12. In every predicate, no matter how long it is, there is always one word, or a little group of words, which does more of the telling than all the rest of the predicate. In fact, without this word or group of words, there would be no statement at all. In the sentence, "A red sash with fringes of gold wraps his waist several times," the predicate consists of five words, but the one word that counts for most in making the statement is the word wraps. This word is called a verb.. A verb is a part of speech.

A verb, being the essential part of a predicate, is called the simple predicate.

13. Sometimes a verb consists of two, or three, or even four words. What is the verb in each of the following sentences?

All the cherries had been picked from the trees near the house. The watchman on the roof was listening for the first sounds of day.

A tall, dark figure might have been seen at the end of the avenue.

14. When the verb in a given sentence has been found, the subject may be discovered by asking the question formed by placing the word who or what before the verb. For example, in the sentence, "The parrot's story, with the various pauses and interruptions, occupied a good deal of time," occupied is the verb because it is the telling word. Asking the question what occupied? we get the answer, the parrot's story, with the various pauses and interruptions, hence this group of words is the subject. What is the simple subject?

15. In grammar we often use the word assertion instead of statement, and the word assert instead of make a statement.

Summary. A verb is an asserting word.

A verb may consist of one word, two, three, or four words, but never of more than four words.

A verb is the necessary part of every predicate, hence it is called the simple predicate.

To find the subject of a verb, ask the question made by using the word who or what before the verb.

Exercise. Divide the following sentences into subject and predicate. Select the predicate verb, and tell why it is a verb. Find the simple subject of each sentence. Tell what part of speech it is, and why.

1. The procession moved from the palace to the church with great pomp.

2. The blue eyes of the Greek sparkled.

3. The magnificent buildings of the hospital stand on level land near the river.

4. The gentle young bride was frightened by the silent, mysterious ways of the old Indian.

5.

The poorest twig on the elm tree

Was ridged inch deep with pearl.

6. The great hall of the palace was illuminated with a thousand lamps.

7. His anvil makes no music on Sunday.

8. The raccoon's story was received with general approbation. 9. This old hunter must have told many tales.

10. Our conference under the peepul tree had been growing noisier and noisier.

11. One great name can make a country great.

12. The camels slept.

13. No European could have made five miles a day over the ice rubbish and the sharp-edged drifts.

14. The cows should have been milked before sundown.

15.

The deep waters of the bay

Stir with the breath of hurrying day.

16. Wully could not have imagined any greater being than his

master.

17. Everything out of doors was sheathed in silver mail.

18. The duck mother would have liked the eel's head herself.

In sentence 18 is herself in the subject or in the predicate?

V. PRONOUNS

16. When a person makes an assertion about himself he uses for the subject of his sentence, not his name, but the word I instead. Will Dunlap does not say, "Will Dunlap saw a flock of wild geese this morning, and heard them too." He says, "I saw a flock of wild geese this morning, and heard them too." The word I, which is used instead of a name, or noun, is called a pronoun. A pronoun is a part of speech. What pronoun besides I do you find in the sentence quoted? For what noun is it used?

17. Pronouns are used a good deal, especially in conversation, for often instead of using the name of the person we are speaking to, we use the pronoun you; and in speaking of persons, we use, provided their names are already known to our listeners, the pronouns he, she, or they.

Summary.

A pronoun is a word used instead of a noun. A pronoun can be the subject of a sentence.

By the use of pronouns we avoid the repetition of nouns and the use of clumsy expressions.

Exercise. In the following conversation select all the pronouns. Rewrite a portion of the conversation, using the nouns that the pronouns stand for. In changing pronouns to nouns it is sometimes necessary to make a change in the verb also. After using nouns for pronouns, tell what you think about the usefulness of pronouns.

"What do you think, Tirzah? I am going away." Tirzah dropped her hands with amazement.

"Going away! When? Where? For what?"

Judah laughed, then said, "Three questions, all in a breath. What a body you are!" Next instant he became serious. "You know the law requires me to follow some occupation. Our good father set me an example. Even you would despise me if I spent in idleness the results of his industry and knowledge. I am going to Rome."

"Oh, I will go with you."

"You must stay with Mother. If both of us leave her, she will die."

Here in Jerusalem you if that is what you

The brightness faded from her face. "Ah, yes, yes! But must you go? can learn all that is needed to be a merchant are thinking of."

"But that is not what I am thinking of. quire the son to be what the father was."

"What else can you be?"

The law does not re

"A soldier," he replied, with a certain pride of voice.

Tears came into her eyes.

"You will be killed."

"If God's will, be it so.

killed."

But, Tirzah, the soldiers are not all

She threw her arms around his neck, as if to hold him back. "We are so happy! Stay at home, my brother."

"Home cannot always be what it is.

away before long."

"Never!"

He smiled at her earnestness.

You yourself will be going

"A prince will come soon and claim my Tirzah, and ride away with her, to be the light of another house."

She answered with sobs.

"War is a trade," he continued, more soberly. "To learn it thoroughly, one must go to school, and there is no school like a Roman camp." - LEW WALLace.

VI. COMPOUND SUBJECT AND COMPOUND

PREDICATE

18. It frequently happens that a person performs several actions at the same time, and that all of them are worth telling. In such a case we do not make several separate sentences, but one sentence with several predicates; as, "I looked at my plate and winked back the tears." Here we have two predicate verbs, looked and winked, hence two assertions. In such a sentence we say that there is a compound predicate.

19. The compound predicate is used also when we tell of a number of actions performed in succession by one subject; as, "Father Wolf woke up from his day's rest, scratched himself, yawned, and spread out his paws one after the other to get rid of the sleepy feeling in the tips." How many predicates are there in this sentence? What mark separates them? Two or more predicates in succession, having the same subject, form what is called a series. (Words or groups of words in a series are separated from each other by the comma unless some joining word is used; but when only the last two of a series are joined by some word, the comma is used before this word.)

20. We frequently wish to make the same assertion about several persons or things, but we do not make several sentences, repeating the predicate each time, for that would be tedious. Instead, we make one sentence with several subjects; as, "The fresh fruit and milk and the slices of cold chicken looked very nice." This sentence has three distinct subjects. What are they? In such a sentence we say that there is a compound subject. Why is no comma used in this sentence?

Summary. A compound subject is one that consists of two or more distinct subjects united into one.

A compound predicate is one that consists of two or more distinct predicates united into one.

Two parts of a compound predicate are separated from each other by a comma unless they are very short. When there are more than two parts, and the last two are joined by some such word as and, a comma is placed after each part, even before the joining word.

When a compound subject consists of more than two parts, a comma is placed after each part, unless all the parts are joined by some word.