1. His generalship was amply in the Civil War. guilty of seeking Antonio's life. 2. Shylock is 1. The guests were no sooner than they began a warm debate. 2. Esther had already the table. 3. The hen 4. I have 5. He was [present] on a piece of chalk as if it were an egg. opposite him at table for three years. at the window where he so often 6. I the basket on a rock while I went to the spring. 7. I suddenly came upon a 8. How does my dress as a boy. hen who had stolen her nest. .? Sink 1. Divers are to be sent down to find out where the steamer 2. In the morning, we heard that a boat had 3. The schooner struck on a reef. Strike just off the cape. 1. The woman bowed her head in speechless sorrow. 2. Just as he gave the order a bullet him in the chest. Rewrite each sentence in two forms, (1) with the verb that is within quotation-marks in the preterite tense, (2) with the same verb either in the perfect tense or in the passive voice: 1. He "bids" the rioters disperse quietly. 2. Mr. Brown "bids" forty-two dollars for the picture. 4. They often "raise" that question. 5. He "forgets" a thing in a day. 6. His cry "strikes" dismay into the heart of his friend. 7. I never "drink" soda. 8. The sheriff "hangs" the condemned man. 9. The maid "hangs" up my cloak. 10. They "lay" burdens on me greater than I can bear. 11. This "proves" the truth of my assertion. 12. A mist "rises" before my eyes. 13. He "sits" by the hour talking politics. 14. They "eat" their supper as if they were half starved. 15. The wild goose "flies" southward. 16. The Susquehanna River "overflows" its banks. 17. She "lies" down an hour every day. 18. The negro women "set" their baskets on their heads. 19. The vessel "sinks" with all on board. 20. Jack "gets" the mail. 21. Please "seat" the guests for me. 22. We "dive" from that rock. Other verbs of which the preterites or the past participles are often incorrectly formed appear in the following list. Some of these verbs admit more than one form for the preterite tense or for the past participle, but only that form is given which has the support of the best present usage in prose: PAST PARTICIPLE PRESENT PAST PARTICIPLE chosen PRETERITE Illustrate by original sentences the proper forms for the preterite tense and the past participle of each verb in the preceding list. EXERCISE LXIII In place of any forms that are not in good use for modern prose, substitute better ones: 1. He begun to hear new words, and to repeat them. 2. They have already began to export fine wool. 3. We have chose to fill our hives. 4. He was beseeched to write for the paper at $20 a column. 5. When I come to, the neighbors were round me. 6. The five ships sprung toward the enemy. 7. Dr. Briar done up the hand, and it seems to be doing well. 8. He is not drove as we are. 9. If it had been a hard case, I would have went. 10. I had not rode ten miles when the sun rose. 11. I forgot to say Garratt run off a month ago. 12. The keen-witted woman had absolutely ran him down. 13. I never seen him after that day. 14. Mr. Kipling should be forbid to bag another talking animal. 1 "Hove" is in good use in nautical language. 15. The admiral, having shook hands, gets you a chair. 16. He has lead me a wild-goose chase through the town. 17. She shrunk at the word. 18. Before that he sung two or three songs at Catherine's request 19. By the ninth the creek was froze over. 20. Have you blowed out the light? 21. A bird had fell out of its nest. 22. He builded his house in the valley. 23. The sand slided from beneath my feet. 24. The old gray hen has stole her nest. 25. The branches on which I was suspended over the yawning chasm swang to and fro in the air. 26. The fainting soul stood ready wing'd for flight, And o'er his eye-balls swum the shades of night. 27. I will scarce think you have swam in a gondola. 28. You looked as if you had took root there. 29. I had rather Mark throwed away his money than his time. 30. I hope you have wrote to him the state of your mind. 31. If I had broke my neck instead of wetting my feet, it would have been just the same to some people. 32. Were it he, I am sure he would have spoke to us. 33. Once brightest shined this child of heat and air. 34. Do you want me to have the room lit and heat? 35. His breast hove as if it would have bursted. 36. I have awoke at seven these ten years. 37. At the gate I alit from my horse. 38. He had already showed me the road. 39. He plead his case well. 40. An old man once dwelled there alone. 41. Mr. Noon has always shoed my pony. 42. The bells rung at seven o'clock. "Can" or "May"?" Can" originally signified to know, then to know how;1 but it gradually passed through these meanings into that of to be able. "May" originally signified to have power, to be able; but as "can" assumed 1 Examples of the older meanings will be found in the large dictionaries, and in E. A. Abbott's "Shakespearian Grammar." this meaning, the meaning of "may" weakened to that of be permitted. These changes have naturally caused much confusion between the two verbs. "Can" (preterite "could") now has two principal uses, which are exemplified in the following quotations: A woman can sob from the top of her palate, or her lips, or anywhere else, but a man cries from his diaphragm, and it rends him to pieces. Kipling. Ay, ay, laugh at me! I am very glad You are not gulled by all this swaggering; you Can the rush grow up without mire? can the flag grow without water? - JOB viii. 11. Tell me, my soul, can this be death? - POPE. "A woman can sob from the top of her palate” means that a woman is able (physically) so to sob; "You can see the root of the matter" means that you are able (mentally) to see it in the first two quotations, then, "can" denotes ability. "Can the rush grow up without mire?" "Can the flag grow without water?" "Can this be death?" mean "Is it possible for the rush to grow up without mire?" etc.: in the last two quotations, then, "can" denotes possibility. The preterite subjunctive of "can" is sometimes used to express inclination with a conditional element understood: e.g. "I could have sunk through the floor," "I could have cried"; that is, "I" would have done these things had the conditions been different. "May" (preterite "might") has several uses, which are exemplified in the following quotations: "Tell me," said he, "that I may see you again to-morrow morning in our usual quiet, loving way, and that I may return home to-morrow evening. - TROLLOPE. The man who plays with edge-tools may, by chance, cut his fingers. -CHARLES HUTTON. |