alytical practical grammar - Toronto Public Library

sYNTAX-OBJECTIVE. 173
voice as the subject in ~he passive, and the remote object remains in the
objective after the passive, governed by a preposition expressed or understood;
as," A book was promised me or to me." (811).
814. In loose eompo,ition, however, the r~mote object 'is sometimes
matle the subject, and the immediate object remains in tI,e objective CfI,C
after the passive voice; as, "I was promised a book." The \'Cl'bs ask and
teaclt frequently have this doubl., construction in the p"",i\',', hut in general
the regular construction is better.
Similar to this are certain expressi'"IS sufficiently correct in the active
form, but which arc nn":11alous, and ealJllut he analyze!l in the form usu·
ally but incorrectly given to them in the passive: Thus, .dcti,·c-" They
touk possession of the farm." P""i I'e (illeUl'l'cctl,Y) "The farm was taken
p,,",scs,ion of 1y them."-(correetly) "i'oE,"2si"ll of the farm was taken
by them." This anomaly arises f!'Om inadvcrtently makillC: the object of
the preposition, (farm,) instcad of the object of the ,"erb in the acti,'c
""ice, (po.~6ession,) the subject of the verb in the passive. Such anomalies
are the following: "The circumstance was made lise of." "The ship
was lost sight of."-" The occasion was taken adl'anta~,' of." Eithcr the
regular passive f..Jl'm of expression should be lIsed, 01', if that be awkward,
a t1ifferent form of expression should be chosen.
POSITION.
815. As the nominative and the objective c,,,,, of nOUllS nrc frlikc, the
arrangement of the sentcnce should clearly distinguish the one case from
the other. The nominative generally precedes the vcr!', aud the ohjective
follows it. Thus," Brutus killed Ca)~ar." If one (or both) of these should
be a pronoun, the order may be varied without oll'clllin~ the sensp, an']
sometimes the objective is rendered more emphatic by being placedfiyst;
Il'i, "Him he slew."
816. When the objective is a relative or an interrogative pronoun, it
precedes both the verb and its nominativc; as, "The man ",hom we ~a\V
i3 t1earl."-" lVhom did you send I"
817. The ohjective should not, if pOo;ihle, be separater! from its verh
by intervening clauses. Thus," We could not discover, for the want 01
proper teets, the quality of the metal." Better." We could not, fijI' want
,,[ Fopel' tests, discover the quality of the metal.
EXERCISES TO BE CORRECTED.
In the following sentences, correct the errors aeeol'ding to the I'ule, an,1
give a reason (or the rhange. Pars,· the sentences corrected, Thus, I
should be me, heeause goverucd hy loves. 1I,'/e, X, .. A transitive verb,"
&c. :-
(801) He loves 1. - He and they we know, but who art thou?
-She that is idle and mischievous, reprove sharply.-Ye only
have I known.-He who committed the offence thou shouldst
correct, not I who am innocent.-They that honor me I will