Theocratic Aid To Kingdom Publishers

Lesson 22

VALUE OF PARTS OF SPEECH

Some speak by "ear", thinking that if to them their speech sounds right it is correct. Not necessarily so. Their ear may not be properly trained. The speech their ear is accustomed to hearing habitually sounds right to them, though it may be actually incorrect. We must recognize error as such by our knowledge of parts of speech.

One often hears expressions similar to the following: He don't appreciate his service privileges. They arrested witness Smith and I for preaching the gospel. Who do you serve? Each one of the witnesses have gone to their assignments. I feel badly. All of these contain errors that might be easily avoided by having a knowledge of parts of speech.

Two of these sentences contain errors in number. One of the rules concerning verbs is that they must agree in number with their subjects. The use of he don't is very common, yet it is incorrect. Don't is a contraction of do not. Do is plural, and he is singular. One would not say he do not, but he does not, or he doesn't appreciate his service privileges. Another error in number is the statement, "Each one of the witnesses have gone to their assignments." Each one is singular, and takes the singular verb, has, not the plural, have. Also the possessive pronoun (here wrongly their] should agree in number with its antecedent, the singular each one. The singular possessive pronoun his should be substituted for the plural their. The sentence

would correctly read: "Each one of the witnesses has gone to his assignment." An error in number of pronoun was made by the translators of the Bible, at Philippians 2:3, by improperly rendering the Greek idiom: "Let each esteem other better than themselves." Himself, not themselves, should be used, since each is singular. The American Standard Version correctly uses himself.

Then there is the matter of case. Two of the examples erred in its use. Pronouns, depending upon their use in the sentence, are in one of three cases —nominative, possessive, or objective. The personal pronoun in the first person singular, for example: I is nominative, my is possessive, and me is in the objective case. The sentence given, "They arrested witness Smith and I for preaching the gospel." has an error in case commonly made. Witness Smith and I are both the object of the verb arrested, and the pronoun should therefore be in the objective case. One would not say, 'They arrested I, but me. So "They arrested witness Smith and me" is correct. In the example, "Who do you serve? whom (the objective case form), not who, should be used. Whom is the object of the verb serve. You serve Him, meaning Jehovah. Him is the objective case of he. One would not say "you serve he". He is in the nominative case, the same as who is in the nominative case. So "Whom do you serve?" is correct. Matthew 16:15, by translating literally according to the Greek idiom, errs in case: "Whom say ye that I am?" It should be who. I am who? I am he, nominative case, not I am him or I am whom, which are in the objective case. The American Standard Version has it correct, using who.

Now for the last example mentioned. "I feel badly." If you intend to say you do not feel in good health, that you are indisposed, then to say "I feel badly" is wrong. Badly is an adverb. Adverbs modify verbs, not pronouns; so here the adverb badly would refer to the verb feel and not to the pronoun I. Adverbs show manner, not condition. Therefore to say "I feel badly" one actually is saying that his

manner of feeling, that is his sense of touch, is defective. Now, adjectives describe condition and modify pronouns; so if you want the 'bad' to refer to you, describing the condition of your health, use the adjective form, bad, not the adverb badly. Say "I feel bad". Many persons confuse adjectives and adverbs, adding ly when it is not needed and omitting it when it is required. A knowledge of parts of speech would easily settle the matter for them. Genesis 40:7 so errs: "He asked Pharaoh's officers that were with him in the ward of his lord's house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day?" It was not their manner of looking that was sad, as would be indicated by using the adverb sadly to modify the verb look, but they were sad. To Joseph the looks or appearance of these men was one of being sad. The men were sad. One wouldn't say, "they were sadly." The American Standard Version correctly says, "Wherefore look ye so sad to-day?" using the adjective form sad to modify and describe the pronoun ye.

So, from these few examples it may be seen how a knowledge of parts of speech will enable one to form correct speech habits; and, once they are formed, one will not have to stop and analyze his speech so frequently thereafter. If correctness of speech were all that this knowledge accomplished, that would be enough to justify its careful study. But note these additional advantages: It helps in understanding, in pronunciation, in using the dictionary and new words, in writing, and in Bible study.

In understanding: These eight parts of speech are words; these words are used by others in speaking and writing. The Watchtower publications use them occasionally when explaining the use of a word in a Scripture text. To appreciate and understand the point these publications are making in such instances, one must know the meaning of these words.

In pronunciation: We read in Genesis 27:33: "Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten

of all before thou earnest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed." Now, why are these two words, both spelled the same, pronounced differently? Because when it is a verb it is pronounced 'blest', and when an adjective it is preferably 'bless-ed'. In "have blessed him" it is a verb; in "he shall be blessed" it is an adjective, describing the condition of he. Other similar words are present' and pres'ent, prec'e-dent and pre-ce'dent.

In using the dictionary and new words: After the dictionary lists a word it gives the various parts of speech that word may be; and knowing how these parts of speech are correctly used, one is able to use the word correctly even though it be new to him.

In writing: To illustrate this, note the expression hook up. Should it be written as one word or as two words? It all depends on the part of speech as used in the sentence. If one says the Nazis and the Hierarchy hook up with each other to gain world domination, it is two words. Why? Because hook is here used as a verb, and up as an adverb; and hence they must be written as the two words they are. The dictionary shows hook to be a verb or a noun, but hookup (one word) is shown as only a noun, and not a verb. If one were to say that the hookup of the Nazi-Hierarchy gangsters is an unholy alliance, he would write hookup as one word, since it is there used as a noun.

Last, in Bible study: This is particularly noteworthy in the use of exhaustive concordances. The introductory matter in Young's mentions relative and personal pronouns, verbs, nouns, conjunctions, and adjectives. Let us examine Cruden's for a moment. In listing words, Cruden's often groups texts containing a word according to the part of speech that word is in the various texts. For example, scriptures under fast are divided into three sections, listing separately texts where fast is used as a noun, as a verb, and as an adverb. If one wishes to find the text "Is it such a fast that I have chosen.?" where will one look? If one recognizes fast here used as a noun, or substantive, one

will immediately look under that grouping, and save time. If searching for "When ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance", look under the VERB grouping of the word fast. Or if one desires to locate the text "If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another man", one will first look under the ADVERB group if one recognizes that fast as here used is that part of speech. In addition to concordances, different Bible translations (such as the Diaglott and the American Standard Version) discuss grammar and parts of speech in their prefaces.

Therefore learn parts of speech, to speak correctly, to save time in using concordances, and to derive fullest advantage from exhaustive concordances and Bible translations.