(4) I knew a man who believed that, if a man were permitted to make the ballads, he need
not care who made the laws of a nation.
Complex sentence, containing four subordinate clauses:
1. I knew a man...(Principal clause)
2. Who believed....(Adjective clause, qualifying a man in I.)
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3. That he need not care. (Noun clause, subordinate to 2, object of believed)
4. Who made the laws of a nation. (Noun clause, subordinate to 2, object of care.)
5. If a man were permitted to make the ballads. Adverb clause of condition, subordinate
to 3, modifying need not care.
(5) The man who can play most heartily when he has the chance of playing, is generally
the man who can work most heartily when he must work.
Complex sentence, containing four subordinate clauses:
1. The man is generally the man...(Principal clause.)
2. Who can play most heartily. [Adjective clause, qualifying man (subject) in 1.]
3. When he has the chance of playing. [Adverb clause, subordinate to 2. modifying play. )
4. Who can work most heartily. (Adjective clause, qualifying man (complement) in l.]
5. When he must work. (Adverb clause, subordinate to 4, modifying work).
(6) Should you be so unfortunate as to suppose that you are a genius, and that things will
come to you, it would be well to undeceive yourself as soon as it is possible.
Complex sentence, containing four subordinate Clauses:
1. It would be well to undeceive yourself. (Principal clause).
2. As soon as it is possible. (Adverb clause of time, subordinate to ].)
3. Should you be so unfortunate as to suppose...(Adverb clause of condition, subordinate
to 1.)
4. That you are a genius. (Noun clause. Subordinate to 3, object of to sup pose.)
5. And that things will come to you. (Noun clause, co-ordinate with 4, and subordinate to
3, object of to suppose.)
Exercise 56.
Analyse the following sentences:-
1. As my eldest son was bred a scholar. I determined to send him to town, where his
abilities might contribute to our support and his own.
2. Clive had been only a few months in the army, when intelligence arrived that
peace had been concluded between Great Britain and France.
3. I had a partial father, who gave me a better education than his broken fortune
would have allowed.
4. He told us that he had read Milton, in a prose translation, when he was fourteen.
5. With whatever luxuries a bachelor may be surrounded, he will always find his
happiness incomplete, unless he has a wife and children.
6. Among the many reasons which make me glad to have been born in England,
one of the first is that E read Shakespeare in my mother tongue.
7. He [Pope] professed to have learned his poetry from Dryden. whom, whenever
an opportunity was presented, he praised through his whole life with unvaried
liberality.
8. We who are fortunate enough to live in this enlightened century hardly realize
how our ancestors suffered from their belief in the existence of mysterious
and malevolent beings.
9. We cannot justly interpret the religion of any people, unless we are prepared to
admit that we ourselves are liable to error in matters of faith.
10. Milton said that he did not educate his daughters in the languages, because one
tongue was enough for a woman.
A work from S, CHANP & COMPANY LTD.
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11. The man who does not sec that the good of every living creature is his good, is a
fool.
12. Nothing can describe the confusion of thought which 1 felt when 1 sank into the
water.
13. We had in this village, some twenty years ago, a boy whom I well remember, who
from his childhood showed a strong liking for bees.
14. Considering that the world is so intricate, we are not to be surprised that science
has progressed slowly.
15. You lake my house when you do take the prop
That doth sustain my house.
16. I heard a thousand blended notes
While in a grove I sat reclined.
In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts
Bring sad thoughts to the mind.
17. Much as we like Shakespeare's comedies, we cannot agree with Dr. Johnson that
they are better than his tragedies.
18. Those who look into practical life will find that fortune is usually on the side of
the industrious, as the winds and waves are on the side of the best navigators.
19. He who sits from day to day.
Where the prisoned lark is hung.
Heedless of its loudest lay,
Hardly knows that it has sung.
20. History says that Socrates, when he was given the cup of hemlock, continued to
talk to the friends who were standing around him as he drank it.
21. 1 have no sympathy with the poor man I knew, who, when suicides abounded,
told me he dared not look at his razor.
CHAPTER 9
ANALYSIS OF COMPOUND SENTENCES (Clause Analysis)
64. A compound sentence is made up of two or more principal or main clauses joined
together by a Co-ordinating conjunction and sometimes includes one or more subordinate
clauses.
1. The horse reared and the rider was thrown.
[2 main clauses]
2. They were fond of music, played on various kinds of instrument, and
indulged in much singing.
