XX. ADJECTIVE AND ADVERBIAL PHRASES.

1. There are two kinds of phrases:

I. Adjective Phrases.

II. Adverbial Phrases.

2. A phrase is an Adjective Phrase when it has the use of an Adjective; that is, when it limits a Noun.

ILLUSTRATIONS.

1. The man in armor.
2. A thing of beauty.

The phrase in armor limits the Noun man; the phrase of beauty limits the Noun thing. The phrase in armor is equivalent to the Adjective armored; the phrase of beauty is equivalent to the Adjective beautiful. Hence these are Adjective phrases.

Prepositional Phrases.

A person of note.....

A man of good character...

A settler in, of, or from Australia..

Property belonging to me.......
(Pleasant) to the taste..

(Made) of wood...

(Full) of anxiety..

Adjectives.

.A noted person.

.A good man.

.An Australian settler.
My property.

Palatable.

...Wooden.

.Anxious.

3. A phrase is Adverbial when it has the use of an Adverb.

ILLUSTRATIONS.

1. A great man lives here.

The word here is an Adverb; it limits the Verb lives. Instead of the word "here," we may substitute the phrase "in this place."

2. A great man lives in this place.

As the phrase in this place limits the Verb lives, it must be an Adverbial Phrase.

3. The army advanced rapidly.

In place of the Adverb "rapidly," we may substitute the phrase "with rapidity." As this phrase limits the Verb advanced, it is an Adverbial Phrase.

Exercise 18.
A.

Select the PHRASES, and tell whether they are ADJECTIVE or ADVERBIAL.

1. Silk-worms are not reared in this country. 2. The wool of the sheep is clipped every year. 3. The boy stood on the burning deck. 4. The house with the seven gables still stands. 5. Cæsar returned in triumph. 6. Books of travel are very interesting.

B.

Change the following PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES into ADJECTIVES or ADVERBS:

1. In a hurry. 2. In rags. 3. A chain of silver. 4. Grapes from Spain. 5. With joy. 6. With sorrow. 7. In a calm manner. 8. By force. 9. In a beautiful manner. 10. A person born in America.

C.

Let the following fable be read aloud. Then let the scholars write out an abstract from memory, underlining each PHRASE.

After this is done, exchange papers for correction, and address letters to the teacher criticising the exercise.

THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE.

A Hare laughed at a Tortoise on account of his slowness, and vainly boasted her own great speed in running. The Tortoise then proposed to make a match. They were to run five miles, and a Fox was to be the umpire of the race. The Hare agreed, and away they both started together. But the Hare, by reason of her exceeding swiftness, outran the Tortoise to such a degree that she made a jest of the matter. Believing herself sure of the race, she squatted in a tuft of fern that grew by the way and took a nap, thinking that, if the Tortoise went by, she could at any time easily overtake him. In the mean time the Tortoise came jogging on, with slow but constant motion; and the Hare, out of too great security and confidence of victory, oversleeping herself, the Tortoise arrived at the end of the race first.

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XXI. LESSON IN MAKING SENTENCES WITH PHRASES.

1. The teacher of our Academy gave prizes.

Here we have one phrase, of our Academy.

2 The teacher of our Academy gave prizes for scholar ship.

Here we add a second phrase, for scholarship.

3. On Exhibition-day, the teacher of our Academy gave prizes for scholarship.

Here we add a third phrase, on Exhibition-day.

4. It is very easy to take a number of statements, each containing a Phrase, and combine all these into a single sentence, just as we did in a former lesson in the case of a number of statements with Adjectives.

ILLUSTRATION.

1. Columbus returned from his voyage.

2. He returned from his voyage to the West Indies. 3. He returned in 1493.

These may be combined thus

:

1. Columbus returned from his voyage to the West Indies in 1493; or,

2. In 1493, Columbus returned from his voyage to the West Indies; or,

3. Columbus, in 1493, returned from his voyage to the West Indies.

5. When we have a number of phrases in a sentence, it often becomes a nice question to decide how we shall arrange them. In the above illustration, the second form is better than the first. The reason is that, in the first form, both the phrases, from his voyage to the West

Indies, and in 1493, are crowded together at the end of the sentence.

6. The only rule that can be given in this matter is that where the phrases can be changed in position, they should be so placed as to make the sentence sound most agreeable to the ear.

See in how many ways you can place the phrase, on Christmas-eve, in the following sentence:

"On Christmas-eve, Washington called a council of his officers at Trenton."

Which arrangement do you like best? Why?

Exercise 19.

Combine the following statements into SINGLE SENTENCES, each containing but one SUBJECT and one PREDICATE, and each bringing in all the PHRASES in the group. The principal statement is given first.

1. The First Congress met. It met at Philadelphia. It met in the year 1776.

2. The battle began.

It began the next morning.

It began at day-break.

It began in terrible earnest.

3. Printing was invented.

It was in Germany it was invented.

It was in the fourteenth century it was invented.

It was invented by Guttenberg.

4. Washington took his departure.

He took his departure from New York.

He took his departure amidst the tears of his officers.

5. The Yosemite Valley is noted.

This valley is in California.

It is noted for its magnificent scenery.

Exchange papers for correction.

See if each sentence

is a Simple Sentence, and whether the Phrases are arranged in the best order. Then write letters of criticism.

XXII. NOUNS IN APPOSITION.

1. Here is a sentence which illustrates a use of Nouns which we have not had thus far:

William, the blacksmith, shoes horses.

The Subject of this sentence is "William;" the Predicate is "shoes horses."

2. What effect have the words the blacksmith ? They explain the name William by showing which "William " is meant.

3. Write this sentence:

The heroic Warren fell at Bunker Hill.

Here we use an Adjective with the name "Warren." What is the Adjective?

4. We might express the same thought by saying, Warren, the hero, fell at Bunker Hill.

Here we use a Noun, "hero," with the name "Warren." Noun hero is explanatory of Warren.

The

5. A Noun with this use is called a Noun in Apposition, which simply means a Noun placed near another Noun.

6. A Noun with this explanatory use may itself be described by an Adjective, or a number of Adjectives, or by a Phrase.

ILLUSTRATIONS.

1. Warren, the gallant, young HERO, fell at Bunker Hill.

2. Washington, the COMMANDER of the army, was born in Virginia.

In the first sentence, the Noun hero is in apposition with Warren: at the same time, the Noun hero is limited by the Adjectives gallant and young. In the second sentence, the Noun commander is in apposition with Washington; while it is limited by the Phrase, of the army.