The _nominative case_ is the actor, or subject of the verb; as, _John
writes_.
In this example, which is the _verb?_ You know it is the word _writes_,
because this word signifies to _do;_ that is, it expresses _action_,
therefore, according to the definition, it is an _active verb_. And you
know, too, that the noun _John_ is the _actor_, therefore John is in the
_nominative case_ to the verb writes. In the expressions, The man
walks--The boy plays--Thunders roll--- Warriors fight--you perceive that
the words _walks, plays, roll_, and _fight_, are _active verbs;_ and you
cannot be at a loss to know, that the nouns _man, boy, thunders_, and
_warriors_, are in the _nominative case._
As no _action_ can be produced without some agent or moving cause, it
follows, that every active verb must have some _actor_ or _agent_. This
_actor, doer_, or _producer of the action_, is the nominative.
_Nominative_, from the Latin _nomino_, literally signifies to _name;_
but in the technical sense in which it is used in grammar, it means the
noun or pronoun which is the _subject_ of affirmation. This subject or
nominative may be _active, passive_, or _neuter_, as hereafter
exemplified.
A _neuter verb_ expresses neither action nor passion, but _being_, or _a
state of being_; as, _John sits_.
Now, in this example, _John_ is not represented as _an actor_, but, as
the _subject_ of the verb _sits_, therefore John is in the _nominative
case_ to the verb. And you know that the word _sits_ does not express
_apparent action_, but a _condition of being;_ that is, it represents
John in a particular _state of existence;_ therefore _sits_ is a _neuter
verb_. In speaking of the neuter gender of nouns, I informed you, that
_neuter_ means _neither;_ from which it follows, that neuter gender
implies neither gender; that is, neither masculine nor feminine. Hence,
by an easy transition of thought, you learn, that _neuter_, when applied
to verbs, means neither of the other two classes; that is, a _neuter_
verb is one which is neither active nor passive. In these examples, The
man stands--The lady lives--The child sleeps--The world exists--the
words _stands, lives, sleeps_, and _exists_, are _neuter verbs;_ and the
nouns, _man, lady, child_, and _world_, are all in the _nominative
case_, because each is the _subject_ of a verb. Thus you perceive, that
when a noun is in the nominative case to an _active_ verb, it is the
_actor;_ and when it is nominative to a _neuter_ verb, it is _not_ an
actor, but the _subject_ of the verb.
Some neuter verbs express _being in general;_ as, The man _is_; Kingdoms
_exist_. Others express _being in some particular state_; as, The man
_stands, sits, lies_, or _hangs_.
I will now give you two _signs_, which will enable you to distinguish
the verb from other parts of speech, when you cannot tell it by its
signification. Any word that will make sense with _to_ before it, is a
verb. Thus, to run, to write, to smile, to sing, to hear, to ponder, to
live, to breathe, are verbs. Or, any word that will _conjugate_, is a
verb. Thus, I run, thou runnest, he runs; I write, thou writest, he
writes; I smile, &c. But the words, boy, lady, child, and world, will
not make sense with _to_ prefixed--_to_ boy, _to_ lady, _to_ world, is
nonsense. Neither will they con_jugate_--I lady, thou ladiest, &c. is
worse than nonsense. Hence you perceive, that these words are _not_
verbs. There are some exceptions to these rules, for verbs are sometimes
used as nouns. This will be explained by and by.
To verbs belong _number, person, mood_, and _tense_.
At present I shall speak only of the number and person of verbs; but
hereafter I will give you a full explanation of all their properties.
And permit me to inform you, that I shall not lead you into the
_intricacies_ of the science, until, by gradual and easy progressions,
you are enabled to comprehend the principles involved in them. Only such
principles will be elucidated, as you are prepared to understand at the
time they are unfolded before you. You must not be too anxious to get
along _rapidly_; but endeavor to become thoroughly acquainted with one
principle, before you undertake another. This lecture will qualify you
for the next.
NUMBER AND PERSON OF VERBS. You recollect, that the nominative is the
_actor_ or _subject_, and the active verb is the _action_ performed by
the nominative. By this you perceive, that a very intimate connexion or
relation exists between the nominative case and the verb. If, therefore,
only _one_ creature or thing acts, only _one_ action, at the same
instant, can be done; as, The _girl writes_. The nominative _girl_ is
here of the singular number, because it signifies but one person; and
the verb _writes_ denotes but one action, which the girl performs;
therefore the verb _writes_ is of the _singular_ number, agreeing with
its nominative _girl_. When the nominative case is _plural_, the verb
must be _plural_; as, _girls write_. Take notice, the _singular_ verb
ends in _s_, but the noun is generally _plural_ when it ends in _s_;
thus, The girl _writes_--the _girls_ write.
_Person_, strictly speaking, is a quality that belongs _not_ to _verbs_,
but to nouns and pronouns. We say, however, that the verb must agree
with its nominative in _person_, as well as in number; that is, the verb
must be spelled and spoken in such a manner as to correspond with the
_first, second_, or _third_ person of the noun or pronoun which is its
nominative.
I will now show you how the verb is varied in order to agree with its
nominative in number and person. I, Thou, He, She, It; We, Ye or You,
They, are _personal pronouns_. _I_ is of the _first_ person, and
_singular_ number; _Thou_ is _second_ person, _sing._; _He, She_, or
_It_, is _third_ per. _sing._; _We_ is _first_ per. _plural_; _Ye_ or
_You_ is _second_ per. _plural_; _They_ is _third_ per. _plural_. These
pronouns are the representatives of nouns, and perform the same office
that the nouns would for which they stand. When placed before the verb,
they are, therefore, the _nominatives_ to the verb.
