The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-04-21
aThe House ID Being Built.

having hppS1ESN saf baic ElIHI VA w. " sAl.
Louisville Home ard School journal Of
Popular Education, IS learned, logical and
as nearly exhaustive rs any article could be
on such subject. II leaves but little to be
said on his side Of che question. The conn
n,ents Of the editor of the Journal afford
however, basis FOR q long reioinder. This
gentleman is an antiquated purist OF the
well-known pattern, and repeats the stale
arguments OF his class with as much gusto
and superciliousness as il they were new.
Who has not heard one Of them say that
SHAKESPEARE and MILTON never used the
phrase is being built? We reply that
HOMER got along without using the English
language at all. What does that fact prove
SHAKESPEARE, to borrow JOHN PHGNIXs
idea, never saw q iucifer match, nor rail-
road, nor steamboat, nor telegraph;
never heard OF spectrum analysis, nor the
nebular hypothesis, nor the correlation OF
forces; and probably was, like his contem-
porary Lord BACON, u firm believer in the
Ptolemaic system OF the universe. But
what does all that prove rs to the question
before us, Nothing. What we want to
know is whether it is correct to say "the
house is being built" In discussing the
question we shall be merely a cleaner IN the
field which Professor HARRISON has rcapcd.
We consider it one OF the most remarka-
bic OF facts that this word building
should have caused more controversy than
all the other participates in the English Ian
guage. 1t is the whole stock in trade OF
the would-bc purists. There Is no other
word in WORCESTER or. w EBSTEH that would
so we'll answer their purpose. The mean
ing OF the sentence, the house is build
inr." cannot be mistaken. Everybody
knows what it is. 1t being impossible
that the house should be "bulldlng,
there is not even any ambiguity in
the language. 1t is accepted as an intel
ligiblc substitute for 'being built" But II
we were to say "the house is erecting" or
"the house is painting white" or "the
house is stuccoing," or "the house is scrub
bine," or s.the house is cleaning" or "the
house is whitewashing," the editor OF the
Journal would possibly begin to doubt his
own theory. One illustration ought to be
sufficient to open the eyes of these blind
guides. "The house is moving" does
not convey the same meaning as "the
house is being moved" "To move"
is q verb which is used both tlansitiycly and
intransitively. Now "moving" is used in
transitively in the sentence "the house is
moving II, then. we wish to use the pas
sive form OF the transitiyc verb, we are COM
pelied to say. the house is being moved"
So with "shaking" and 'being shaken"
The "house is shaking is not the equiva-
lent OF "the house is being Shaken The
house is both the subie ct OF tile verb and the
object OF action ab extra in the one case,
whilst in the other it is not. ts.
These differing verbs give us the clew to
the secret Of the whole trouble. The verbs
of our language are not properly classified.
"To love" is transitiye verb; but evil
IDENTIFY very different verb from "to
build Though both are set down as transi-
tive verbs. The one expresses progressive
and uncompleted action. The other ex-
presses what is Just as complete at one mo-
mcnt as at another. "She is loved" Is
good English. :" Being" would be in
correct if interjected here between the
two words. But "to build" and "to
whip" and "to eat" and thousand
other verbs, express positive action,
incomplete action. The Journal changes
its mode OF expression to avoid the absurd
ity that would result from consistency.
We say "the house is being built" and
also, % the bread is being eaten," but the
Journal, though it says "the house is
building" is compelled to change it's form
Of expression when it comes to the other
word, and says, not "tlie bread Is eat
ing" which would he good English II the
other were, but "thc bread is eaten" So
also it says - the boy is whipped" which is
not the equivalent of "the boy is being
whipped but means that the whipping is
already done--completed. As Professor
HARRISON says, the form OF expression we
are contending for is necessity OF our
speech. We must have it il we are to
express passive progression OF progressive
acllOu. Dut VIC GCV w o.ts ludI
whilst the words sis being" are ne
cessary auNiliaries when we would
change an active-trMlstiye verb into n
passive verb, or rather, use its passive form,
they are inclegant, incorrect, and offensive
when used with verbs that arc merely transit
tive and express no action. ''She is hated"
"sl,e is loved.'' she is despiscd," 90 she is
envied," each OF these verbs expresses
passion as complete now as it will ever be
not IN action being completed. And this
last sentence suggests another illustration
or argument from analogy. "The house is
being completed" is not the equivalent OF
"the house is complctcd"; this last means
exactly the same as ''the house is COM
plete." Yet it would be absurd to write
'the house is completing" though this is
just what the JouInG! would have to write
| il its doctrine were true. When the verb
is merely transit:Ye and not active
TINT s not expressing progressive actlon,-
the active form is also different from the
active form Of verb which is merely trans
tive. Thus we do not write, "she is low
| ing him." but ;'she loves him." and so
when we use the passive form we do not
write, "she is being loved" but 'she is
| loved" On the contrary, when the verb
| expresses progressive action, we write in