CHAPTER VI

INDEPENDENT ELEMENTS

+501.+ +A word or group of words that has no grammatical connection with the sentence in which it stands is called an independent element.+

+Independent elements are of four kinds,--interjections, vocatives (or nominatives by direct address), exclamatory nominatives, and parenthetical expressions.+

_Ah!_ why did I undertake this task?

Help arrived, _alas!_ too late.

You are a strange man, _Arthur_.

_Mary_, come here!

Poor _Charles_! I am sorry for him.

_Clothes! clothes!_ you are always wanting clothes.

Lucky _she_! we are all envious of her prospects.

The first two sentences contain +interjections+ (§ 372); the second two, +vocatives+ (or nominatives by direct address) (§ 88, 3); the last three, +exclamatory nominatives+ (§ 88, 4).

When the independent word has a +modifier+ (as in the fifth and seventh examples), the whole phrase may be treated as an independent element.

+502.+ +A word or group of words attached to or inserted in a sentence as a mere comment, without belonging either to the subject or the predicate, is said to be parenthetical.+

The market, _indeed_, was already closed.

Peter, _to be sure_, was not very trustworthy.

The house, _at all events_, is safe.

The road is, _I admit_, very hilly.

Luttrell’s method, _it must be confessed_, was a little disappointing.

Richard was not a bad fellow, _after all_.

+503.+ In analysis, an independent element is mentioned by itself, and not as a part of the complete subject or the complete predicate.