The same word is occasionally employed, either as a conjunction, an
adverb, or a preposition. "I submitted, _for_ it was in vain to resist;"
in this example, _for_ is a conjunction, because it connects the two
members of a compound sentence. In the next it is a preposition, and
governs _victory_ in the objective case: "He contended _for_ victory
only."
In the first of the following sentences, _since_ is a conjunction; in
the second, it is a preposition, and in the third, an adverb; "_Since_
we must part, let us do it peaceably; I have not seen him _since_ that
time; Our friendship commenced long _since._"
"He will repent _before_ he dies; Stand _before_ me; Why did you not
return _before_" [that or this _time_;] in the first of these three
examples, _before_ is an adverbial conjunction, because it expresses
time and connects; and in the second and third, it is a preposition.
As the words of a sentence are often transposed, so are also its
members. Without attending to this circumstance, the learner may
sometimes be at a loss to perceive the _connecting_ power of a
preposition or conjunction, for every preposition and every conjunction
connects either words or phrases, sentences or members of sentences.
Whenever a sentence begins with a preposition or conjunction, its
members are transposed; as, "_In_ the days of Joram, king of Israel,
flourished the prophet Elisha;" "_If_ thou seek the Lord, he will be
found of thee; but, _if_ thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for
ever."
"_When_ coldness wraps this suffering clay,
"Ah, whither strays the immortal mind?"
That the words _in, if_, and _when_, in these examples, connect the
members of the respective sentences to which they are attached, will
obviously appear if we restore these sentences to their natural order,
and bring these particles _between_ the members which they connect:
thus, "Elisha the prophet flourished _in_ the days of Joram, king of
Israel;" "The Lord will be found of thee _if_ thou seek him; but he will
cast thee off for ever _if_ thou forsake him:"
"Ah, whither strays the immortal mind,
"_When_ coldness wraps this suffering clay?"
As an exercise on this lecture, you may now answer these QUESTIONS NOT
ANSWERED IN PARSING.
From what words is the term conjunction derived?--What is a
sentence?--What is a simple sentence?--What is a compound
sentence?--Give examples.--In what respect do conjunctions and
prepositions agree in their nature?--How many sorts of conjunctions are
there?--Repeat the lists of conjunctions.--Repeat some conjunctions with
their corresponding conjunctions.--Do relative pronouns ever connect
sentences?--Repeat the order of parsing a conjunction.--Do you apply any
Rule in parsing a conjunction?--What Rule should be applied in parsing
a noun or pronoun connected with another?--What Rule in parsing a verb
agreeing with two or more nouns singular, connected by a copulative
conjunction?--What Rule when the nouns are connected by a
disjunctive?--In parsing a verb connected to another by a conjunction,
what Rule do you apply?--Is a conjunction ever used as other parts of
speech?--Give examples.--What is said of the words _for, since_, and
_before?_--What is said of the transposition of sentences?
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