[3 main clauses]
3. They asked him how he received the wound, but he refused to answer.
[2 main clauses + 1 subordinate clause]
4. He says what he means, and he means what he says.
[2 main clauses +2 subordinate clauses]
It has been already pointed out ( § 27) that the term Double is now used for a sentence
which is made up of two main clauses, and the term Multiple for a sentence of more than
two main clauses,
65. In accordance with this new terminology, 1, 3, and 4 are Double sentences, and 2 is a
Multiple sentence.
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66. The connection between two main clauses of a Compound sentence may be one of the
following four kinds:-
(1) Copulative; as
God made the country and man made the town.
Babar was not only a great soldier, he was also a wise ruler.
He cannot speak, nor can he write.
He plays the piano, he sings also.
The innocents were punished as well as the guilty.
Here in each sentence the main clauses are simply coupled together.
(2) Adversative; as,
He is slow, but he is sure.
I did my best, nevertheless I failed.
He is rich, yet he is not happy.
He is vain, still his friends adore him.
Here in each sentence the two main clauses are opposed in meaning to each other.
(3) Alternative or Disjunctive; as,
She must weep, or she will die.
Either he is mad, or he feigns madness.
Neither a borrower, nor a lender be.
Walk quickly, else you will not overtake him.
Here in each sentence the two main clauses are disjoined in meaning, and a choice
between them is offered for acceptance.
(4) Illative; as,
He is diligent, therefore he will succeed.
He is unwell, so he cannot attend office.
The angles are equal, consequently the sides are equal
Here in each sentence the second clause draws an inference from the first.
67. Sometimes no connecting word is used to join two main clauses; as,
Temperance promotes health, intemperance destroys it.
Her court was pure; her life serene.
68. Sometimes a Subordinate Conjunction is used to join the clauses of a Compound
sentence; as,
I shall see you to-morrow, when (= and then) we can finish the business.
I walked with him to the station, where (= and there) we parted.
69. Compared sentences are often contracted. For example, when the main clauses have:-
(1) A common Subject; as,
He chid their wanderings, but relieved their pain.
= He chid their wanderings, but he relieved their pain.
(2) A common Verb; as,
Some praise the work, and some the architect.
= Some praise the work, and some praise the architect.
70. Study carefully the clause analysis of the following:-
(1) One day Bassanio came to Antonio, and told him that he wised to repair his fortune
by a wealthy marriage with a
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lady whom he dearly loved, whose father had left her sole heiress to a large estate.
Analysis:-
This is a Compound or Double sentence, consisting of:-
A. One day Bassanio came to Antonio. (Principal clause).
B. Bassanio told him...(Principal clause co-ordinate with A.)
B1. That he wished to repair his fortune by a wealthy marriage with a lady. (Noun clause,
object of told in B.)
b2. Whom he dearly loved. (Adjective clause, subordinate to b1, qualifying lady.)
b3. Whose father had left her sole heiress to a large estate., (Adjective clause,
subordinate to b1, qualifying lady, and co-ordinate with b2.)
(2) Before he died, the good Earl of Kent, who had still attended his old master's steps
from the first of his daughters' ill-usage to this sad period of his decay, tried to make him
understand that it was he who had followed him under the name of Caius; but Lear's care-
crazed brain at that time could not comprehend how that could be, or how Kent and Caius
could be the same person.
Analysis:- This is a Compound or Double sentence, consisting of:-
A. The good Earl of Kent tried to make him understand...(Principal clause).
a1. Before he died. (Adverb clause, modifying tried in A).
a2. Who had still-attended his old master's steps from the first of his daughters' ill-usage
to this sad period of his decay. (Adjective clause, qualifying Earl of Kent in A.)
a3. That it was he. (Noun clause, object of understand in A.)
a4. Who had followed him under the name of Caius. (Adjective clause, subordinate to a3,
qualifying he.)
B. But Lears's care-crazed brain at that time could not comprehend (Principal clause,
coordinate with A.)
b1. How that could be. (Noun clause, object of comprehend in B.)
b2. Or how Kent and Caius could be the same person. (Noun clause, object of
comprehend in B; co-ordinate with b1.)
Exercise 57.
Analyse the following:-
1. I am satisfied with things as they are; and it will be my pride and pleasure to hand
down this country to my children as I received it from those who preceded me.
2. Some politicians of our time lay it down as a self-evident proposition that no people
ought to be free till they are fit to use their freedom.
3. He [a gentleman] never speaks of himself except when compelled, never defends
himself by a mere retort; he has no ears for slander or gossip, is scrupulous in imputing
motives to those who interfere-with him, and interprets everything for the best,
4. Subhash Chandra Bose died before his aim was achieved, and yet he will always be
remembered as a great hero, who fought and sacrificed his life for the freedom of the
country.
