any great effort."--Blair's Rhet., p. 32. "One would imagine, that these criticks never so much as heard of Homer's having written first."--Pope's Preface to Homer. "Condemn the book, for its not being a geography."--O. B. Peirce's Gram., p. 317. "There will be in many words a transition from their being the figurative to their being the proper signs of certain ideas."--Campbell's Rhet., p. 322. "The doctrine of the Pope's being the only source of ecclesiastical power."--Religious World, ii, 290. "This has been the more expedient from the work's being designed for the benefit of private learners."--Murray's Exercises, Introd., p. v. "This was occasioned by the Grammar's having been set up, and not admitting of enlargement."--Ib., Advertisement, p. ix.
RULE V.--OBJECTIVES.
A Noun or a Pronoun made the object of an active-transitive verb or participle, is governed by it in the objective case: as, "I found her assisting him"--"Having finished the work, I submit it."
"Preventing fame, misfortune lends him wings,
And Pompey's self his own sad story brings."
--Rowe's Lucan, B. viii, l. 66.
OBSERVATIONS ON RULE V.
OBS. 1.--To this rule there are no exceptions; but to the old one adopted by Murray and others, "Active verbs govern the objective case," there are more than any writer will ever think it worth his while to enumerate. In point of brevity, the latter has the advantage, but in nothing else; for, as a general rule for NOUNS AND PRONOUNS, this old brief assertion is very defective; and, as a rule for "THE SYNTAX OF VERBS," under which head it has been oftener ranked, it is entirely useless and inapplicable. As there are four different constructions to which the nominative case is liable, so there are four in which the objective may be found; and two of these are common to both; namely, apposition, and sameness of case. Every objective is governed by some verb or participle, according to Rule 5th, or by some preposition, according to Rule 7th; except such as are put in apposition with others, according to Rule 3d, or after an infinitive or a participle not transitive, according to Rule 6th: as, "Mistaking one for the other, they took him, a sturdy fellow, called Red Billy, to be me." Here is every construction which the objective case can have; except, perhaps, that in which, as an expression of time, place, measure, or manner, it is taken after the fashion of an adverb, the governing preposition being suppressed, or, as some say, no governing word being needed. Of this exception, the following quotations may serve for examples: "It holds on by a single button round my neck, cloak-fashion"--EDGEWORTH'S Castle Rackrent. p. 17. A man quite at leisure to parse all his words, would have said, "in the fashion of a cloak." Again: "He does not care the rind of a lemon for her all the while."--Ib., p. 108. "We turn our eyes this way or that way."--Webster's Philos. Gram., p. 172; Frazee's Gram., 157. Among his instances of "the objective case restrictive," or of the noun "used in the objective, without a governing word," Dr. Bullions gives this: "Let us go home" But, according to the better opinion of Worcester, home is here an adverb, and not a noun. See Obs. 6th on Rule 7th.
OBS. 2.--The objective case generally follows the governing word: as, "And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him"--Gen., xlii, 8. But when it is emphatic, it often precedes the nominative; as, "Me he restored to mine office, and him he hanged."--Gen., xli, 13. "John have I beheaded."--Luke, ix, 9. "But me ye have not always."--Matt., xxvi, 11. "Him walking on a sunny hill he found."--Milton. In poetry, the objective is sometimes placed between the nominative and the verb; as,
"His daring foe securely him defied."--Milton.
"Much he the place admired, the person more."--Id.
"The broom its yellow leaf shed."--Langhorne.
If the nominative be a pronoun which cannot be mistaken for an objective, the words may possibly change places; as, "Silver and gold have I none."--Acts, iii, 6. "Created thing nought valued he nor shunn'd."--Milton, B. ii, l. 679. But such a transposition of two nouns can scarcely fail to render the meaning doubtful or obscure; as,
"This pow'r has praise, that virtue scarce can warm, Till fame supplies the universal charm."--Dr. Johnson.
A relative or an interrogative pronoun is commonly placed at the head of its clause, and of course it precedes the verb which governs it; as, "I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest."--Acts, ix, 5. "Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted?"--Ib., vii, 52.
"Before their Clauses plac'd, by settled use, The Relatives these Clauses introduce."--Ward's Gram., p. 86.
OBS. 3.--Every active-transitive verb or participle has some noun or pronoun for its object, or some pronominal adjective which assumes the relation of the objective case. Though verbs are often followed by the infinitive mood, or a dependent clause, forming a part of the logical predicate; yet these terms, being commonly introduced by a connecting particle, do not form such an object as is contemplated in our definition of a transitive verb. Its government of the objective, is
