The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-11-24
Judge Robinson Conducts
Weekly Class In Grammar

Justice ]. z. Robinson, North Da-
kota supreme court, In his weekly
letter, released for publication today
conducts q grammar and compost
ton" class. Says Justice Robinson:
And now for grammar and
composition: have just been look
ing over a History OF American
Literature since 1870. It reminds me
Of some court decisions. 1t is too
pedantic and IL says too much about
nothing. The sentences are not
always in good consecutive marching
order and the subject is often too
far from the predicate. In one
sentence the subject is the title of
twenty books and the predicate is:
ARE only the better known books of
the list" One must read the whole
tiresome list of books before he
can know what is said of them. It
were better to write thus: These
are only the better known books OF
the list" and then to name the
books.
Here is a terrible sentence for a
professor of literature to compose:
Everett, the eloquent voice Of New
England, correct, polished, fervid, mass
imperfect periods to &C limax, scholar
ly sonorous of diction, studied OF
movement, finished, left the platform
after his efforts, satisfied Ten
adtectives or adjective phrases are
put between the subject and the
predicate. 1t were better in two
sentences, thus: Everett, the
eloquent voice of New England was
correst, polished, fervid, etc. He left
the platform after his long effort,
satisfied"
In Shakespeare there is always a
he
and the predicate.
Venus with Adonis sitting by her,
Under a myrtle shade began to WOO
him;
She told the youngling how God
Mars did try her
And as he fell to her she fell to
him.
Good writing is readable without
the least fatigue. 1t is smooth, easily
spoken and easily read. Here is an
other sentence by the professor: IF
We call the age Of Longfellow a
romantic period, then this revolt Of
the seventies was a new romantic
ism, for romanticism always in
broadcast sense seems q revolution
against orthodoxy. Read ii thus:
If we call the age of Longfellow a
romantic period, then this revolt of
the seventies was a new romantic
ism; for in the broadcast sense,
romanticism is always a revolution
against orthodoxy.
Christianson. j.: 1.-THE complaint
AYERS and the evidence shows that
plaintiff came out of the store build
ing through a side door in the dark
one evening about the middle of Au-
gust, 1909, and run into a push cart
standing on the sidewalk, then
against the open hatchway and fell
to the bottom, a distance of five
feet" C164 n. w. 14S.)
Robinson, J.: One evening about
the middle of August, 1909-as the
complaint AYERS and the evidence
shows-the plaintiff in the dark
came out of the store building
through a side door. ran into a push
cart standing on the sidewalk and
ran against the open hatchway and
fell to the bottom, distance of Ave
feet.
We should commence the sentence
with the adbervial phrases of time
and place and bring the subject
close to the predicate thus:
When the roses kiss the moonbeams,
In the gloam of evening twilight
And the little birds have hid their
heads in sleep,
1t is then / love to wander,
With my sweetheart meath the star
light
And to tell her goo-goo stories of the
deep.
You should note well how the
adverbal lines of time and place
precede the main sentence.
Here is a short story told in a
simple manner. The nouns and
verbs do all agree.