302. The series of forms of the auxiliary be, it will be noticed, that make the passive tenses, are the same that make the progressive active tenses; but they have with them the passive participle, given or loved, which marks a thing as acted on, instead of the active, giving or loving, which marks a thing as itself acting. In both cases alike, the participle has the real value of a predicate adjective (351), describing or qualifying the subject. But by no means every case where a past participle is combined with the verb be is to be regarded as a passive phrase. Often the participle has the value of a predicate adjective merely, and is to be treated like any other adjective. Thus, in he is fatigued, fatigued has as pure an adjective use as weary in also in But if we say he is weary; he was fatigued in consequence of over-exertion. he was fatigued by his exertions, was fatigued is passive, because the sentence is the same as cast into a passive form. So in his exertions fatigued him, they were invited, and came, the phrase were invited is passive, because it signifies the receiving of the invitation, the enduring of the action of inviting; but in they came, for they were invited, it is not passive, because invited signifies rather the condition resulting from previous action; in active form it would be for we had invited them. And in like manner in other cases. According as the participle denotes actual enduring of action, or condition as the result of action, its combinations with be are or are not passive phrases. 303. Phrases of nearly the same meaning with the ordinary passive ones are made also with the verbs become and get: thus, he became frightened; but it is not usual to reckon them as passive. he has got beaten ; 304. As a passive form is a phrase by which the object of an action expressed by a verb is turned into a subject, passives are regularly made only from transitive verbs (223), or those that take a direct object. But this rule is not at all strictly observed in English. Objects of prepositions and indirect objects of verbs are also sometimes made into subjects of corresponding passive phrases. 305. We often separate a noun or pronoun that is really governed by a preposition (73) from that preposition, leaving the latter after the verb, as if it were rather an adverb qualifying the verb. Thus, instead of I had already thought of that plan, we say also that plan I had already thought of; the spoon with which he ate; the spoon which he ate with. So it comes to seem to us as if thought of and ate with were transitive verbs, and plan and which their direct objects; and we make the corresponding passives, that plan had been already thought of by me; the spoon which was eaten with by him. This kind of passive is very common. she was talked about; the sun must not be looked at; Other examples are the journey has been resolved on; his decision is appealed from. Even when a verb is transitive and has a direct object, besides being followed by a preposition with its object, the latter is sometimes made the subject of the corresponding passive phrase. Thus, the sentence the words this man and him are strictly indirect objects, standing to the verb in the relation of a dative (139) and not an accusative. Yet we turn them sometimes (it is not allowed in the case of many verbs) into subjects of passive phrases thus, in which the object denotes the same person or thing as the subject, are sometimes called a REFLEXIVE conjugation, or the verb in them is said to be used REFLEXIVELY (the action being made to turn back' upon the actor, instead of "passing over," transitively, to a different object). There is, however, no reason for taking any particular account of such forms in English. 307. Verbs used with the subject it, when it does not mean any definite actor, but only helps express that some action or process is going on (163 b), are called IMPERSONAL verbs, or are Isaid to be used IMPERSONALLY. Examples are, it is fine weather; it rains; it grew dark fast; it will fare ill with him. EXERCISES TO CHAPTER VIII. Under the name "verb ON VERBS. we do not, here or anywhere else, include infinitives or participles, except as they are used along with auxiliaries to form verbphrases. So far as they differ from other nouns and adjectives, they will be considered in a later chapter (XV.). In describing a verb, we have first to see whether it is a simple verb or real verb-form, or a verb-phrase. If it is a verb-phrase, it must be taken apart into the auxiliary and the infinitive or participle which goes with this to make up the phrase. Then, if the auxiliary itself is a verb-phrase, it may, at the discretion of the teacher, be divided again and so on, till only a simple verb-form remains. The next question is, whether the verb is transitive or intransitive; then, of which conjugation; if of the New, whether regular or irregular; the principal parts are then to be given (with as much of the rest of the conjugation as the teacher shall think best). Then the mode and tense are to be stated, and the person and number; and the tense may be inflected. If the verb is clearly derivative or compound, this should be pointed out. The verb, in an assertive sentence, has but one construction, that of being the predicate of the sentence, of asserting something about a subject; we need, then, only to point out what the subject-nominative of the verb is, and that the verb agrees with its subject in number and person being always of the third person if the subject is a noun. Example of parsing verbs: You gave us our orders; we listened, and we shall not forget them. All the words except the verbs in these clauses may be passed over here, as the way of parsing them has been sufficiently explained already. 1 Gave is a verb, transitive (because it takes a direct object, showing what is given), of the Old conjugation: principal parts, give, gave, given; it is in the indicative mode, preterit tense, which is thus inflected: I gave, thou gavest, he gave, we, you, they gave; it is of the second person plural, to agree with its subject, the pronoun you. Listened is an intransitive verb, of the New conjugation (because it forms its preterit and participle alike, by the addition of ed); it is made in the preterit indicative, and is of the first person plural, to agree with its subject, the pronoun we. Shall forget is a verb-phrase, made up of the auxiliary shall and the infinitive forget, the two forming together the so-called "future tense" of the verb forget. Forget is a compound verb, made up of get and the prefix for; it is transitive, of the Old conjugation (principal parts, forget, forgot, forgotten); it (i.e. the phrase shall forget) is of the first person plural, to agree with its subject, the pronoun we. One or two further examples will illustrate the way in which the analysis of an intricately compound verb-phrase may be, if desired, followed up to the end, and that in which the passive phrases of various kinds may be treated. He must have been suffering intensely, since his leg was broken. Must have been suffering is a verb-phrase, made up of the auxiliary must have been and the present participle suffering, the two composing together the so-called "progressive" form of the "obligative perfect" of the verb suffer. The auxiliary must have been, again, is also a verb-phrase, made up of the auxiliary must have and the past participle been, the two making together the so-called "obligative perfect" of the verb be. The auxiliary must have, once more, is a verb-phrase, composed of the auxiliary must and the infinitive have, the two making together the so-called "obligative" of the verb have. Must, finally, is an irregular verb, having no other form than this, and principally used as auxiliary. Suffer is a regular verb etc. etc. (transitive, but here used intransitively). Was broken is a passive verb-phrase, composed of the auxiliary was and the past participle broken, of the verb break. Break is etc. etc. It agrees in number and person with its subject leg, which would be the direct object of the verb in the corresponding active sentence, [he] broke his leg. The turning of the passive phrase into the corresponding active one is always desirable, and is quite necessary where the more irregular passive constructions appear, as in the child shall be taken good care of by us. Here, after parsing the passive verb-phrase shall be taken, in the same manner as was broken above, we must add that the sentence is the converse of the active sentence we will take good care of the child; and that the object of the preposition of in the latter has been made the passive subject, the of remaining with the value of an adverb qualifying the participle taken, and the direct object of the active verb, good care, being left as a kind of adverbial adjunct to the same participle. XII. Exercise for practice in parsing verbs. The mellow year is hasting to its close; The little birds have almost sung their last. Great Nature spoke; observant man obeyed; Cities were formed; societies were made. By slow degrees the whole truth came out. Rarely did the wrongs of individuals come to the knowledge of the public. She gave me of the tree, and I did eat. Truth, crushed to earth, shall rise again. |