ELLIPSIS. 114. The word Ellipsis means an omission. When it is said there is an ellipsis in a sentence, nothing more is meant than that some word or words, necessary to the grammatical construction, are omitted, or left out. 115. To avoid disagreeable repetitions, and to express our ideas in few words, an ellipsis, or omission of words, is allowable; but when the sentence is analyzed, or parsed, all the words which were omitted must be supplied. Thus, when we say, Give us this day our daily bread, there is an ellipsis, or omission, of the preposition to before us, and of on before this day. When these words are supplied, the sentence is read thus: Give to us on this day our daily bread. 116. Ellipsis occurs very frequently in common conversation, in poetry, and all kinds of writing, and occasions most of the difficulties in English syntax. Parse the following sentences, in which there is an ellipsis of the preposition. Give me a rude and stormy shore. Bring me your book. Mary bought Ann a book. You speak like (unto) a boy. Heat me these irons hot. You shall not do mine ear that violence. He rode (by) this way. He staid (during) six months. The ship sailed the first of June. The steam-boat His went fourteen miles an hour. I sat an hour. He went a voyage. She rode a mile. He laid a floor ten feet square; or, (He laid a floor over or through the distance of a square of ten feet.) The book is (of the) worth (of) a dollar. horse is worth a hundred dollars. He bought a few (of) yards. [The article a before FEW, converts that word into a noun; because this article is never joined to nouns of the plural number.] This city is two miles long and one mile broad. That plank is three inches thick. Salem lies fifteen iniles from Boston. What o'clock is it? It is ten o'clock. Parse the following sentences, in which there is an ellipsis of the conjunction. They confess the power, (and) the wisdom, (and) the love of their Creator. Were we (if we were) in Syria, I might say (that) the Naiad of the fount rejoiced in thee. Had he seen our variegated woods, he would much admire them. Oh, had I the wings of a dove, I would soon fly away, and be at rest. Were you to go up or down, east or west, north or south, you would find the same Almighty Power ruling all things. Would Chanticleer give thee a few lessons, he might raise thy voice. Had lions only been destroyed in single combat, men would have had but a bad time of it. 117. The word Auxiliary means assistant, or helping. 118. The words which are the signs of the several tenses (see page 24, &c.) are called AUXILIARY VERBS, because they help or assist in conjugating other verbs. The following is a list of them :-have, hast, has, had, hadst, shall, shalt, will, wilt, may, mayst, can, canst, must, might, mightst, could couldst, would, wouldst, should, shouldst, be, been, do, did. 119. When several verbs, of the same mood and tense, are connected together by a conjunction, there is generally an ellipsis of the auxiliary verbs belonging to all except the first. Thus, in the sentence, He had been born, bred, and educated on a small moorland farm, &c., there is an ellipsis of the auxiliaries had and been before bred, and before educated; which being supplied, the sentence stands, He had been born, and he had been bred, and he had been educated, &c. Parse the following sentences, in which there is an ellipsis of the auxiliary verb. The attention of young persons may be seduced by works of fiction, and their thoughts accustomed to dwell on the past, the distant, or the future. The ocean may roll its waves, the warring winds may join their forces, the thunders shake the skies, and the lightnings pass swiftly from cloud to cloud. He must go and take his books. I shall love, honour, and respect those, who can assert, and prove, that they have been instrumental in the reform which has improved and blessed the present age. If you have feared God, and kept his commandments, and served him faithfully, he will keep his promises to you, and give you that inheritance which is ordained and prepared for the faithful. [Sometimes the auxiliary is expressed and the verb omitted.] Charles can recite his lesson, but John cannot. Mary repeated more than Caroline could. We can travel more rapidly on a railroad than we can on a canal. [Mr. Murray has the following remark under the nineteenth rule of syntax: "Almost all the irregularities in the construction of any language, have arisen from the ellipsis of some words, which were originally inserted in the sentence, and made it regular." In the following sentences, many words occur in a construction, for which grammarians have endeavoured to provide, by distinct rules. It has been deemed unnecessary, in this work, to furnish any rules to meet those irregularities that "have arisen