II. Review of Grammar
The Sentence
+14. English grammar+ is the study of the forms of English words and their relationship to one another as they appear in sentences. A sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought.
+15. Elements of a Sentence.+—The elements of a sentence, as regards the office that they perform, are the subject and the predicate. The subject is that about which something is asserted, and the predicate is that which asserts something about the subject.
Some predicates may consist of a single word or word-group, able in itself to complete a sentence: [The thrush sings. The thrush has been singing]. Some require a following word or words: [William struck John (object complement, or object). Edward became king (attribute complement). The people made Edward king (objective complement)].
The necessary parts of a sentence are: some name for the object of thought (to which the general term substantive may be given); some word or group of words to make assertion concerning the substantive (general term, assertive); and, in case of an incomplete assertive, one of the above given completions of its meaning (object complement, attribute complement, objective complement).
In addition to these necessary elements of the sentence, words or groups of words may be added to make the meaning of any one of the elements more exact. Such additions are known as modifiers. The word-groups which are used as modifiers are the phrase and the clause.
[The thrush, sings in the pine woods (phrase). The wayfarer who hears the thrush is indeed fortunate (clause).]
Both the subject and the predicate may be unmodified:
[Bees buzz]; both may be modified: [The honey bees buzz in the clover]; one may be modified and the other unmodified: [Bees buzz in the clover].
The unmodified subject may be called the simple subject, or, merely, the subject. If modified, it becomes the complete subject.
The assertive element, together with the attribute complement, if one is present, may be called the simple predicate. If modified, it becomes the complete predicate.
Some grammarians call the assertive element, alone, the simple predicate; modified or completed, the complete predicate.
+16. Classification of Sentences as to Purpose.+—Sentences are classified according to purpose into three classes: declarative, interrogative, and imperative sentences.
A declarative sentence is one that makes a statement or declares something: [Columbus crossed the Atlantic].
An interrogative sentence is one that asks a question: [Who wrote Mother Goose?].
An imperative sentence is one that expresses a command or entreaty: [“Fling away ambition”].
Each kind of sentence may be of an exclamatory nature, and then the sentence is said to be an exclamatory sentence: [How happy all the children are! (exclamatory declarative). “Who so base as be a slave?” (exclamatory interrogative). “Heap high the farmer’s wintry hoard!” (exclamatory imperative)].
Notice that the exclamation point follows the declarative and imperative forms, but the interrogative form is followed by the question mark.