PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES.

 

356.In their use, prepositional phrases may be,

 

(1) Adjectival, modifying a noun, pronoun, or word used as a noun: for example, "He took the road to King Richard's pavilion;" "I bring reports on that subject from Ascalon."

 

(2) Adverbial, limiting in the same way an adverb limits: as, "All nature around him slept in calm moonshine or in deep shadow;" "Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife."

 

(3) Independent, not dependent on any word in the sentence (for examples, see Sec. 355, 4).

 

PARTICIPLES AND PARTICIPIAL PHRASES.

 

357.It will be helpful to sum up here the results of our study of participles and participial phrases, and to set down all the uses which are of importance in analysis:—

 

(1) The adjectival use, already noticed, as follows:—

 

(a) As a complement of a transitive verb, and at the same time a modifier of the object (for an example, see Sec. 350, 4).

 

(b) As a modifier of subject, object, or complement (see Sec. 351, 6).

 

(2) The adverbial use, modifying the predicate, instances of which were seen in Sec. 352, 3. In these the participial phrases connect closely with the verb, and there is no difficulty in seeing that they modify.

 

These need close watching.

There are other participial phrases which are used adverbially, but require somewhat closer attention; thus, "The letter of introduction, containing no matters of business, was speedily run through."

 

In this sentence, the expression containing no matters of business does not describe letter, but it is equivalent to because it contained no matters of business, and hence is adverbial, modifying was speedily run through.

 

Notice these additional examples:—

 

Being a great collector of everything relating to Milton [reason, "Because I was," etc.], I had naturally possessed myself of Richardson the painter's thick octavo volumes.

 

Neither the one nor the other writer was valued by the public, both having [since they had] a long warfare to accomplish of contumely and ridicule.

 

Wilt thou, therefore, being now wiser [as thou art] in thy thoughts, suffer God to give by seeming to refuse?

 

(3) Wholly independent in meaning and grammar. See Sec. 355, (5), and these additional examples:—

 

Assuming the specific heat to be the same as that of water, the entire mass of the sun would cool down to 15,000° Fahrenheit in five thousand years.

 

This case excepted, the French have the keenest possible sense of everything odious and ludicrous in posing.

 

INFINITIVES AND INFINITIVE PHRASES.

 

358.The various uses of the infinitive give considerable trouble, and they will be presented here in full, or as nearly so as the student will require.

 

I. The verbal use. (1) Completing an incomplete verb, but having no other office than a verbal one.

 

(a) With may (might),can (could),should,would,seem, ought, etc.: "My weekly bill used invariably to be about fifty shillings;" "There, my dear, he should not have known them at all;" "He would instruct her in the white man's religion, and teach her how to be happy and good."

 

(b) With the forms of be, being equivalent to a future with obligation, necessity, etc.: as in the sentences, "Ingenuity and cleverness are to be rewarded by State prizes;" "'The Fair Penitent' was to be acted that evening."

 

(c) With the definite forms of go, equivalent to a future: "I was going to repeat my remonstrances;" "I am not going to dissert on Hood's humor."

 

(2) Completing an incomplete transitive verb, but also belonging to a subject or an object (see Sec. 344 for explanation of the complements of transitive verbs): "I am constrained every moment to acknowledge a higher origin for events" (retained with passive); "Do they not cause the heart to beat, and the eyes to fill?"

 

359.II. The substantive use, already examined; but see the following examples for further illustration:—

 

(1) As the subject: "To have the wall there, was to have the foe's life at their mercy;" "To teach is to learn."

 

(2) As the object: "I like to hear them tell their old stories;" "I don't wish to detract from any gentleman's reputation."

 

(3) As complement: See examples under (1), above.

 

(4) In apposition, explanatory of a noun preceding: as, "She forwarded to the English leaders a touching invitation to unite with the French;" "He insisted on his right to forget her."

 

360.III. The adjectival use, modifying a noun that may be a subject, object, complement, etc.: for example, "But there was no time to be lost;" "And now Amyas had time to ask Ayacanora the meaning of this;" "I have such a desire to be well with my public" (see also Sec. 351, 5).

 

361.IV. The adverbial use, which may be to express—

 

(1) Purpose: "The governor, Don Guzman, sailed to the eastward only yesterday to look for you;" "Isn't it enough to bring us to death, to please that poor young gentleman's fancy?"

 

(2) Result: "Don Guzman returns to the river mouth to find the ship a blackened wreck;" "What heart could be so hard as not to take pity on the poor wild thing?"

 

(3) Reason: "I am quite sorry to part with them;" "Are you mad, to betray yourself by your own cries?" "Marry, hang the idiot, to bring me such stuff!"

 

(4) Degree: "We have won gold enough to serve us the rest of our lives;" "But the poor lady was too sad to talk except to the boys now and again."

 

(5) Condition: "You would fancy, to hear McOrator after dinner, the Scotch fighting all the battles;" "To say what good of fashion we can, it rests on reality" (the last is not a simple sentence, but it furnishes a good example of this use of the infinitive).

 

362.The fact that the infinitives in Sec. 361 are used adverbially, is evident from the meaning of the sentences.

 

Whether each sentence containing an adverbial infinitive has the meaning of purpose, result, etc., may be found out by turning the infinitive into an equivalent clause, such as those studied under subordinate conjunctions.

 

To test this, notice the following:—

 

In (1), to look means that he might look; to please is equivalent to that he may please,—both purpose clauses.

 

In (2), to find shows the result of the return; not to take pity is equivalent to that it would not take pity.

 

In (3), to part means because I part, etc.; and to betray and to bring express the reason, equivalent to that you betray, etc.

 

In (4), to serve and to talk are equivalent to [as much gold] as will serve us; and "too sad to talk" also shows degree.

 

In (5), to hear means if you should hear, and to say is equivalent to if we say,—both expressing condition.

 

363.V. The independent use, which is of two kinds,—

 

(1) Thrown loosely into the sentence; as in Sec. 355, (3).

 

(2) Exclamatory: "I a philosopher! I advance pretensions;" "'He to die!' resumed the bishop." (See also Sec. 268, 4.)