it should be.”—­Journal of N. Y. Lit.  Convention, 1830, p. 91.  It is not the time, that is to be executed; therefore say, “This system, to be executed as it should be, will require a long time.”  “He spoke in a manner distinct enough to be heard by the whole assembly.”—­Murray’s Key, 8vo, p. 192.  This implies that the orator’s manner was heard!  But the grammarian interprets his own meaning, by the following alternative:  “Or—­He spoke distinctly enough to be heard by the whole assembly.”—­Ibid. This suggests that the man himself was heard.  “When they hit upon a figure that pleases them, they are loth to part with it, and frequently continue it so long, as to become tedious and intricate.”—­Murray’s Gram., p. 341.  Is it the authors, or their figure, that becomes tedious and intricate?  If the latter, strike out, “so long, as to become,” and say, “till it becomes.”  “Facts are always of the greatest consequence to be remembered during the course of the pleading.”—­Blair’s Rhet., p. 272.  The rhetorician here meant:  “The facts stated in an argument, are always those parts of it, which it is most important that the hearers should be made to remember.”

OBS. 30.—­According to some grammarians, “The Infinitive of the verb to be, is often understood; as, ’I considered it [to be] necessary to send the dispatches.’”—­W.  Allen’s Gram., p. 166.  In this example, as in thousands more, of various forms, the verb to be may be inserted without affecting the sense; but I doubt the necessity of supposing an ellipsis in such sentences.  The adjective or participle that follows, always relates to the preceding objective; and if a noun is used, it is but an other objective in apposition with the former:  as, “I considered it an imposition.”  The verb to be, with the perfect participle, forms the passive infinitive; and the supposition of such an ellipsis, extensively affects one’s mode of parsing.  Thus, “He considered himself insulted,” “I will suppose the work accomplished,” and many similar sentences, might be supposed to contain passive infinitives.  Allen says, “In the following construction, the words in italics are (elliptically) passive infinitives; I saw the bird caught, and the hare killed; we heard the letters read.”—­W.  Allen’s Gram., p. 168.  Dr. Priestley observes, “There is a remarkable ambiguity in the use of the participle preterite, as the same word may express a thing either doing, or done; as, I went to see the child dressed.”—­Priestley’s Gram., p. 125.  If the Doctor’s participle is ambiguous, I imagine that Allen’s infinitives are just as much so.  “The participle which we denominate past, often means an action whilst performing:  thus, I saw the battle fought, and the standard lowered.”—­Wilson’s Essay, p. 158.  Sometimes, especially in familiar conversation, an infinitive verb is suppressed, and the sign of it retained; as, “They might have aided us; they ought to” [have aided us].—­Herald of Freedom.  “We have tried to like it, but it’s hard to.”—­Lynn News.