from the ellipsis of words, which were originally inserted in the sentence, and made it regular," because the pupil who is acquainted with the use and application of the common rules of syntax, will find little difficulty in supplying the words which are omitted in sentences of the most elliptical form. It is on skill and judgment in supplying the ellipses in difficult sentences, that excellence in reading or rhetorical delivery is mainly dependent. It must therefore be confessed to be a useful exercise, to give the pupil practice in the analysis of such sentences, under the guidance of reason, judgment, and common sense, with no other aid than a few plain rules of syntax. In some of the sentences which follow, the ellipsis is supplied within brackets; but this is done in those sentences only where the analysis appears peculiarly difficult.] Supply the ellipsis, and parse the words, in the following sentences. He Be ready to succour such persons as [those persons (are) who] need thy assistance. Be favourable to such as deserve favour. As many as [those are, who] were present saw the transaction. He is as good a scholar as can be found. She is as good, virtuous, and happy, as can be desired. He was more beloved than Cynthio [was beloved.] He is as tall as his brother [is.] We have as many advantages as they. I would rather be a good man than [be] a great one. gained more than his brother (gained) by the transaction. (If you will) Give me a place to stand on, and I will shake the whole earth. [In this last sentence, the subjunctive mood appears in the form of the imperative.] Drink in the influence of religion, and low-born care will cease to influence you. Take care of the pence, and the shillings will take care of themselves. (From) The more (times) I see him, (in) the better (manner) I like him. [This last sentence could be more easily resolved, if it were consistent with rule to allow the article to be joined with an adverb. But the expressions "the more" and "the better" may be termed adverbial phrases, in which case no ellipsis need be supplied for the analysis of the sentence.] Winter compensates for the want of attractions (which are) abroad, by fireside delights and homefelt joys. The effects of foreign travel have been often remarked in arousing the curiosity of the traveller while abroad. He was fined (his fine was) a dollar. [The two following sentences, and all others constructed like them, are bad grammar, and therefore the pupil should not attempt to parse them. Passive verbs never govern an objective case. The corrected sentence is annexed to each in brackets.] She was taught music. [She was taught in music.] He was forgiven the offence. [He was forgiven for the of fence.] He was promised a reward. Thou art forgiven thy sins. It is to be expected that you should appear outwardly such as you are inwardly. The task was not a trifling one, nor such as could be speedily executed. I left the parcel at Smith's, (who is) the bookseller. I bought the knives at Johnson's, the cutler. I will not, for David's sake, thy father. The silk was purchased at Brown's, the mercer and haberdasher. This was a discovery of Sir Isaac Newton's (genius.) He bought a house of my father's. This was my father's (advice), mother's (advice), and uncle's advice. [See 4th Rule of Syntax.] (You) Granting this to be true, shall easily convince you. (I) Generally speaking, (say) his conduct was very honourable. Speaking of bodily habitudes, is it true that your lordship swoons whenever the moon is eclipsed? The laws of God and man require us to be just in our dealings. He went into the abbeys, halls, and public buildings. I requested him to call at the bookstore, and inquire the price of that volume. Yesterday he bounded as the roebuck, was glowing as the summer fruits. It is darker than midnight. We may die; die colonists; die slaves; die, it may be, ignominiously, and on the scaffold. Be it so. We would kill them; challenge twenty morekill them; twenty moree-kill them. Your eye in Scotland would create soldiers, make our women fight to doff their dire distresses. Be it their comfort we are coming thither. Be the combat our own. For I have business (which) would employ an age. Who does the best his circumstance allows, does well, acts nobly; angels could no more. my purse, steals trash. Who steals For why? There was but one great rule for all ; More mighty spots may rise-more glaring shine. Ye statesmen, priests, of one religion all! The bribing statesman-Hold! too high you go. What! always Peter? Peter thinks you mad :- Feign what I will, and paint it e'er so strong, The sky is changed! and such a change! Oh night, * * * * * And this is in the night :-Most glorious night! Thus criticks, of less judgment than caprice, Oh glory! glory! mighty one on earth! |