one another.

23. The Sahara Desert has several oasis.

24. How can he a.s.sociate with those sort of men?

45. PLACING OF ADVERBS AND ADJECTIVES. In the placing of adjective elements and adverbial elements in the sentence, one should so arrange them as to leave no doubt as to what they are intended to modify.

Wrong: A man was riding on a _horse wearing gray trousers_.

Right: A _man wearing gray trousers_ was riding on a horse.

The adverb _only_ requires especial attention. Generally _only_ should come before the word it is intended to modify. Compare the following correct sentences, and note the differences in meaning.

_Only_ he found the book.

He _only_ found the book.

He found _only_ the book.

He found the book _only_.

The placing of the words, _almost, ever, hardly, scarcely, merely_, and _quite_, also requires care and thought.

EXERCISE 25

_Correct the errors in the location of adjectives and adverbs in the following sentences:_

1. I only paid five dollars.

2. I have only done six problems.

3. The clothing business is only profitable in large towns.

4. The school is only open in the evening.

5. I only need ten minutes in which to do it.

6. He had almost climbed to the top when the ladder broke.

7. I never expect to see the like again.

8. A black base-ball player's suit was found.

9. Do you ever remember to have seen the man before?

10. The building was trimmed with granite carved corners.

11. People ceased to wonder gradually.

12. The captain only escaped by hiding in a ditch.

13. I never wish to think of it again.

14. On the trip in that direction he almost went to Philadelphia.

15. Acetylene lamps are only used now in the country.

16. He only spoke of history, not of art.

17. I know hardly what to say.

18. I was merely talking of grammar, not of English literature.

19. The girls were nearly dressed in the same color.

20. He merely wanted to see you.

46. DOUBLE NEGATIVES. _I am here_ is called an affirmative statement.

A denial of that, _I am not here_, is called a negative statement.

The words, _not, neither, never, none, nothing_, etc., are all negative words; that is, they serve to make denials of statements.

Two negatives should never be used in the same sentence, since the effect is then to deny the negative you wish to a.s.sert, and an affirmative is made where a negative is intended. _We haven't no books_, means that we have some books. The proper negative form would be, _We have no books_, or _We haven't any books_. The mistake occurs usually where such forms as _isn't, don't, haven't_, etc., are used. Examine the following sentences:

Wrong: _It isn't no_ use.

Wrong: There _don't none_ of them believe it.

Wrong: We _didn't_ do _nothing_.

_Hardly, scarcely, only_, and _but_ (in the sense of _only_) are often incorrectly used with a negative. Compare the following right and wrong forms:

Wrong: It was so dark that we _couldn't hardly_ see.

Right: It was so dark that we _could hardly_ see.

Wrong: There _wasn't only_ one person present.

Right: There _was only_ one person present.

EXERCISE 26

Correct the following sentences:

1. I can't find it nowhere.

2. For a time I couldn't scarcely tell where I was.

3. They are not allowed to go only on holidays.

4. There isn't but one person that can make the speech.

5. They didn't find no treasure.

6. It won't take but a few minutes to read it all.

7. I haven't seen but two men there.

8. There isn't no one here who knows it.

9. I didn't see no fire; my opinion is that there wasn't no fire.

10. I can't hardly prove that statement.

11. I didn't feel hardly able to go.

12. She couldn't stay only a week.

13. I hadn't scarcely reached shelter when the storm began.

14. You wouldn't scarcely believe that it could be done.

15. He said that he wouldn't bring only his wife.

16. There isn't nothing in the story.

17. He doesn't do nothing.

18. I can't think of nothing but that.

19. He can't hardly mean that.

20. He isn't nowhere near so bright as I.

21. He can't hardly come to-night.

22. It is better to not think nothing about it.

23. She can't only do that.