Notice particularly, the different variations or endings of the verb, as
it is thus conjugated in the INDICATIVE MOOD, PRESENT TENSE.
_Singular_. _Plural_.
1. _Per_. I walk, 1. _Per_. We Walk,
2. _Per_. Thou walk_est_, 2. _Per_. Ye _or_ you walk,
3. _Per_. He walk_s_, _or_ 3. _Per_. They walk, or
the boy walk_s_, the boys walk.
_or_ walk_eth_.
This display of the verb shows you, that whenever it ends in _est_, it
is of the _second_ person _singular_; but when the verb ends in _s_, or
_eth_, it is of the _third_ person singular. _Walkest, ridest,
standest_, are of the second person singular; and _walks_ or _walketh,
rides_ or _rideth, stands_ or _standeth_, are of the third person
singular.
I have told you, that when the nominative is singular number, the verb
must be; when the nominative is plural, the verb must be; and when the
nominative is first, second, or third person, the verb must be of the
same person. If you look again at the foregoing conjugation of _walk_,
you will notice that the verb varies if its endings in the _singular_,
in order to agree in _form_ with the first, second, and third person of
its nominative; but in the _plural_ it does not vary its endings from
the first person singular. The verb, however, agrees in _sense_ with its
nominative in the plural, as well as in the singular. Exercise a little
mind, and you will perceive that _agreement_ and _government_ in
language do not consist _merely_ in the _form_ of words. Now, is it not
clear, that when I say, I _walk_, the verb walk is _singular_, because
it expresses but _one_ action? And when I say, Two men _walk_, is it not
equally apparent, that walk is _plural_, because it expresses _two_
actions? In the sentence, Ten men _walk_, the verb _walk_ denotes _ten_
actions, for there are ten actors. Common sense teaches you, that there
must be as many _actions_ as there are _actors_; and that the verb, when
it has _no form_ or _ending_ to show it, is as strictly plural, as when
it has.--So, in the phrase, _We_ walk, the verb walk is _first_ person,
because it expresses the actions performed by the _speakers: Ye_ or
_you_ walk, the verb is _second_ person, denoting the actions of the
persons _spoken to;_ third person, _They_ walk. The verb, then, when
correctly written, always agrees, in _sense_, with its nominative in
number and person.
At present you are learning two parts of speech, neither of which can be
understood without a knowledge of the other. It therefore becomes
necessary to explain them both, in the same lecture. You have been
already informed, that nouns have three cases; the nominative, the
possessive, and the objective.
POSSESSIVE CASE. The _possessive case_ denotes the possessor of
something; as, This is _John's_ horse. This expression implies, that
_John_ is the _owner_ or _possessor_ of the horse; and, that horse is
the _property_ which he possesses.
When I say, These are the _men's_, and those, the _boys'_ hats, the two
words, "boys' hats," plainly convey the idea, if they have any meaning
at all, that the boys _own_ or _possess_ the hats. "Samuel Badger sells
_boys'_ hats." Who _owns_ the hats? Mr. Badger. How is that fact
ascertained? Not by the words, "boys' hats," which, taken by themselves,
imply, not that they are _Mr. Badger's_ hats, nor that they are _for_
boys, but that they are hats _of_, or _belonging to_, or _possessed by_
boys. But we _infer_ from the _words connected_ with the phrase, "boys'
hats," that the boys are not yet, as the phrase literally denotes, in
the actual possession of the hats. The possession is anticipated.
In the phrases, _fine_ hats, _coarse_ hats, _high-crowned_ hats,
_broad-brimmed_ hats, _woollen, new, ten, some, these, many_ hats, the
words in italics, are adjectives, because they restrict, qualify, or
define the term _hats;_ but the term _boys'_ does not _describe_ or
limit the meaning of _hats. Boys'_, therefore, is not, as some suppose,
an adjective.
"The _slave's_ master." Does the slave possess the master? Yes. The
slave _has_ a master. If he _has_ him, then, he _possesses_ him;--he
sustains that relation to him which we call possession.
A noun in the possessive case, is always known by its having an
apostrophe, and generally an _s_ after it; thus, _John's_, hat; the
_boy's_ coat. When a plural noun in the possessive case, ends in _s_,
the apostrophe is added, but no additional _s_; as, "_Boys'_ hats;
_Eagles'_ wings." When a singular noun ends in _ss_, the apostrophe
only is added; as, "For _goodness'_ sake; for _righteousness'_ sake;"
except the word witness; as, "The _witness's_ testimony." When a noun in
the possessive case ends in _ence_, the _s_ is omitted, but the
apostrophe is retained; as, "For _conscience'_ sake."
Now please to turn back, and read over this and the preceding lecture
_three_ times, and endeavor, not only to understand, but, also, to
_remember_, what you read. In reading, proceed thus: read one sentence
over slowly, and then look off the book, and repeat it two or three
times over in your mind. After that, take another sentence and proceed
in the same manner, and so on through the whole lecture. Do not presume
to think, that these directions are of no real consequence to you; for,
unless you follow them strictly, you need not expect to make rapid
progress. On the other hand, if you proceed according to my
instructions, you will be sure to acquire a practical knowledge of
grammar in a short time.--When you shall have complied with this
requisition, you may commit the following _order of parsing a noun_, and
_the order of parsing a verb_; and then you will be prepared to parse or
analyze the following examples.