Death closed her mild blue eyes; Under that tower she lies; Ne'er shall the sun arise On such another. – LONGFELLOw: The Skeleton in Armor. II. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. - Psalms 19: 1-2. 12. At ten minutes to seven Dulcie was ready. She looked at herself in the wrinkly mirror. The reflection was satisfactory. The dark blue dress, fitting without a wrinkle, the hat with its jaunty black feather, the but-slightly-soiled gloves all representing self-denial, even of food itself— were vastly becoming. -O. HENRY: An Unfinished Story. CHAPTER LV COMPLEX SENTENCES Compare these sentences: 1. We broke camp when the sun rose. 2. He asked why he was arrested. 3. I did not see the man who was with you. Each of these sentences consists of two clauses; but (unlike and, but, or in compound sentences) the words when, why, and who not only connect clauses, but form a part of the clauses that they introduce. These clauses are (a) "when the sun rose," (b) "why he was arrested," and (c) “who was with you." As these clauses do not make a complete statement, they are called dependent clauses. The three clauses to which the dependent clauses are joined are independent clauses. It will be seen 1. That the clause introduced by when is an adverb modifying broke, being equivalent to the adverbial phrase "at sunrise." 2. That the clause introduced by why is a noun, being the direct object of asked. 3. That the clause introduced by who is an adjective modifying man. Every dependent clause is either an adverb, a noun, or an adjective. The three sentences are complex. A dependent clause is one that does not make a complete statement but is used as an adverb, à noun, or an adjective. A complex sentence is a sentence that contains one or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses. Adverbial clauses may be divided into ten groups. They express: (1) Time: when, before, since, after, while, as, as soon as, as long as. (2) Place: where, wherever. (3) Cause: because, for, as, since, inasmuch as. (4) Condition: if, as if, as though, provided that. (5) Concession: though, although, notwithstanding that, even if, even though. (6) Comparison: 3 than, as. that, so that, lest. (8) Result: that, so that. (9) Degree: as much as, so far as, but that. (10) Manner: as, just as. Frequently in adverbial clauses the entire subject and some form of to be (as is, are, was, were) are left unexpressed, as: When [they are] wounded, they are carried from the field. EXERCISES I Write a complex sentence in illustration of each class of adverbial clauses. In how many of your ten sentences may the dependent clause either precede or follow the independent clause? II There is only one adverbial clause in this selection. Find it: School pupils are the largest and best-organized group of the population of the country. It was natural, therefore, for the government to turn to the school children when it wanted a national response. Boys and girls, having the lessons of the war impressed upon them in school, carry the message home. Often in no other way can the parents be reached. There are many 1 The predicate is usually omitted, as: He is taller than I [am tall]. He is as tall as I [am tall]. 2 Purpose: I study that I may learn. Result: He ran so fast that he fell down. ways in which the school children gave direct and valuable help to the nation. It is not possible to do more than merely hint at some of these. The importance of saving and thrift was early impressed on the children, not only through the Thrift Stamp and Liberty Loa campaigns, but also through direct lessons on conserving food, clothing, and public property. Many children planted and took care of war gardens, adding a total of many million dollars' worth of food to the nation's supply. In connection with the gardens, a canning campaign was conducted which aimed at the conservation of perishable food that could not be consumed at once. schools rendered valuable service in doing Red Cross Work. Both boys and girls knit garments and comforts for our soldiers, and the girls made garments for the little children of France and Belgium who had been driven from their homes by the war. The A School History of the Great War (1918). III 1. What are the two paragraph topics? 2. Make a short talk on "How Our School Helped Win the War." CHAPTER LVI COMPLEX SENTENCES (Continued) Noun clauses are usually introduced by the words that, how, why, what, when, where, and whether. After verbs of saying, that is frequently omitted, as: He said [that] she was not his wife, The best way to tell a noun clause when you see it is not by memorizing the words that usually introduce noun clauses but by asking yourself the questions, "How is this clause used in the sentence? What work does it do?" It is always a noun clause if it is (1) the subject of the sentence, (2) the object of a verb, (3) a subject complement, or (4) in apposition with a preceding noun. These sentences will illus trate: 1. That France is a great nation is admitted by all. How you came is the question. Why he told you is a mystery. 2. Everybody believes what cannot be disbelieved. I do not remember when it happened. I know where he lives. 3. Our hope is that you may succeed. The chief question was whether you were prepared. 4. The news that Germany had surrendered spread like wildfire. 5. The reason why he confessed has not been revealed. Adjective clauses are usually introduced by the words. that, who (whose, whom), and which. These words are called relative pronouns. Every clause introduced by a relative pronoun is an adjective clause because it modifies a preceding noun or pronoun. This noun or pronoun is called the antecedent. The antecedents in these sentences are italicized: 1. Here is the man that won the prize 2. General Pershing, who had already distinguished himself, was put in charge of our overseas forces. 3. He whose deeds keep step with his words will be the winner. |