ositions, in Rule 20th.

OBS. 23.--The _Arrangement_ of words, (which will be sufficiently treated
of in the observations hereafter to be made on the several rules of
construction,) is an important part of syntax, in which not only the beauty
but the propriety of language is intimately concerned, and to which
particular attention should therefore be paid in composition. But it is to
be remembered, that the mere collocation of words in a sentence never
affects the method of parsing them: on the contrary, the same words,
however placed, are always to be parsed in precisely the same way, so long
as they express precisely the same meaning. In order to show that we have
parsed any part of an inverted or difficult sentence rightly, we are at
liberty to declare the meaning by any arrangement which will make the
construction more obvious, provided we retain both the sense and all the
words unaltered; but to drop or alter any word, is to pervert the text
under pretence of resolving it, and to make a mockery of parsing. Grammar
rightly learned, enables one to understand both the sense and the
construction of whatsoever is rightly written; and he who reads what he
does not understand, reads to little purpose. With great indignity to the
muses, several pretenders to grammar have foolishly taught, that, "In
parsing poetry, in order to _come at the meaning_ of the author, the
learner will find it necessary to transpose his language."--_Kirkham's
Gram._, p. 166. See also the books of _Merchant, Wilcox, O. B. Peirce,
Hull, Smith, Felton_, and others, to the same effect. To what purpose can
he _transpose_ the words of a sentence, who does not first see what they
mean, and how to explain or parse them as they stand?

OBS. 24.--Errors innumerable have been introduced into the common modes of
parsing, through a false notion of what constitutes a _simple sentence_.
Lowth, Adam, Murray, Gould, Smith, Ingersoll, Comly, Lennie, Hiley,
Bullions, Wells, and many others, say, "A simple sentence has in it _but
one subject_, and _one finite verb_: as, 'Life is short.'"--_L. Murray's
Gram._, p. 141. In accordance with this assertion, some assume, that,
"Every nominative _has its own verb_ expressed or understood;" and that,
"Every verb (except in the infinitive mood and participle) _has its own
nominative_ expressed or understood."--_Bullions's E. Gram._, p. 87. The
adopters of these dogmas, of course think it right to _supply_ a nominative
whenever