And this instrument was here to his hand. || It was the beginning of a great century for France. This was the seventeenth century. It was a great century because men's minds were working then. Then, too, the French language was forming. || Richelieu sent to the members of the new society. He asked them whether they would be willing to become a body with a public character. He wanted them to hold regular meetings. to his hand. It was a great century for France, the seventeenth; men's minds were working, the French language was forming. Richelieu sent to ask the members of the new society whether they would be willing to become a body with a public character, holding regular meetings." ARNOLD, Essay on the Literary IV. When the thought of the sentence includes many subordinate ideas, see that the clauses containing them be properly subordinated to the main clause. Incorrect Form. EXAMPLES. The figure of St. Francis appeared in the beginning of the thirteenth century, and in the beautiful Umbrian country at the foot of the Apennines, to the north of Rome, in Italy, and this was when the clouds and storms had come, and the Correct Form. "In the beginning of the thirteenth century, when the clouds and storms had come, when the gay, sensuous, pagan life was gone, when men were not living by the senses and understanding, when they were looking for the speedy coming of Anti gay, sensuous, pagan life christ, there appeared in Italy, to the north of Rome, ARNOLD, Essay on Pagan and Notice that the incorrect form of the above passage consists of six principal clauses expressing six ideas, which are thus made of equal importance. The correct form consists of one principal clause containing the main thought of the sentence, and of a number of subordinate clauses expressing the less important ideas, which are thus made properly subordinate to the main thought. Incorrect Form. The great fountain rose out of a low cave of rock, at the foot of a limestone crag, and it quelled and bubbled and gurgled, and it was very clear, and you could not tell where the water ended and the air began; and it ran away under the road among blue geranium, and golden globe-flower, and wild raspberry, and the bird-cherry, and it was a stream large enough to turn a mill. Correct Form. "Out of a low cave of rock, at the foot of a limestone crag, the great fountain rose, quelling and bubbling and gurgling, so clear that you could not tell where the water ended and the air began; and ran away under the road, a stream large enough to turn a mill, among blue geranium, and golden globe-flower, and wild raspberry, and the bird-cherry." The Water-Babies. Notice that the incorrect form of the above passage consists of six principal clauses expressing six ideas made equally important. The correct form has but two principal clauses, which together give the main thought. The first principal clause in the incorrect form is the first principal clause in the correct form; the second clause in the incorrect passage is replaced in the correct form by present participles which subordinate the idea expressed; the third clause is replaced in the original by an adjective, the fourth, by a subordinate clause, both of which serve to make the ideas expressed by them subordinate; the fifth clause of the incorrect passage is the second principal clause of the correct; the sixth is replaced in the original by a noun in apposition. Incorrect Form. The great elm trees in the gold-green meadows were fast asleep above, and the cows fast asleep beneath them; nay, a few clouds were about and they were fast asleep likewise, and so tired that they had lain down on the earth to rest, and there were long white flakes and bars of them among the stems of the elm trees; and they were waiting for the sun to bid them rise and go about their day's business in the clear blue overhead. Correct Form. "The great elm trees in the gold-green meadows were fast asleep above, and the cows fast asleep beneath them; nay, the few clouds which were about were fast asleep likewise, and so tired that they had lain down on the earth to rest, in long white. flakes and bars, among the stems of the elm trees, waiting for the sun to bid them rise and go about their day's business in the clear blue overhead." The Water-Babies. The incorrect form of the above passage has six principal clauses, the correct form, three; the first two clauses in both are the same; the third clause in the incorrect passage is replaced in the original by a relative clause; the fourth is the third principal clause of the correct form; the fifth is replaced by an adverbial phrase; the sixth, by a participle. 1 LESSON IX. EXERCISE. Observe carefully the means used in the above passages to make the unimportant ideas of a sentence subordinate to the main thought; then turn to the illustrations under Divisions I., II., III., Lesson VIII. Divide the sentences, both incorrect and correct, into clauses, and point out by what means the ideas which should be less prominent are in the correct sentences made subordinate to the main idea. LESSON X. EXERCISE. Combine or break up the following incorrect passages, into sentences containing one main thought, to which all the associated ideas are properly subordinated. 1. Dolly sighed gently and held out the cakes to Silas. He thanked her kindly and looked very close at them, 1 Since the coördinative relative is equivalent to a conjunction and a personal or demonstrative pronoun (see Part I., Lesson XII.), a coordinative relative clause may often replace a clause of explanation or a clause introduced by coördinative conjunctions, such as, "and," 66 "for," "but." absently. He was accustomed to look so at everything he took into his hand. He was eyed all the while by the wondering bright orbs of the small Aaron. Aaron had made an outwork of his mother's chair, and was peeping round from behind it. [The original passage consists of one sentence having one principal clause and several subordinate clauses.] 2. So he and his master set out, and Grimes rode the donkey in front, and Tom and the brushes walked behind, and they went out of the court, and up the street, past the closed window-shutters, and the winking, weary policemen, and the roofs were all shining gray in the gray dawn, and they passed through the pitmen's village, but it was all shut up and silent now, and through the turnpike, and then they were out in the real country, and plodding along the black, dusty road, between black slag walls, and there was no sound but the groaning and thumping of the pit engine in the next field, but soon the road grew white and the walls likewise, and at the wall's foot grew long grass and gay flowers and they were all drenched with dew, and instead of the groaning of the pit engine they heard the skylark singing his matins high up in the air, and the pit bird was warbling in the sedges as he had warbled all night long. [The original consists of three sentences, the first two having principal clauses only, the third, principal and subordinate.] 3. They came to a spring at last at the bottom of a hill. It was not such a spring as you see here. A spring here soaks up out of a white gravel in a bog, among red flycatchers, and pink bottle heath, and sweet |