5. The notice which you have been pleased to take of my labours, had it been early, had
been kind; but it has been delayed till I am indifferent, and cannot enjoy it.
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6. I hope it is no very cynical asperity not to confess obligations where no benefit has
been received, or to be unwilling that the public should consider me as owing that to a
patron, which Providence has enabled me to do for myself.
7. While I was doing this, I found the tide began to flow, though very calm, and I had the
mortification to see my coat, shirt, and waistcoat, which I had left on shore upon the sand,
swim away.
8. With reluctance he accepted the invitations of his kindly and faithful Persian friend,
who scolded him for refusing meat; but he replied that too much eating led man to
commit many sins.
9. Macaulay had wealth and fame, rank and power, and yet he tells us in his biography
that he owed the happiest hours of his life to books.
10. A literary education is simply one of many different kinds of education and it is not
wise that more than a small percentage of the people of any country should have an
exclusively literary education.
11. The way into my parlour is up a winding stair, And I've many curious things to show
when you are there.
12. They love to see the flaming forge,
And hear the bellows soar,
And catch the burning sparks that fly.
Like chaff from a threshing floor.
13. The friends who had left came back every one,
And darkest advisers looked bright as the sun.
14. She lived unknown and few could know,
When Lucy ceased to be.
15. Three wives sat up in the lighthouse tower,
And they trimmed the lamps as the sun went down.
16. His hair was yellow as hay.
But threads of a silvery grey
Gleamed in his tawny beard.
Exercise 58.
(Miscellaneous) Analyse the following:-
1. When Abraham sat at his tent door, according to his custom, waiting to entertain
strangers, he espied an old man, stooping and leaning on his
staff, weary with age and travel, coming towards him. who was a hundred years of age.
2. When the old man was gone, God called to Abraham and asked him where the stranger
was.
3. He replied, I thrust him away because he did not worship Thee.
4. While you are upon Earth enjoy the good things that are here (to that end were they
given) and be not melancholy, and wish yourself in heaven.
5. There is no saying shocks me so much as that which I hear very often that a man does
not know how lo pass his time.
6. You must observe, my friend, that it is the custom of this country, when a lady or
gentleman happens to sing, for the company to sit as mute and as motionless as statues.
7. Mr. Burchell had scarce taken leave, and Sophia consented to dance with the chaplain,
when my little ones came running out to tell us that the Squire was come with a crowd of
company.
8. I hope it will give comfort to great numbers who are passing through the world in
obscurity, when I inform them how easily distinction may be obtained.
9. All who have meant good work with their whole hearts, have done good work,
although they may die before they have the time to sign it.
10. We are told that, while still a mere child, he stole away from his playfellows to a
vault in St. James's Fields, for the purpose of investigating the cause of a singular echo
which he had observed there.
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11. The slave who was at his work not far from the place where this astonishing piece of
cruelty was committed, hearing the shrieks of the dying person ran to see what was the
occasion of them.
12. Every insignificant author fancies it of importance to the world to know that he wrote
his book in the country, that he did it to pass away some of his idle hours, that it was
published at the importunity of friends, or that his natural temper, studies, or conversation
directed him to the choice of his subject.
13. I consider a human soul without education like marble in the quarry, which shows
none of its inherent beauties, until the skill of the polisher fetches out the colours, makes
the surface shine, discovers every ornamental cloud, spot, and view that run through the
body of it.
14. When the Athenians in the war with the Lacedaemonians received many defeats both
by sea and land, they sent a message to the oracle of Jupiter Ammon, to ask the reason
why they who erected so many temples to the gods, and adorned them with such costly
offerings, should be less successful than the Lacedaemonians, who fell so short of them
in all these particulars.
15. He that holds fast the golden mean,
And lives contentedly between
The little and the great,
Feels not the wants that pinch the poor,
Nor plagues that haunt the rich man's door,
Embittering all his state.
A work from S. CHAND & COMPANY LTD.
CHAPTER 10
TRANSFORMATION OF SENTENCES
71. The student has already learnt that a phrase can be expanded into a clause and a
clause contracted into a phrase; that is, the form of a sentence can be changed without
changing the meaning. In this chapter we shall show some other ways of changing the
form of a sentence.
The conversion or transformation of sentences is an excellent exercise as it teaches
variety of expression in writing English.
1. Sentences containing the Adverb “too”
72. We can change the form of a sentence containing the adverb “too”, as shown below:-
1. The news is too good to be true.
The news is so good that it cannot to be true.
