I have often been told by my friends that I was rather too modest. He little knew how much he wronged her. I never was what is popularly called superstitious. They made a bargain that they would never forsake each other. You said nothing of how I might be dungeoned for a madman. The theatre affords the most appropriate example of what I mean. I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. Still the wonder grew That one small head could carry all he knew. Persuasion in me grew that I was heard with favor. I am not so certain that these much-decried children have been dunces. I don't care a jot whether you are a prince. We know that nations may be miserable amid victories. It is to you, good people, that I speak. See what a rent the envious Casca made. I feared lest it might anger thee. Whence thou return'st and whither went'st, I knew. They have no sense of why they sing. They were but too ready to believe that whoever had incurred his displeasure had deserved it. Whate'er this world produces, it absorbs. Thou canst make conquest of whate'er seems highest. Her treachery was faith to me. Whate'er he be, 't was not what he had been. Where'er I roam, whatever realms I see, My heart, untravelled, fondly turns to thee. XXVIII. Omission of that; dependent clauses of addi tion: §§ 436-7. Thou see'st I am calm. No wonder you are deaf to all I say. I do assure you I would offer him no less. The moment my business here is arranged, I must set out. Take the good the gods provide thee. Here find that calm thou gav'st so oft before. There be some sports are painful. And you may gather garlands there Would grace a summer queen. I carried her to the bed, where I laid her down. A glass was offered to Mannering, who drank it to the health of the reigning prince. With full assent they vote; whereat his speech he thus renews. The schoolmaster had hardly uttered these words, when the stranger entered. When thou fall'st must Edward fall: which peril Heaven forfend! The rich with us have two sources of wealth, whereas the poor have but one. I thrice presented him a kingly crown, which he did thrice refuse. They charged the jailer to keep them safely; who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison. CHAPTER XV. INFINITIVE AND PARTICIPLE CONSTRUC TIONS. 438. The infinitives and participles are, as we have seen (235), verbal nouns and adjectives: that is to say, words which, while keeping in general their character and use in the sentence as nouns and adjectives, take at the same time the adjuncts or modifiers which are taken by the verb to which they belong-such as objects, predicate nouns and adjectives, and adverbs. Thus, for example, in the "progressive present tense" I am reading, the participle reading takes all the modifiers which go with the simple verbal form read in I read; and therefore I am reading can be treated as if it were also a simple tense. And the same is true of the infinitive read in the "future tense " I shall read. On account of this double character, the infinitives and participles have some peculiar constructions, to which it is necessary to give a little special attention. INFINITIVES. 439. There are, as has been already pointed out (237), two simple infinitives to every verb: thus, give, giving; love, loving; be, being; have, having. One of these, which has always the same form with the root of the verb, is called simply the infinitive -- or, for distinction, the root-infinitive. The other, which always ends in ing, having the same form with the present participle, is called the infinitive in ing, or the participial infinitive. In addition to these, every verb forms, by adding its present and past participle to the infinitives of the auxiliaries have and be, certain infinitive-phrases, which, with the names by which they are called, may be repeated here from Chapter VIII. (294, 300). having been given. and to the participial infinitive : Perfect having given, having been giving, The progressive form being giving, though not forbidden, is so uncommon that it can hardly be said to be in practical use. 440. The root-infinitive usually has before it the preposition to, which is called its SIGN, and is to be considered and described as a part of it. In the oldest English, this preposition was only used with the infinitive when it had a real prepositional value: for example, in such phrases as that is, 'good unto eating or for eating'; 'much for saying.' But we add it now to the infinitive in a mechanical way, as if it were a mere grammatical device for pointing out that the following word is an infinitive. 441. But the to is also in a great many cases omitted. Thus, a. After the verbs generally used as auxiliaries (280), both in the formation of verb-phrases, and in their more independent use. These auxiliaries are do, will, shall, may, can, and must. Ought requires the to. b. After a few other verbs, either usually or optionally. Such are dare, help, need, 'gin (for begin); and please and go in certain uses for example, or but he dared not leave the place; he did not dare to leave it; go find your master; he went to find him. c. In certain peculiar or elliptical constructions. Thus, after had followed by as lief, rather, etc. for example, you had better go home; I had rather die than do it; in comparative phrases, like as well yield at once as struggle vainly; after but following a negative: thus, she cannot but grieve for him; they did nothing but idle about; and a few other less common cases. d. After certain verbs, when preceded by a word having the relation of object to those verbs, but also the logical value (see below, 449) of a subject to the infinitive. The most common of this class of verbs are see, hear, feel, let, make, bid, help, have (in the sense of 'make' or 'cause'), know, find. Examples are: I saw him do it; I must not have you question me. After some of these, to is allowed, or is even more usual; and, on the other hand, there are other verbs after which the to is occasionally omitted, especially in antique and poetic styles. Where the preceding verb is made passive, to is regularly used: thus, he was seen to do it. 442. The two infinitives, with the infinitive-phrases that belong to them, have in part the same uses with each other, and in part different uses. In noticing the infinitive constructions, we will take up first those in which both agree. 443. The infinitives are used as subject of a verb, or as predicate-noun with a verb. Examples are for him, to hear is to obey; all we want is to be let alone; |