english grammar

THE PARTICIPLE            Read this sentence:- Hearing the noise, the boy woke up. The word hearing qualifies the noun boy as an Adjective does. It is formed from the Verb hear, and governs an object. The word hearing, therefore, partakes of the nature of both a Verb and an Adjective, and is called a Participle. It may be called a Verbal Adjective. Def. - A participle is that form of the Verb which partakes of the nature both of a Verb and of an Adjective. [Or] A participle is a word which is partly a Verb and partly an adjective. [Note. - The phrase 'Hearing the noise', which is introduced by a Principle, is called a Participle Phrase. According to its use here, it is an Adjective Phrase.] Study the following examples of Participles: We met a girl carrying a basket of flowers. Loudly knocking at the gate, he demanded admission. The child, thinking all was safe, attempted to cross the road. He ru...

THE INFINITIVE Read these sentences; I want to go. They tried to find fault with us. The forms to go and to find are "infinitives." The infinitive is the base of a verb, often followed by to. Read the following sentences:- To err is human. Birds love to sing. To respect our parents is our duty. He refused to obey the orders. Many men desire to make money quickly. In sentence 1, the Infinitive, like a noun, is the Subject of the verb is. In sentence 2, the Infinitive, like a noun, is the Object of the verb love. In sentence 3, the Infinitive, like a noun, is the Subject of the verb is, but, like a verb, it also takes an object. In sentence 4, the Infinitive, like a noun, is the Object of the verb refused, but, like a verb, it also takes an object. In sentence 5, the Infinitive, like a noun, is the Object of the verb desire, but, like a verb, it also takes an Object and is modified by an Adverb. It will be seen that the Infin...