2. These mangoes are too cheap to be good.
These mangoes are so cheap that they cannot be good.
3. He drove too fast for the police to catch.
He drove so fast that the police could not catch him. Exercise 59. Rewrite the following
sentences so as to get rid of the Adverb 'too':-
1. It is never too late to mend.
2. He is too proud to beg.
3. My heart is too full for words.
4. He was too late to hear the first speech.
5. He is too ignorant for a postman.
6. The boy was too old for whipping.
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7. This tree is too high for me to climb.
8. He speaks too fast to be understood.
9. He is far too stupid for such a difficult post.
10. She was sobbing too deeply to make any answer.
11. This fact is too evident to require proof.
12. The work is too much for any man to do single-handed.
13. That shirt is too small for me.
14. The bag was too heavy for me to carry.
2. Interchange of the Degrees of Comparison
73. As the following examples show, it is possible to change the Degree of Comparison
of an Adjective or Adverb in a sentence, without changing the meaning of the sentence.
Positive. -- I am as strong as him.
Comparative. -- He is not stronger than me.
Positive. --This razor is not as sharp as that one.
Comparative. -- That razor is sharper than this one.
Positive. -- Few historians write as interestingly as Joshi.
Comparative. -- Joshi writes more interestingly than most historians.
Positive. -- No other metal is as useful as iron.
Comparative. -- Iron is more useful than any other metal.
Superlative. -- Iron is the most useful of all metals.
Superlative. -- India is the largest democracy in the world.
Comparative. -- India is larger than any other democracy in the world.
Positive. -- No other democracy in the world is as large as India.
Superlative. -- Mumbai is one of the richest cities in India.
Comparative. -- Mumbai is richer than most other cities in India.
Positive. -- Very few cities in India are as rich as Mumbai.
Superlative. -- Usha Kiran is not the tallest of all the buildings in the city.
Comparative. -- Usha Kiran is not taller than some other buildings in the city.
OR
Some other buildings in the city are perhaps tatter than Usha Kiran.
positive. -- Some other buildings in the city are at least as tall as Usha Kiran.
OR
Usha Kiran is perhaps not as tall as some other buildings in the city.
Superlative. -- Naomi is not one of the cleverest girls in the class.
Comparative. -- Some girls of the class are cleverer than Naomi,.
OR
Naomi is less clever than some other girls of the class.
Positive. -- Naomi is not so clever as some other girls of the class.
Exercise 60.
Change the Degree of Comparison without changing the meaning:-
1. Abdul is as strong as his brother.
2. Akbar was one of the greatest kings.
3. Some boys are at least as industrious as Karim.
4. Mahabaleshwar is cooler than Mysore.
5. No other bowler in the eleven is so good as Rama.
6. Very few cities in India are as big as Chennai.
7. No other story-book is so popular as The Arabian Nights.
8. This pony is better trained than yours.
9. This Church is the biggest in Mumbai.
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10. This newspaper has a bigger circulation than any other morning paper.
11. Helen of Troy was more beautiful than any other woman.
12. The airplane flies faster than birds.
13. Hyderabad is one of the biggest of Indian cities.
14. Some beans are at least as nutritious as meat.
15. Samudra Gupta was one of the greatest of Indian kings.
16. Australia is the largest island in the world.
17. Very few Indo-Anglian novelists are as great as R.K. Narayan.
18. This is one of the hottest districts in India.
19. It is better to starve than beg.
20. He loves all his sons equally well.
3. Interchange of Active and Passive Voice
74. A sentence in the Active form can be changed into the Passive form, and vice versa :-
Active. Brutus stabbed Caesar.
Passive. -- Caesar was stabbed by Brutus.
Active. -- The people will make him President.
Passive. -- He will be made President by the people.
Active. -- Who taught you grammar?
Passive. -- By whom were you taught grammar?/Who were you taught grammar by? --
By whom was grammar taught to you ?
Active. -- The Governor gave him a reward.
Passive. -- He was given a reward by the Governor.
A reward was given him by the Governor.
Active. -- The Romans expected to conquer Carthage.
Passive. -- It was expected by the Romans that they would conquer Carthage.
Active. -- One should keep one's, promises.
Passive. -- Promises should be kept.
Active. -- I know her.
Passive. -- She is known to me.
Active. -- My captors were taking me to prison.
Passive. -- I was being taken to prison by my captors.
Active. -- His behaviour vexes me sometimes.
Passive. -- I am sometimes vexed at his behaviour.
Active. -- It is time to shut up the shop.
Passive. -- It is time for the shop to be shut up.
Active. -- The audience loudly cheered the Mayor's speech.
