INTERJECTIONS. 1. Interjections have no dependent construction or grammatical relation with the other parts of a sentence; as, Alas! what have I done? Oh! say no more about it. 2. The interjections O! oh! ah! are sometimes followed 1. Conjunctions do not govern the cases of nouns or pronouns; therefore the conjunction than does not govern the relative whom. 2. The conjunction than requires the same case after it as that which goes before it; as, He is wiser than I, that is, than I am, where He and I are both nominatives. I love you better than him, that is, than I love him, where you and him are both objectives. Therefore the relative, if used at all after than, should agree in case with the noun preceding it, which in each of the examples (a) and (b) is in the nominative case. 3. If the sentence be transposed, and a noun or a personal pronoun be used instead of the relative, it must be in the nominative case; as, Alfred, a wiser prince than he (was) never governed England; or thus A wiser prince than Alfred (was) never governed England. Therefore such expressions as Alfred than whom' are improper. Some grammarians are of opinion that than in such examples is a preposition, and therefore may govern an objective case. But they should remember that, in making comparisons, words in the comparative degree require a conjunction to accompany them, but they do not require a preposition; therefore, than (the word required after the comparative wiser in the example) is not a preposition. The following quotations from various grammars will show how authorities differ on this subject: 1. The relative who, following the conjunction than, must be put in the objective case.'-Knowles's Gram. and Devis's Gram. 2. The conjunction than before whom is construed as a preposition.'-Andrew's Gram. 3. The particle than must therefore be considered in our language sometimes as a conjunction and sometimes as a preposition.'-English Tutor. 4. When the relative who immediately follows than, it seems to form an exception to the rule; for in that connection the relative must be in the objective case.' Murray's Gram. 5. The relative who after the conjunction than must be put in the accusative case.'- Sabine's Guide to Elocution. 6.Than was formerly used as a preposition, and took an objective case after it. When joined with a relative pronoun, it still retains its character of preposition.'M'Cullock's Gram. 1. When who immediately follows than, it is used improperly in the objective case; than whom is not grammatical.'-Lennie's Gram. 2. Than, being a conjunction, and not a preposition, cannot govern any case.'Bromby's Gram. 3. The word than must not govern the relative in the objective case. "Alfred than whom" ought to be "Alfred than who," or rather than he.'-Hiley's Gram. 4. Than should never be allowed to have the office of a preposition, unless in the relative expression "than whom," which nothing but inveterate custom has sanctioned.'-Hunter's Gram. 5. The conjunction than is said to govern the relative in the objective case; this arises from mistake (from supposing than to be a preposition), and should not be imitated.-Sullivan's Gram. 6. The use of whom, instead of who, has been introduced by custom, though contrary to analogy. .. This is evidently ungrammatical.'-Del Mar's Gram. by the objective case of the first person, but by the nominative case of the second person; as, Ah me! woe is me! O thou sun! O ye stars! 'Oh ye! who, sunk in beds of down, Feel not a want but what yourselves create, 3. Sometimes a phrase, clause, or part of a sentence is used as an interjection; such may be called an interjectional phrase or exclamatory clause; as, 'Be wise with speed: A fool at forty is a fool indeed!'-Young. 'How blind is pride! what eagles are we still ON ELLIPSIS. For the sake of conciseness and elegance of expression, it is customary to employ an ellipsis or omission of some word or words which the sense can supply, but which are necessary to a full and perfect construction. EXAMPLES. Of the Article .........The bow and arrows are broken (the arrows). Noun .........I called at the bookseller's (bookseller's shop) Adjective. ......Much rain and snow (much snow). 99 99 99 99 Pronoun ......The horse you bought is lame (which you bought). Verb............To err is human, to forgive divine (is divine). light). Adverb ......He reads and writes well (reads well). Interjection... Oh, the perverseness! the villany of men ! NOTE 1.-Sometimes a considerable part of a sentence is omitted by ellipsis; as, Nature has given to animals one time to act, (Nature has given to animals) another (time) to rest.' 