WHITNEY'S ESSENTIALS OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR. 373 



also reduces the tenses to two, present and preterit, calling the others '-verb 

 phrases or compound verbal forms." "We also find the verb to he among 

 the ''verbs of incomplete predication:" the old-fashioned present passive 

 participle being loved is called a ''present passive participial infinitive 

 phrase." The passive voice is so far abandoned, with the exception of the 

 present and past or perfect passive participle, that such a form of speech 

 as "was broken" is described as "a passive verb phrase, composed of the 

 auxiliary icas and the past participle hrolien of the verb break.'' 



We miss the adjective pronouns and find them classed as '-indefinite 

 pronominal adjectives." .Conjunctions have been changed from "copulative 

 and disjunctive" to -'co-ordinating" and "subordinating." Other changes 

 equally striking have been made, but we have given enough to serve the 

 purpose named. 



The chapters upon Sentences and parts of speech ; Derivation and com- 

 position, and Syntax, are excellent, and full of condensed information 

 and instruction. They seem to have received the commendation of all 

 critics, teachers and professors who have given their views to the public, 

 and are deserving of the perusal of all lovers of fine work. 



The exj)lanations of the causes for the various rules given are simple 

 and clear, and, followed as they are, by illustrations and examples for pars- 

 ing, these rules make a much greater impression than when arbitrarily 

 stated in the usual manner. It appears also that much of the "tedious no- 

 menclature" of the more recent school grammars has been cleared away, 

 which, of course, will popularize it Avith the teachers, one of the most dis- 

 tinguished of whom saj'S, "it is philosophical, without formality, and leads 

 the student beyond the mere mechanics of language to its life." 



It bears the evidences, in every part, of the hand of the philologist as 

 well as that of the grammarian. In fact, we think that the former prepon- 

 derates in many instances, although the style is extremely simple and un- 

 pretentious. 



The objection, if there be any, seems to be that as a text book for younger 

 students it is too lax and devoid of fixed rules, and thus too much liberty is 

 given for the introduction of expressions Avhich have no higher origin than 

 rather common usage, especially in the substitution of adjectives for ad- 

 verbs and the allowing of the use of the objective case after impersonal and 

 neuter verbs. For teachers and older pupils, whose principles of correct 

 writing and speaking are fixed, so to speak, it may be well enough to de- 

 pend upon illustrations to give a certain necessary freedom or absence of 

 formality of style, but to beginners, too much rigid adherence to absolute 

 rules cannot be inculcated. 



We also think that the author might have been a little more particular 

 in the selection of some of his illustrations, as they involve forms of speech 

 and grammatical construction which are not, as far as we can observe, pro- 

 vided for among the rules laid down. 



We also observe a cai-elessness in the construction of some of the sen- 