Passive. -- The Mayor's speech was loudly cheered.
Note:- Whenever it is evident who the agent (i.e., doer of the action) is, it is unnecessary
to mention him in the passive form, and this omission gives a neater turn to the sentence.
Thus in the last example the agent is not mentioned in the passive form because only
those who heard the speech could have cheered it.
Passive. -- My pocket has been picked.
Active. -- Someone has picked my pocket.
Passive. -- Our army has been defeated.
Active. -- The enemy has defeated our army.
Passive. -- I shall be obliged to go.
Active. -- Circumstances will oblige me to go.
Note:- The Active Voice is used when the agent, or actor, is to be
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made prominent; the Passive, when the thing acted upon is to be made prominent. Hence
the Passive Voice may be used when the agent is unknown, or when we do not care to
name the agent ; as, "The ship was wrecked."
Exercise 61.
Change the following sentences into the Passive form. (Omit the agent where possible.)
1. Premchand wrote this novel.
2. We admire the brave.
3. I bought the baby a doll.
4. They know me.
5. He invited me to his house yesterday.
6. They enjoy bathing.
7. I opened the door.
8. 1 read the book long ago.
9. Pakistan expected to win the match.
10. The master appointed him monitor.
11. Who taught you such tricks as these?
12. Brutus accused Caesar of ambition.
13. The boy is climbing the cliff.
14. He taught me to read Persian.
15. One expects better behaviour from a college student.
16. They showed a video of The Titanic'.
17. You must endure what you cannot cure.
18. The King reviewed the troops in the maidan.
19. The curator of the museum showed us some ancient coins.
20. They have pulled down the old house.
21. The rules forbid passengers to cross the railway line.
22. He made his wife do the work.
23. Nature teaches beasts to know their friends.
24. All desire wealth and some acquire it.
25. Lincoln emancipated four million African slaves.
26. We expect good news.
27. They propose to build a dam for irrigation purposes.
28. I offered him a chair.
29. The French surrendered Quebec to the English in 1759.
30. He showed me the greatest respect.
31. Alas ! we shall hear his voice no more.
32. Shall I ever forget those happy days ?
33. Do you not understand my meaning ?
34. We must listen to his words.
Exercise 62.
Rewrite the following sentences in the Passive form. (Omit the agent where possible.)
1. Macbeth hoped to succeed Duncan.
2. Who taught you Urdu?
3. They found him guilty of murder.
4. The King immediately gave orders that he should be imprisoned.
5. Somebody has put out the light.
6. They laughed at his warnings and objected to all his proposals.
7. The Swiss regarded him as an impostor and called him a villain.
8. I have kept the money in the safe.
9. He pretended to be a baron.
10. His subordinates accused him of various offences.
11. I saw him opening the box.
12. He ordered the police to pursue the thief.
13. One cannot gather grapes from thistles.
14. You never hear of a happy millionaire.
15. The public will learn with astonishment that war is imminent.
16. Did you never hear that name?
17. The legend tells us how the castle received its name.
18. Do not insult the weak.
19. Why did he defraud you of your earnings.
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Exercise 63.
Change the following sentences into the Active form:-
1. The letter was written by the clerk.
2. Without effort nothing can be gamed.
3. “Shakuntala” was written by Kalidas.
4. I was struck by his singular appearance.
5. He was seen by my brother.
6. He was chosen leader.
7. Honey is made by bees.
8. The bird was killed by a cruel boy.
9. The steam-engine was invented by Watt.
10. The mouse was kilted by the cat.
11. The boy was praised by the teacher.
12. The Exhibition was opened by the Prime Minister.
13. By whom was this jug broken?
14. 1 was offered a chair.
15. We shall be blamed by everyone.
16. He will be gladdened by the sight.
17. The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell.
18. My watch has been stolen.
19. A king may be looked at by a cat.
20. The telegraph wires have been cut.
21. Harsh sentences were pronounced on the offenders.
22. This question will be discussed at the meeting tomorrow.
23. Why should I be suspected by you?
24. Stones should not be thrown by those who live in glass houses.
25. He will be greatly surprised if he is chosen.
26. The ship was set on fire and abandoned by the crew.
27. He was arrested on a charge of theft, but for lack of evidence he was released.
4. Interchange of Affirmative and Negative Sentences
75. Study the following examples.
1. Brutus loved Caesar.
Brutus was not without love for Caesar.
2. I was doubtful whether it was you.
I was not sure that it was you.
3. Old fools surpass all other fools in folly.
There's no fool like an old fool.
4. He is greater than me.
I am not so great as him.
