Practical Exercises in English Part 16

1. After twenty-two years' experience announce the opening of my new store. Hope to serve the public better by presenting new ideas. Would invite inspection.

2. Have received ma.n.u.script, but not had time to examine. Will take up in a few days. If good, will publish.

3. Dr. Jones and wife occupy the front room.

4. My inability to get employment, and dest.i.tute condition, depressed me.

5. She didn't trouble to make any excuse to her husband.

6. Accept thanks for lovely present. Hope we may have the pleasure of using together in the near future.

REDUNDANT p.r.o.nOUNS.--A vulgarism not often seen in writing, but common in conversation, consists in the use of an unnecessary p.r.o.noun after the subject of a sentence. Thus,

_Teacher_: Who was Benjamin Franklin?

_Pupil_: Benjamin Franklin, _he_ was a great American philosopher and statesman.

CHAPTER V.

OF VERBS

CORRECT and INCORRECT FORMS.[64]--It is not enough to learn by heart the "princ.i.p.al parts" of a verb; the habit of using them correctly should be acquired. The following verb-forms are often misused:--

_Present. Past Indicative. Past Participle._

awake (intransitive) awoke awaked begin began begun beseech besought besought blow blew blown bid ("to order," "to greet") b?de bidden or bid bid (at auction) bid bidden or bid break broke broken[65]

burst burst burst choose chose chosen come came come dive dived dived do did done drive drove driven eat ate eaten flee fled fled fly flew flown freeze froze frozen forget forgot forgotten get got got[66]

go went gone hang hung, hanged[67] hung, hanged[67]

lay ("to cause to lie") laid laid lie ("to recline") lay lain plead pleaded pleaded prove proved proved[68]

ride rode ridden rise (intransitive) rose risen raise (transitive) raised raised run ran run see saw seen set ("to put"; of the sun, set set moon, etc., "to sink") sit sat sat shake shook shaken shoe shod shod show showed shown speak spoke spoken slay slew slain steal stole stolen take took taken throw threw thrown wake (transitive) woke waked write wrote written

In using the verbs _drink, ring, shrink, sing, sink, spring, swim,_ it seems better to confine the forms in "a" to the preterite tense, and the forms in "u" to the past participle: as, "The bell _rang_ five minutes ago"; "Yes, the bell has _rung_."[69]

The following forms also should be distinguished:--

_Present. Past. Participle._ alight ("to get down from," alighted alighted "to dismount") light ("to ignite," lighted[7] lighted[70]

"to shed light on") light ("to settle down as lighted or lit lighted or lit a bird from flight," or "to come upon by chance")

[64] "Foundations," pp.78-81, 91-93.

[65] "Broke," as a form of the past participle, is still found in verse.

[66] "Gotten" is an old form not sanctioned by the best modern usage.

[67] "Clothes are 'hung' on the line; men are 'hanged' on the gallows."--"Foundations," p. 79.

[68] "'Proven' is borrowed from the Scotch legal dialect."--"Foundations,"

p.92 [69] Ibid., p. 91.

[70] "'Lighted' seems preferable to 'lit'; but 'lit' is used by some writers of reputation."--Ibid., p. 92.

EXERCISE x.x.xVIII.

_Change the italicized verbs in these sentences to the past tense_

1. The guests _begin_ to go home.

2. I _beseech_ you to hear me.

3. The wind _blows_ furiously.

4. The steward _bids_ me say that supper is ready.

5. Mr. O. _bids_ forty-two dollars for the picture.

6. George _dives_ better than any other boy in the crowd.

7. I _do_ it myself.

8. They _eat_ their supper as if they were half starved..

9. The enemy _flee_ before us.

10. The door _flies_ open.

11. The wild goose _flies_ southward in the autumn.

12. He _flees_ at the smell of powder.

13. The Susquehanna river _overflows_ its banks.

14. The workmen _lay_ the rails for the track with great care.

15. Obedient to the doctor's directions, she _lies_ down an hour every day.

16. Our cat _lies_ on the rug by the hour watching for mice.

17. The cows _lie_ under the trees in the meadow.

18. Helen _comes_ in and _lays_ her coat on a chair.

19. The envoys _plead_ with Caesar earnestly.

20. Both short-stop and pitcher _run_ for the ball.

21. He _runs_ up to Mr. C. as if to strike him.

22. I _see_ two cannon and a company of infantry.

23. Harry _sees_ me coming.

24. The negro women _set_ their baskets on their heads.

25. They _sit_ in the third pew from the front.

26. Mr. N. always _shoes_ my pony.

27. The savages who _live_ on this island _slay_ their captives.

28. The catcher often _throws_ the ball to the second base.

29. The sun _wakes_ me early.

30. The bell _rings_ at seven o'clock.

31. The stag _drinks_ his fill.

32. She _sings_ sweetly.

33. Armed men _spring_ up on all sides.

34. Tom _swims_ very well indeed.

35. The vessel _sinks_ with all on board.

36. The colonel and his staff _alight_ in front of the general's tent.

37. He _lights_ the lamp with a splint.

38. On the trees a crested peac.o.c.k _lights_.

EXERCISE x.x.xIX.

_Change these sentences so that the italicized, verbs will be either in the perfect tense or in the pa.s.sive voice:--_

1. The sleeper _awakes_.

2. The Gauls _beseech_ Caesar to be merciful.

3. The wind _blows_ my papers off the table.

4. Ethel _broke_ her arm.

5. His wrongdoing _breaks_ my heart.

6. The pressure of the water _breaks_ the pipes.