'During the unsettled reign of Charles and (during the unsettled reign) of James.' 'It is our duty to show respect to the virtuous, and (it is our duty to show) deference to our superiors.' NOTE 2.-But if the ellipsis causes ambiguity, weakens the force of the sentence, or renders it ungrammatical, it should not be used. EXAMPLES CONTAINING WORDS IMPROPERLY OMITTED. (a) 'She wished that heaven had made her such a man.' 6 Shakspeare. (b) And virgins smiled at what they blush'd before.'-Pope. (c) In the temper of mind he was then.' OBS.-In example (a) the meaning may be, either, she wished that she herself, instead of being born a woman, had been made such a man, her and man being construed as in apposition; or, that such a man had been made for her. The latter is evidently Shakspeare's meaning, for being understood. In example (b) it should be smiled at what they blushed at before,' both verbs requiring at after them; thus, they smiled at that, at which they blushed before.' În example (c) both the relative and the preposition are omitted, and when supplied it will stand thus, In the temper of mind in which he was then,' or 'in which he then was.' DIRECTIONS FOR USING ELLIPSIS. 1. When the same article is applied to two or more nouns, it is usual to place it only before the first; but when a different form of the article is necessary, it must be repeated; as, A house and garden. A house and an orchard. 2. The noun which governs the possessive case of a noun or pronoun may be omitted when the thing possessed is known; as, I called at the bookseller's. These books are mine. 3. The noun is frequently omitted after an adjective in the comparative degree; as, The Apennines are high mountains, but the Alps are higher. 4. When several affirmations are made of the same noun, it is usual to place the noun only before the first; as, The judge examined them and pronounced the sentence. 5. When two or more nouns qualified by the same adjective are joined together, the adjective is placed only before the first; as, A kind lady and gentleman; that is, A kind lady and (a kind) gentleman. 6. But when the adjectives are different, or cannot with propriety be joined to each noun separately, the ellipsis should not be used. Thus: A magnificent coach and horses; better thus A magnificent coach and fine horses. 7. An ellipsis of the pronoun may be made when the same pronoun is the nominative or objective of several verbs, or possessing several nouns; as, He reads and writes; that is, he reads and he writes. I love and fear him; His wife and daughter; his wife and his daughter. 8. The relative is very frequently omitted when it is in the objective case; as, The companion I love, for The companion whom I love. 9. In making comparisons, the verb is frequently omitted in the latter of two sentences; as, You are taller than I; that is, than I am. 10. The infinitive verb is frequently omitted after the verbs do, have, shall, will, may, can, must; as, We succeeded, but they did not; that is, did not succeed. They must and shall be punished; I shall do it if I can ; 99 must be punished. 99 11. An adverb modifying two or more verbs, adjectives, or phrases, is expressed but once; as, He spoke and acted wisely (spoke wisely). Thrice I went and offered my services (thrice I offered). 12. The prepositions in and on are often understood before nouns expressing time, and to and for after transitive verbs; as, 13. To, the sign of the infinitive, is generally omitted after the verbs see, hear, bid, feel, dare, let, need, do, shall, will, may, can, must. The same preposition is frequently omitted after like, near, and nigh; as, I saw him take it (to take it). I feel the pain abate (to abate). Like a diamond in the sky (like to a diamond). 14. When the same preposition governs two or more objects, it is placed only before the first, and understood before the rest; as, 'He went into the churches, halls, and public buildings ;' that is, He went into the churches, he went into the halls, and he went into the public buildings. 15. When several words of the same part of speech come together, the conjunction is placed only before the last, and understood between the others; as, John, James, and Harry have commenced their studies. 16. Sometimes the conjunction is entirely omitted, the better to express a close connection or a quick succession of objects; as, I came, I saw, I conquered. 17. The conjunction that is frequently omitted between affirmative and dependent sentences; as, 'I fear it comes too much from the heart;' that is, I fear that it comes too much from the heart. 18. The ellipsis of the interjection is not very common. The following is an example from Milton : |