Practical Exercises in English Part 31

7. Miss Duhe _claims_ that the clairvoyant divulged many things that were known to her only.

8. It is evident that whatever _transpired_ during the interview was informal and private.

9. There is little in the "Elegy" to _locate_ the church-yard which is referred to.

10. He says he cannot _except_ the invitation.

11. Is the Governor's wife _stopping_ at the Springs Hotel?

12. Dr. H.'s well-known views have led him to _champion_ the cause of Dr. B.

13. I do not propose to _disrespect_[1] the Sabbath.

14. Macaulay says Voltaire _gestured_[1] like a monkey.

15. I _love_ to see kittens play.

16. I _expect_ he must have arrived last night.

17. I _calculate_ it will rain soon.

18. This dry weather _argues_ ill for the corn crop.

19. Mrs. Dennett broke open the door, and found a startling state of affairs. In the hallway her daughter Grace was lying prostrate, and seemed to be in an unconscious state. She _awoke_ her daughter, who, after she had regained her senses, related what had _transpired_.

20. Elizabeth _allowed_ that he had given a very rational account of it.

21. He _calculates_ to go to-morrow morning.

22. The Abbe was beheaded, not _hung_.

23. I am looking for a fault which I cannot exactly _locate_.

24. James W. Reed, who mysteriously disappeared several weeks ago, has been _located_ in England.

25. I _expect_ you feel tired after your long walk.

26. The strike of the tailors, which it was _claimed_ would _transpire_ yesterday, failed to _materialize_.

27. Do you _allow_ to go to town to-day?

28. She tried to _locate_ the places whence the sounds came.

29. Floods in all directions. Middle and New England States _enjoy_ their annual freshets.[107]

30. I had hard work to _restrain_[108] from taking some.

[107] Heading in a newspaper.

[108] Consult a dictionary.

EXERCISE LXII.[109]

_Ill.u.s.trate by original sentences the proper use of each of these verbs_:--

Allow, learn, leave, let, loan, locate, accede, accredit, credit, arise, rise, captivate, depreciate, deprecate, impugn, impute, like, love, antagonize, champion, calculate, bring, carry, fetch, claim, a.s.sert, allege, maintain, admit, confess, demand, hire, let, lease, materialize, plead, argue, state, stop, transpire, accept, except, advertise, advise, affect, effect, alleviate, relieve, augur, compare to, compare with, contrast, construe, construct, convince, convict, detect, discriminate, disclose, discover, dominate, domineer, drive, ride, eliminate, elicit, insure, secure, esteem, estimate, expose, expound, investigate, persuade, convince, predicate, predict, prescribe, proscribe, purpose, propose, repulse, start, suspect, expect, antic.i.p.ate.

[109] See Note to Teacher, p. 41.

CHAPTER VI.

OF ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS

AN ADJECTIVE is a word joined by way of description or limitation to a noun or a p.r.o.noun.

An ADVERB is a word joined by way of limitation or emphasis to a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.

VULGARISMS.[110]--Every educated person is expected to know the correct use of the following words:--

GOOD, WELL.--_Good_ is an adjective: the adverb corresponding to it is _well_. We say, "He had a _good_ sleep;" "He slept _well_." _Well_ is sometimes an adjective, as in "You look _well_."

LIKELY, PROBABLY, LIKE.--_Likely_ is now used as an adjective only, except in the phrase "As _likely_ as not;" ad the corresponding adverb is _probably_. We say, "He is _likely_ to come;" "He will _probably_ come."

_Like_ as an adjective means "similar," as, "Men of _like_ excellence;"

"He looks _like_ his grandfather;" "He was a man of _like_ pa.s.sions as we are." In the sense of "in the same manner as" _like_ is followed by a noun or a p.r.o.noun in the objective case, and is called by some an adverb, by others a preposition: as, "He talks _like_ her."

LESS, FEWER, SMALLER.--_Less_ refers to quant.i.ty, _fewer_ to number, _smaller_ to size.

MOST, ALMOST.--_Most_ denotes "the greatest number, quant.i.ty, or degree." It is always superlative and never means "nearly," which is the proper meaning of _almost_. We say, "_Most_ of the boys are here; the time has _almost_ come."

NEAR, NEARLY.--_Near_ is an adjective; the corresponding adverb is _nearly_.

PLENTY is now in good use as a noun only, as "_Plenty_ of corn and wine."[111] Shakespeare used the word as an adjective in "Reasons as _plenty_ as blackberries," but this use is obsolete. The use of _plenty_ as an adverb, as "The food is _plenty_ good enough," is a vulgarism.

SOME, SOMEWHAT, SOMETHING.--_Some_ is an adjective, as, "_Some_ water;" "_Some_ brighter clime." _Somewhat_ is an adverb, as, "He is _somewhat_ better." "Somewhat" is occasionally used as a noun, as, "_Somewhat_ of doubt remains," but in this sense _something_ is more common.

THIS, THESE; THAT, THOSE.--_This_ (plural _these_) and _that_ (plural _those_) are the only adjectives in English that have distinct forms for the plural. A common mistake is to use the plural forms with singular collective nouns, as "kind," "cla.s.s," "sort."

FIRST, SECOND, SECONDLY, etc.--_First_ is both adjective and adverb.

_Second, third_ etc., are adjectives only; the corresponding adverbs are _secondly, thirdly_, etc. _Firstly_ is a vulgarism.

_Everywheres, illy, lesser, light-complected, muchly, nowhere near, unbeknown_ are not in reputable use.

[110] "Foundations," pp. 118-120.

[111] See page 32.

EXERCISE LXIII

_Insert the proper word in each blank, and give the reason for your choice_:--

GOOD, WELL.

1. George played ---- in the football game this afternoon; he is a ---- runner.

2. She embroiders very ----.

3. The draperies do not hang as ---- as I thought they would.

4. Your coat fits you very ----.

5. He always behaves ----.

6. This pen will not write ----.

7. He did the work as ---- as I could expect.

8. This is a ---- picture; the artist paints ----.

9. Mr. A. is a ---- workman. See how ---- he has laid this hearth.

10. George writes ----.

11. Charles does not look ---- to-day.

12. He says he does not feel ----.

Likely, probably, like.

13. It became evident that the duke was not ---- to have his own way in the a.s.sembly.

14. There is a difference between what may possibly and what may ---- be done.

15. Just as ---- as not you will meet him on the road.