Items related to An introduction to English grammar, on universal principles
Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1841 Excerpt: ...these modifications of the primary functions will be further illustrated in all their bearings, but it is hardly necessary here to enter more minutely into the mere details of definition concerning compound sentences. There is one distinction, which it is necessary to make, and which is, that each of the members of a compound sentence, must contain one principal sentence expressed in the absolute mode of affirmation, because the conjunction of sentences which are expressed in different modes, constitutes one of the peculiar characters of an ambiguous sentence. This distinction is easy to remember. A compound sentence is composed of several complete members expressed in the principal or absolute mode of affirmation. A sentence which contains two members, one of which is expressed in the conditional mode, or in a transitional form, is necessarily of an ambiguous character. OP AMBIGUOUS SENTENCES. A sentence may be deemed ambiguous, when it cannot be naturally classed either as a simple, or a complex, or a compound sentence. It is not very important, however, to enter deeply into these niceties of distinction in the external characters of sentences. A very few examples may answer the purposes of definition, by shewing the ambiguous character of those sentences which seem to partake of the nature of all the others, without belonging properly to any of them. For instance, He and I convene. This has something of the character of a simple sentence, and yet it is equivalent to a compound sentence; thus, He converses; and I convene. The connective subadnoun, and, combines the two singular verbs, or adnouns, which serve the two nominal functions, and this conjunction of the two singular verbs, forms one plural verbal adnoun corresponding to the plural nominal functio...
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