The principles of Latin grammar; comprising the ... - Essan.org

;294 syntax.— analysis: § 152u750.— Rule XII. Dependent clauses, as well as single words,are placed before the principal finite verb, upon which theychiefly depend.75 \ t— Rule XIII. As a general rule, where the case will admit,it is proper to proceed from shorter to longer words, andfrom shorter to longer clauses and members of a sentence, aswe advance towards theclose.Hence, it will follow, that a sentence should not concludewith a monosyllable, when it can be avoided.REMARK.—These are to be considered only as general Rules, subject tomany modifications and exceptions, according to the taste of different writers.However, as a general guide, with close attention to classical usage andeuphony, they may be of use to enable the student to avoid errors on thissubject.752.—§ 152. ANALYSIS OF SENTENCES.A sentence is such an assemblage of words as makes complete senseus, homo mortdlis est, " man is mortal."All sentences are either simple or compound.A simple sentence contains only a single affirmation ; as, vita brevis est.A compound sentence consists of two or more simple sentences connectedtogether ;as, bis dat, qui cito dat.753.—SIMPLE SENTENCES.A simple sentence or proposition consists of two parts—the subject andthe predicate.The subject is that of which something is affirmed.The predicate is that which is affirmed of the subject.The subject is commonly a noun or pronoun, but may be anything, however expressed, about which we can speak or think.The predicate properly consists of two parts,—the attribute affirmedof the subject, and the copula, by which the affirmation is made; thus,in the sentence, vita brevis est, the subject is vita; the predicate isbrevis est, of which brevis is the attribute, and est the copula. In mostcases, the attribute and copula are expressed by one word ; as, equuscurrit, " the horse runs "= equus curreus est, " the horse is running."The name of a person or thing addressed forms no part of a sentence.The predicate may be a noun, a pronoun, an adjective, a prepositionwith its case, an adverb, a participle, an infinitive mood, or clause of asentence, as an attribute, connected with the subject by a substantive verbas a copula ; or it may be a verb which includes in itself both attributeand copula, and is therefore called an attributive verb.